Shares of Range Resources (NYSE:RRC) jumped nearly 18% on Monday after the natural gas producer struck a deal to be acquired by industry titan EQT (NYSE:EQT) in an all-stock transaction that values the combined company at more than $50 billion.
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Stronger together
The merger would create a natural gas giant with tremendous scale advantages, including over 9 billion cubic feet equivalent per day of net production, three decades of inventory, 3 million net acres of gas-rich land, and 3,700 miles of midstream infrastructure.
EQT expects these scale benefits, along with a projected $325 million in annual cost savings, to lower its free cash flow breakeven price to less than $2 per million British thermal units, thereby reducing its risk profile and increasing its ability to remain profitable across market cycles.
The combined company, in turn, expects to generate total free cash flow of roughly $20 billion over the next half-decade.
Under the terms of the deal, investors would receive 0.987 shares of EQT stock for every Range share they own.
EQT’s leadership team plans to oversee the merged company, with Range CEO Dennis Degner joining its board of directors, along with another Range representative.
The transaction is projected to close in the first quarter of 2027, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.
Expanding global markets
The merged enterprise would be well-placed to profit from rising demand for liquified natural gas (LNG) in lucrative markets in Asia and Europe, as well as surging demand for natural gas-powered electricity generation for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in the U.S.
“This transaction brings together two of the highest-quality, longest-duration asset bases in North America and creates a company uniquely positioned for the next era of natural gas,” EQT CEO Toby Rice said.
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