Shareholder

With fallout from last April’s Macondo well blowout a lingering financial and legal concern, BP plc on Tuesday cautiously reinstated a shareholder dividend and announced new substantial changes to its worldwide portfolio.

Magnum Hunter Resources Corp., which has been on the prowl for unconventional gas and oil resources for several months, on Wednesday agreed to pay $325 million to acquire Bakken Shale producer NuLoch Resources Inc.

Less than two months after gaining a financially able partner to develop some of its Marcellus Shale acreage, Gastar Exploration Ltd. on Wednesday said it would buy another 59,000 net acres in the WestVirginia portion of the play.

Less than a week after receiving shareholder approval (see NGI, Sept. 10), Dallas-based TXU Corp. said last Tuesday the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has provided its approval related to the merger of the utility with Texas Energy Future Holdings LP. (TEF). While all of the regulatory approvals have been obtained, there is still some question by analysts as to whether the current credit crunch will allow such a debt-laden deal through the system.

Less than a week after receiving shareholder approval (see Daily GPI, Sept. 10), Dallas-based TXU Corp. said Tuesday the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has provided its approval related to the merger of the utility with Texas Energy Future Holdings LP. (TEF). While all of the regulatory approvals have been obtained, there is still some question by analysts as to whether the current credit crunch will allow such a debt-laden deal through the system.

Well-known shareholder activist Carl Icahn, who has made a run on energy companies to improve their performance — and their stock prices — purchased about 3.1 million shares of Anadarko Petroleum Corp., a stake worth an estimated $133.4 million on March 31, according to a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Investor Carl Icahn, a well-known “shareholder activist,” has purchased about 3.1 million shares in Anadarko Petroleum Corp., a stake worth an estimated $133.4 million on March 31, according to a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

With its natural gas and power businesses unbound from each other through a tax-free spin-off, Duke Energy management last week predicted 5-7% per share compound annual growth for the gas business and 4-6% for the power business, the new Duke Energy, over the next several years. Driving the growth will be an abundance of new-build and expansion opportunities in both gas and power.

A major shareholder, the hedge fund Pirate Capital LLC reiterating its strong opposition, told independent directors of Mirant Corp. Monday it would call for a special meeting of the company’s stockholders if Mirant did not immediately drop its unsolicited bid for NRG Energy, Inc., prompting the Atlanta-based merchant power plant operator to quickly abandon the hostile takeover, although it continued to characterize the deal as a “compelling opportunity.”