OGFJ100P Company Update
John S. Herold Inc., the highly regarded independent research firm, has provided updated production data for 2005 that OGFJ uses to produce its periodic ranking of US-based private E&P companies. The rankings are based on operated production only within the continental United States. For September, we are publishing amended year-end 2005 statistics and rankings based on barrels of oil equivalent (boe) produced by each company.
Some things change very little. One that does not is Aera Energy LLC, which continues to hold a commanding lead at the No. 1-ranked company in total production for 2005. The Bakersfield, Calif.-based producer is a limited liability company that is jointly owned by affiliates of Shell Oil Co. and Exxon Mobil Corp.
The second-, third-, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-ranked companies - Dallas-based Merit Energy Co.; Houston-based Hilcorp Energy Co.; Yates Petroleum Corp., Artesia, NM; Tulsa-based Samson Lone Star LP; and Hunt Oil Co., headquartered in Dallas; respectively - also haven’t changed positions since our previous rankings were published in July.
Tulsa-based Samson Resources Co., moved up from the No. 19 position to No. 7 in the latest ranking. Samson Resources displaced Houston-based Walter Oil & Gas Corp., which moved down a notch to the No. 8 position.
The biggest move was by Kaiser-Francis Oil Co., also headquartered in Tulsa, which jumped from the No. 38 position to No. 9 in the current ranking.
Stephens Production Co., Fort Smith, Ark., eased into the No. 10 spot from the No. 11 position it previously occupied.
Three E&P companies fell out of the top 10 in the latest OGFJ100P: Houston-based Continental Operating Co.; LLOG Exploration Co. of Metarie, La.; and J-W Operating Co., Addison, Tex.
As new production figures become available, Oil & Gas Financial Journal will continue to update the information for these privately-held US-based E&P companies. In addition, future issues of OGFJ will contain production volumes broken down into total gas production and total liquids production, as well as news and relevant information about individual companies.