In the Money with Amber Kanwar

Bidding War in the Oil Patch: Why Adam Waterous Isn’t Backing Down

Sep 11, 2025
Adam Waterous, Founder & Executive Chairman of Strathcona Resources, dives into the heated bidding war for MEG Energy. He passionately advocates for his all-share offer, explaining why shareholders could miss out on nearly $4 billion by not accepting it. Adam discusses the strategic shift from a mixed cash and stock proposal to an all-stock offer, and the implications for shareholders. He shares candid insights on shareholder reactions, critiques MEG's board for its engagement, and boldly outlines how far he’s willing to go to secure MEG.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

All-Share Offer And Specific Special Payout

  • Strathcona converted its offer to 0.8 Strathcona shares per MEG share and clarified a $2.142B special distribution to shareholders.
  • That distribution equals about $10 per Strathcona share and MEG tendering shareholders would get their pro rata portion.
INSIGHT

Operational Upside Largely Replicable

  • Strathcona argues it can capture nearly all operational synergies Synovus touted, like longer wells and more steam, because Strathcona already uses those methods.
  • The key difference claimed is lease-line drilling, which Strathcona says is irrelevant given MEG's long reserve life.
INSIGHT

Market Move Implies $3.9B Left Uncaptured

  • Waterous shows market pricing implied Synovus left about $3.9B of value "on the table" because Synovus's stock rose after the deal.
  • He uses historical M&A buyer-price move data to argue MEG shareholders missed capture of that upside.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app