Acreage

West Texas aficionado Parsley Energy Inc. struck for a second time in the Permian Basin in as many months, agreeing Tuesday to pay $2.8 billion for another 71,000 net acres, giving it command of 277,000 net acres total, mostly in the Midland sub-basin.

EQT Corp. continued to consolidate its acreage position this week, with management announcing Thursday that it’s purchased another 14,000 acres in Marion and Monongalia counties, WV, from an undisclosed buyer for $130 million.

Sundance Energy Australia Ltd. acquired additional working interests in 23 gross (1.5 net) producing wells and 1,449 gross (130 net) acres in the Eagle Ford Shale in McMullen County, TX, for $7.1 million.

Permian Basin pure-play Diamondback Energy Inc. late Wednesday agreed to acquire Brigham Resources affiliates in a deal valued at $2.43 billion, handing the Midland, TX-based independent another 76,319 net acres in West Texas and boosting its total leasehold to 182,000 net acres.

Australia’s 88 Energy Ltd. said the design for a well that will target an untested liquids-rich shale play in the onshore North Slope of Alaska has been revised from a lateral to vertical completion, and will be subject to multi-stage stimulation and subsequent flow test.

QEP Resources Inc. has informed federal regulators that its plans to expand in the Permian Basin by purchasing about 9,400 net acres in West Texas for $600 million will be delayed, with the closing date pushed back by about one month.

Ring Energy Inc., which is working on its first horizontal drilling program in the Permian Basin’s Central Basin Platform (CBP), is continuing to “aggressively look for and acquire additional acreage” after doubling down in the play, CEO Kelly Hoffman said Thursday.

Jones Energy Inc. will pay $136.5 million to SCOOP Energy LLC for approximately 18,000 net acres primarily in southern Canadian and northern Grady counties in Oklahoma, the Austin-based independent oil and natural gas company said Thursday.

Few mega-deals have hit the oil and gas sector for awhile, but North American oil and gas transactions have accelerated, particularly in the Permian Basin and in Oklahoma, as commodity prices strengthen, the bid/ask spread tightens and capital markets access improves, Fitch Ratings said Thursday.