How the ‘Surprising’ Acquisition of WildHorse Resource Benefits Chesapeake Energy
Chesapeake Energy Corporation's decision to acquire WildHorse Resource Development for nearly $4 billion in cash and stock came as a surprise to many investors, especially given the recent oil rout.
However, the CEO of Chesapeake Energy, Doug Lawler, labeled this deal as one of the most exciting events in the recent history of the company, in terms of it could potentially transform the company.
So how would this deal help Chesapeake Energy?
First, the acquisition of WildHorse is expected to strengthen and accelerate the delivery of Chesapeake's near-term strategic priorities of margin improvement, sustainable free cash flow generation, and a net debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 2.0. As the bulk of WildHorse's current production consists of higher-margin oil, CHK expects its margins on a per-barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) basis following this deal to expand by 35% in 2019 and more than 50% by 2020.
Second, with this acquisition, CHK is expected to more than double its production by 2020. As CHK adds WildHorse's 420,000 oil-rich acres in the Eagle Ford Shale to its assets, nearly 80% to 85% of which is unexplored, it could transform CHK into an oil growth machine in the coming years.
Third, the “surprise” addition of WildHorse is expected to immediately boost CHK's financial profile along with future growth prospects. The increased scale of its operations, coupled with its ability to drill longer through its capital-efficient drilling mechanism, will help the company in yielding stronger drilling returns as well as eliminate additional oilfield service and supply chain costs.
Momentum Indicator for WRD turns positive, indicating new upward trend
WRD saw its Momentum Indicator move above the 0 level on September 11, 2025. This is an indication that the stock could be shifting in to a new upward move. Traders may want to consider buying the stock or buying call options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 14 similar instances where the indicator turned positive. In of the 14 cases, the stock moved higher in the following days. The odds of a move higher are at .
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bullish Trend Analysis
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for WRD just turned positive on September 11, 2025. Looking at past instances where WRD's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in of 5 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
WRD moved above its 50-day moving average on September 08, 2025 date and that indicates a change from a downward trend to an upward trend.
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where WRD advanced for three days, in of 32 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In of 34 cases where WRD Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are .
Bearish Trend Analysis
The Stochastic Oscillator demonstrated that the ticker has stayed in the overbought zone for 4 days. The longer the ticker stays in the overbought zone, the sooner a price pull-back is expected.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where WRD declined for three days, the price rose further in of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
WRD broke above its upper Bollinger Band on September 15, 2025. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
The Tickeron Seasonality Score of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is slightly undervalued in the industry. The Tickeron Seasonality score describes the variance of predictable price changes around the same period every calendar year. These changes can be tied to a specific month, quarter, holiday or vacation period, as well as a meteorological or growing season.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is fair valued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (3.270) is normal, around the industry mean (13.378). P/E Ratio (0.000) is within average values for comparable stocks, (120.706). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (0.000) is also within normal values, averaging (2.056). Dividend Yield (0.000) settles around the average of (0.027) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (51.546) is also within normal values, averaging (59.163).
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating fairly steady price growth. WRD’s price grows at a lower rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating weak sales and an unprofitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to worse than average earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating that the returns do not compensate for the risks. WRD’s unstable profits reported over time resulted in significant Drawdowns within these last five years. A stable profit reduces stock drawdown and volatility. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 90, placing this stock worse than average.
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