No Shortage of M&A Activity This Week

Plains Exploration made a big purchase this week -- $6.1 billion for three offshore GOM fields. The company is laying its cards on the table, moving back offshore after doubling its size through this highly-leveraged purchase. The market reaction was negative immediately after the announcement was made, as Plains paid top dollar for the assets.

Of course, if Plains is able to make this transition smoothly, and the price of oil continues to strengthen, they'll be able to amass a horde of cash, as this deal is expected to drive $4 billion to $5 billion in cash flow by 2016. It's an expensive venture, and there's always risk when a company leverages itself to such a degree.

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The article No Shortage of M&A Activity This Week originally appeared on Fool.com.

Austin Smith has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Joel South has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool owns shares of Transocean and has the following options: long JAN 2013 $16.00 calls on Chesapeake Energy, long JAN 2013 $25.00 calls on Chesapeake Energy, long JAN 2014 $20.00 calls on Chesapeake Energy, and long JAN 2014 $30.00 calls on Chesapeake Energy. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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