By GEOFF HO: Dec 27, 2015
With the price of oil languishing below $40 per barrel Ben van Beurden needs a miracle
With the price of oil languishing below $40 per barrel he requires prices to start rising in order to save his £47billion takeover of BG Group. When Van Beurden announced the deal in April, a number of Shell’s investors had doubts because of the valuations involved. Those doubts have since become full-blown fears, as the oil price has fallen through the floor.
To be fair to Shell, there is merit to the deal. BG will provide it with quality assets and enough free cash flow to reinforce its under-pressure dividend. It has also identified billions of cost savings. However, the takeover is predicated on the oil price being at $60 to $70 a barrel and the slump has completely changed the economics of the BG deal.