Harbour Energy Expands North Sea Footprint With $170M Acquisition

On Dec.12, 2025, Harbour Energy HBRIY struck a $170 million deal to strengthen its UK North Sea portfolio by acquiring all subsidiaries of Waldorf Energy Partners Ltd. and Waldorf Production Ltd. Following announcement HBRIY's share price fell 1.4% to $2.8 from $2.84 per share, likely due to the weakening global crude oil price. West Texas Intermediate crude is currently hovering just below $56 per barrel.Harbour Energy stated that the transaction will be funded internally through its existing liquidity. HBRIY expects the deal to be completed in the second quarter of 2026, subject to creditor settlements and regulatory approvals.Following the closure of the deal, HBRIY will increase its stake in the Catcher field to 90% from 50% and gain a 29.5% non-operating interest in the Kraken oil field.The deal is expected to enhance Harbour's daily oil equivalent production by 20,000 barrels and add around 35 million barrels of oil equivalent of 2P reserves to its portfolio. HBRIY expects higher production levels to generate additional cash flow in the coming years, thereby adding stability to its business model.HBRIY states that, through this synergy, it will also receive around $350 million in cash that Waldorf had kept as security for decommissioning. The cash can be utilized for investment and other purposes as Harbour has a strong balance sheet.However, Harbour Energy's business model remains highly vulnerable to crude oil price volatility. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), and with West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices trading below $56 per barrel, its business is likely to face pressure in the near term.You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Other key players in the upstream space are EOG Resources, Inc. EOG, ConocoPhillips COP and Diamondback Energy, Inc. FANG.  While the business models of EOG, COP and FANG are also affected by declining crude oil prices, they are relatively better positioned and currently carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) each.EOG Resources, headquartered in Houston, TX, strives to be a leader in operational efficiency with a focus on delivering strong financial returns.ConocoPhillips, headquartered in Houston, TX, has raised its 2025 daily production guidance to around 2.375 million barrels, as reported in its third-quarter 2025 update, 15,000 barrels higher than its previous 2025 guidance.Diamondback Energy, headquartered in Midland, TX, allocates capital in a disciplined manner with outstanding returns.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in the coming year. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +112%, +171%, +209% and +232%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ConocoPhillips (COP): Free Stock Analysis Report EOG Resources, Inc. (EOG): Free Stock Analysis Report Diamondback Energy, Inc. (FANG): Free Stock Analysis Report Harbour Energy PLC Sponsored ADR (HBRIY): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks