Senior management from Noble met twice with their counterparts at Anadarko in the past few days regarding a possible acquisition of NBL by APC, according to sources at both companies. It is not known who initiated the contacts, but sources say the topic is the acquisition of Noble by Anadarko.
The companies have long been familiar with each other's portfolios and assets, and had completed a major acreage swap in the DJ Basin in Colorado in recent years.
It appears to most observers that NBL has been cleaning up its portfolio in recent years in anticipation of a sale of the company, most recently with the divestiture of assets in the Pennsylvania/West Virginia area.
The acquisition would be positive to APC's domestic position, while putting them into an emerging market in the eastern Mediterranean. Noble, on the other hand, is suffering in the aftermath of the departure of Chuck Davidson, its retired CEO, and maybe looking to turn things over to new leadership.
While many Noble employees "in the know" about these discussions are concerned about what would happen to them in the event of a corporate takeover, especially one initiated by their own management, it might actually be a good thing. Anadarko has treated its own employees, as well as those of companies that it acquired, far more reasonably than Noble has done for its own employees in recent downsizing events.
Given the choices of either working for Anadarko, or being being part of an Anadarko layoff, both sound preferable to the current situation.