History
PDC Energy grew from Colorado and West Virginia roots into the Delaware Basin and, through the SRC deal, a larger DJ Basin business, before Chevron bought it in 2023.
2014-2016: Selling Appalachia, raising equity
The record opens in August 2014, when PDC agreed to sell, with its 50% partner LR-Mountaineer Holdings, all of PDC Mountaineer, LLC for $500 million in total. The company expected net pre-tax proceeds of about $190 million: $150 million in cash and a $40 million note. The assets were oil, gas and pipeline-type (midstream) holdings in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
PDC then turned to the stock market. In March 2015 it sold 4,002,000 new shares at $50.73 to underwriters Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, and in October it extended its JPMorgan-led revolving credit facility to May 2020, with a $700 million borrowing base. A second share sale followed in March 2016: 5,922,500 shares at $50.11. In May 2016 its $115 million 3.25% convertible notes matured, and $114.8 million of them were settled with cash plus 792,406 new shares. Shares on issue rose from about 35.9 million at the end of 2014 to about 56.3 million at the end of 2016.
2016-2018: The Delaware Basin move
In August 2016 PDC agreed to buy about 57,000 net acres in Reeves and Culberson Counties, Texas, in the Delaware Basin, from Kimmeridge-managed sellers. The price was about $1.5 billion in cash and PDC stock, split between Arris Petroleum and the 299 Resources assets. It took PDC beyond its Colorado and Ohio operations into Texas.
Funding came in September. PDC sold 9,085,000 new shares at $61.51, issued $200 million of 1.125% convertible notes due 2021 (convertible at about $85.39 a share), and sold $400 million of 6.125% senior notes due 2024. Because the stock and convertible sales raised over $600 million, a planned JPMorgan bridge loan was cancelled. The revolving credit commitments were set to rise from $450 million to $700 million on closing.
The purchase closed on December 6, 2016, with about $916 million in cash and 9,386,768 shares going to the sellers. In November 2017 PDC raised $600 million of 5.750% senior notes due 2026. The proceeds were meant to redeem its 7.75% notes due 2022, help pay for a Bayswater Exploration & Production acquisition, and cover general needs. PDC also said it planned to divest its Utica Shale operations in Ohio. In May 2018 it replaced its credit agreement with one running to May 2023, with a $1.3 billion borrowing base.
2019-2021: Selling midstream and merging with SRC
In mid-2019 PDC sold much of its Delaware Basin midstream infrastructure. WaterBridge Resources paid $125 million in cash plus up to $75 million conditional. Oryx paid $37.3 million plus up to $15.2 million conditional. EagleClaw Midstream Ventures paid $100 million at closing and $82 million a year later, with up to about $60 million more if volume targets were beaten. PDC kept long-term access to the services.
In August 2019 it agreed to merge with SRC Energy, offering 0.158 of a PDC share for each SRC share, and registered up to 39,923,671 new shares for the purpose. The merger closed on January 14, 2020. PDC took on SRC's $550 million 6.25% notes due 2025, planned to offer to buy them back at 101% of principal, and added two SRC directors to its board. Shares on issue rose from about 61.6 million at the end of 2019 to about 99.6 million a year later. In September 2020 PDC sold a further $150 million of the 2026 notes. In April 2021 it suspended its duty to file periodic reports with the SEC.
2022-2023: Great Western and the Chevron sale
In February 2022 PDC agreed to buy Great Western Petroleum, a Denver-based DJ Basin operator, for $542.5 million in cash plus 4,007,018 new shares. At the same time it raised its quarterly dividend to $0.25 per share and lifted its buyback authorization to $1.25 billion. The deal closed on May 6, 2022. PDC borrowed $950 million on its revolving credit facility, partly to pay off Great Western's debt, including its 12% second lien notes. Shares on issue fell from about 97.4 million at the end of 2021 to about 87.0 million by the end of 2023.
On May 21, 2023 PDC signed a merger agreement with Chevron: each PDC share would become 0.4638 of a Chevron share. Chevron valued the all-stock deal at $6.3 billion, or $72 a share, with $7.6 billion including debt. US antitrust clearance came on July 5, and PDC called a stockholder vote for August 4.
The merger closed on August 7, 2023. PDC became a wholly owned Chevron subsidiary, its Nasdaq listing was suspended, and it terminated its credit agreement, repaying $560 million with no penalty. Its former holders owned about 2% of Chevron. PDC deregistered its securities on August 25, 2023, ending its SEC reporting. Shareholder lawsuits over the merger disclosures, which PDC and Chevron called meritless, had no outcome in the record, and the filings did not say what became of the 2025 and 2026 notes.
Written from the 29 story beats below (2014 to 25 Aug 2023), which come from the company's own announcements and filings.