UPDATE: Stifel Downgrades EPL Oil & Gas to Hold, Removes PT Following Acquisition Announcement


20-Year Pro Trader Reveals His "MoneyLine"

Ditch your indicators and use the "MoneyLine". A simple line tells you when to buy and sell without the guesswork. It’s a line on a chart that’s helped Nic Chahine win 83% of his options buys. Here's how he does it.


In a report published Thursday, Stifel analyst Amir Arif downgraded the rating on EPL Oil & Gas (NYSE: EPL) from Buy to Hold, and removed the $39.00 price target.In the report, Stifel noted, “We are downgrading EPL from Buy to Hold following yesterday's announcement of EXXI ($21.54, Not Rated) signing an agreement to acquire EPL. Given that we view the offer as full and fair, the deal is friendly, has a high cash component (65%), breakup fee involved, and limited number of buyers for shelf production, we do not see any meaningful probability for competing bids. In addition, with the arb spread fairly narrow (1.1% to the cash/stock offer) and risk of additional downside to EXXI stock in the near-term given the acquisition metrics, we are downgrading EPL from Buy to Hold. We believe that EPL shareholders are of two basic groups – one group looking for attractively valued oil exposure and the other being those who prefer to invest in offshore names looking past the production growth challenges in shallow waters and focusing on EBITDA margins and value creation from capital redeployment.”EPL Oil & Gas closed on Wednesday at $37.50.

20-Year Pro Trader Reveals His "MoneyLine"

Ditch your indicators and use the "MoneyLine". A simple line tells you when to buy and sell without the guesswork. It’s a line on a chart that’s helped Nic Chahine win 83% of his options buys. Here's how he does it.


ENTER TO WIN $500 IN STOCK OR CRYPTO

Enter your email and you'll also get Benzinga's ultimate morning update AND a free $30 gift card and more!

Posted In: Analyst ColorDowngradesAnalyst RatingsAmir ArifStifel