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- Penn Virginia (PVA) – Billionaire George Soros owns almost 9% of PVA and the company has officially put itself up for sale, hiring an investment bank to find a buyer for the company.
- Whiting Petroleum (WLL) – Billionaire John Paulson owns more than 6% of Whiting Petroleum. Paulson is an expert at M&A and merger speculation, and Whiting has also officially put itself up for sale, hiring consultants and investment banks to sell the company or assets.
- Seventy Seven Energy (SSE) – Billionaire Carl Icahn owns almost 9% of SSE. The company was recently spun off from Chesapeake Energy (CHK). According to a recent study in Barron’s, 21% of all spinoffs since 1999 have been acquired.
- Oasis Petroleum (OAS) – Not only does billionaire John Paulson own 6% of Oasis, but the activist hedge fund SPO Advisory owns almost 15% of the stock, and SPO has gone activist. In its 13D filing, SPO said they will be discussing strategic alternatives for Oasis, which could include a sale of the company or some its assets.
- Key Energy Services (KEG) – Activist investor Dr. Mark Rachesky and protégé of billionaire Carl Icahn, owns more than 11% of $KEG. Rachesky is one of the most successful activist investors, holds an MD and MBA from Stanford. According to Bloomberg, 90% of his activist campaigns over the past 12 years have been profitable. Furthermore, Rachesky has a history of pushing the companies he owns to sell themselves to the highest bidder.
