Investopedia: Ensco Digs Deep To Go Deep

Mergers and acquisitions seem to pick up when a market is just turning, so Monday's deal between Ensco (NYSE:ESV) and Pride (NYSE:PDE) may be a good sign that the offshore drilling market is about to enter another cyclical upswing. By the same token, it could just be a sign that Ensco realizes that its tough to get fair treatment from major integrated energy companies as a smaller company and that scale can produce some inherent advantages. 

The Terms of the DealWith the deal announced Monday, Ensco will acquire Pride with a combination of cash and stock worth $41.60 per share. In addition to $15.60 in cash, Ensco will hand over 0.4778 shares of stock to complete the deal. That represents a 21% premium for Pride shareholders and a pretty healthy multiple for Pride relative to industry norms.

What the New Ensco will Look Like
When the deal is complete, Ensco will control 74 rigs, with 21 that function in deepwater and ultra-deepwater. That will make Ensco the second-largest deepwater player, second to Transocean (NYSE:RIG). Ensco will also have 47 jackups in the fleet, with 27 good for drilling in depths in excess of 300 feet.

It is not all about the number of rigs, though. While companies like Diamond Offshore (NYSE:DO), Noble (NYSE:NE) and Transocean may have been historically more focused on deepwater assets, the new Ensco will have a newer fleet. Newer matters - newer rigs are often more powerful and more technologically advanced, and can allow drillers to do more in less time and complete complex jobs that older rigs may not be able to handle. That, in turn, often spells better dayrates.


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