History
Viper began in 2014 as a Diamondback-backed royalty vehicle, grew through repeated share sales and acquisitions, and in August 2025 merged with Sitio into a new parent.
2014: Listing and first funding
The company, filing as Viper Energy Partners LP, was cleared by Nasdaq to trade in June 2014. Its first public offering closed on June 23: 5,000,000 units at $26.00, plus a 750,000-unit over-allotment option exercised in full. The net proceeds of about $137.5 million went to Diamondback Energy, the Sponsor, not to the company. Diamondback then owned 70,450,000 units, about 92% of the partnership, and controlled the general partner. In July the company signed a $500.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility with Wells Fargo, with an initial borrowing base of $110.0 million. In September it sold 3,500,000 units at $28.50 for about $95.4 million, this time keeping the money to repay borrowings and fund acquisitions.
2015-2017: Selling units to fund growth
The record for 2015 is quiet. From 2016 the company raised money repeatedly. In August 2016 it sold 7,000,000 units at $16.00 for about $109.0 million, with Diamondback buying 2,000,000 and holding about 84% afterward. In January 2017 it sold 8,500,000 units at $15.50 (plus a fully exercised 1,275,000-unit option) for about $147.6 million. In July 2017 it sold 14,000,000 units at $14.75, plus a 2,100,000-unit option exercised in full, for about $232.6 million. Diamondback bought 700,000 and held about 64% afterward. The money repaid revolver debt and funded acquisitions the filings do not detail. In November 2017 the revolver was extended to November 2022, with the borrowing base raised to $400 million from $275 million. Units on issue rose from 87,800,356 at the end of 2016 to 113,882,045 at the end of 2017.
2018-2019: A taxable company and the Diamondback drop-down
In May 2018 the company switched from a pass-through to a taxable entity. Diamondback swapped its 73,150,000 common units for the same number of Class B units plus operating company units, exchangeable back into common units one-for-one. Two more sales followed: 9,000,000 units at $31.25 in August 2018 (about $305.3 million) and 9,500,000 at $32.00 in March 2019 (about $340.4 million), each used to repay part of the revolver. In September 2019 it agreed to buy about 1,358 net royalty acres from Santa Elena Minerals for $150 million in new units. The beats never confirm that closing. On October 1, 2019 it completed the Drop-Down Acquisition from Diamondback subsidiaries, about 5,490 net royalty acres, for about 18.3 million new Class B units, about 18.3 million operating company units and $190.2 million in cash. To cut revolver debt it then issued $500 million of 5.375% senior notes due 2027, closed October 16.
2020-2022: Holding steady
In May 2020 the borrowing base was cut from $775 million to $580 million, and the filing gave no reason. In November the company set up a buyback of up to $100 million of units through the end of 2021. In June 2021 the revolver was extended to June 2025. In October 2021 it closed the Swallowtail acquisition, buying about 2,302 net royalty acres for 15.25 million new units plus about $225 million in cash. The record for 2022 is quiet.
2023-2024: Warwick/GRP and Tumbleweed
In 2023 the borrowing base rose to $1 billion, then to $1.25 billion once the Warwick/GRP deal closed. On November 1, 2023 the company closed that purchase of about 7,300 net royalty acres for $750 million in cash plus 9,018,760 new units. It was paid for with cash on hand, $400 million of 7.375% notes due 2031, $200 million from selling 7,215,007 units to Diamondback, and revolver borrowings. On November 13 it converted from a partnership into a corporation, Viper Energy, Inc. In March 2024 Diamondback sold 11,500,000 Class A shares, taking its voting power to about 49%. In September 2024 Viper sold 11,500,000 Class A shares at $42.50, raising about $475.9 million. On October 1 it closed the Tumbleweed Royalty IV purchase, paying about $459.0 million in cash plus 10,093,670 operating company units. It also bought two smaller Tumbleweed-related royalty companies in September.
2025: Endeavor, Sitio and the end of this registrant
In January 2025 Viper agreed to buy Endeavor's mineral and royalty subsidiaries, about 22,847 net royalty acres, for $1.0 billion cash plus 69,626,640 operating company units and matching Class B shares. It sold 28,336,000 Class A shares at $44.50, raising about $1.2 billion, to fund it. Shareholders were to vote on May 1, and the Endeavor interests acquisition was completed that day. In June Viper agreed to merge with Sitio Royalties through a new holding company, and signed a new $1.5 billion unsecured revolver. In July it issued $1.6 billion of notes due 2030 and 2035, redeemed its 2031 notes and called its 2027 notes for November 1, 2025. The Sitio merger closed on August 19, 2025. Viper shares converted one-for-one into shares of the new parent, now named Viper Energy, Inc. and trading as VNOM, while Sitio Class A holders received 0.4855 new Class A shares per share. This registrant became VNOM Sub, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the new parent. On October 16, 2025 it deregistered its securities, ending its obligation to file reports with the SEC.
Written from the 42 story beats below (2014 to 16 Oct 2025), which come from the company's own announcements and filings.