Acquisitions and Divestitures

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Acquisition and Divestitures

2. Acquisitions and Divestitures

WPX Merger

On January 7, 2021, Devon and WPX completed an all-stock merger of equals. WPX is an oil and gas exploration and production company with assets in the Delaware Basin in Texas and New Mexico and the Williston Basin in North Dakota. On the closing date of the Merger, each share of WPX common stock was automatically converted into the right to receive 0.5165 of a share of Devon common stock. No fractional shares of Devon’s common stock were issued in the Merger, and holders of WPX common stock instead received cash in lieu of fractional shares of Devon common stock, if any. Based on the closing price of Devon’s common stock on January 7, 2021, the total value of Devon common stock issued to holders of WPX common stock as part of this transaction was approximately $5.4 billion.

The transaction will be accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting, with Devon being treated as the accounting acquirer. Under the acquisition method of accounting, the assets and liabilities of WPX and its subsidiaries will be recorded at their respective fair values as of the date of completion of the Merger and added to Devon’s. The preliminary purchase price assessment remains an ongoing process and is subject to change for up to one year subsequent to the closing date of the Merger. Determining the fair value of the assets and liabilities of WPX requires judgment and certain assumptions to be made, the most significant of these being related to the valuation of WPX’s oil and gas properties. The Merger is structured as a tax-free reorganization for United States federal income tax purposes.

In February 2021, Devon redeemed bonds issued by WPX with a maturity date of 2022 pursuant to a make whole provision in the related indenture. The total principal related to this redemption was approximately $43 million, with an additional $2 million cash premium paid to complete the make whole redemption.

Discontinued Operations

On October 1, 2020, Devon completed the sale of its Barnett Shale assets to BKV for proceeds, net of purchase price adjustments, of $490 million, including a $170 million deposit previously received in April 2020. The agreement with BKV also provides for contingent earnout payments to Devon of up to $260 million based upon future commodity prices, with upside participation beginning at a $2.75 Henry Hub natural gas price or a $50 WTI oil price. The contingent payment period commences on January 1, 2021 and has a term of four years. Devon recognized a $748 million asset impairment related to these assets in the fourth quarter of 2019 and incremental asset impairments totaling $182 million during 2020. Additional information can be found in Note 19.

In June 2019, Devon completed the sale of substantially all of its oil and gas assets and operations in Canada to Canadian Natural Resources Limited for proceeds, net of purchase price adjustments, of $2.6 billion ($3.4 billion Canadian dollars), and recognized a pre-tax gain of $223 million ($425 million, net of tax, primarily due to a significant deferred tax benefit) in 2019. Additional information can be found in Note 19.

During 2018, Devon received proceeds of approximately $500 million and recognized a $26 million net gain on asset dispositions from the sales of non-core assets in the Barnett Shale, located primarily in Johnson and Wise counties, Texas. In conjunction with these divestitures, Devon settled certain gas processing contracts and recognized $40 million in settlement expense, which is included in asset dispositions within discontinued operations. For additional information, see Note 19.

During the third quarter of 2018, Devon completed the sale of its aggregate ownership interests in EnLink and the General Partner for $3.125 billion and recognized a gain of approximately $2.6 billion ($2.2 billion after-tax). The proceeds from the sale were utilized to increase Devon’s share repurchase activities, which are discussed further in Note 18. Additional information on these discontinued operations can be found in Note 19.

Continuing Operations

In the fourth quarter of 2020, Devon entered into an agreement to divest non-core assets in the Rockies for proceeds of approximately $12 million. The transaction includes contingent earnout payments of up to approximately $8 million and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021. As of December 31, 2020, the associated assets and liabilities were classified as assets held for sale and included in other current assets and other current liabilities, respectively, in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. Estimated total proved reserves related to these assets were approximately 3 MMBoe as of December 31, 2020. The December 31, 2020 assets and liabilities held for sale primarily relate to oil and gas property and equipment and asset retirement obligations, respectively.

During the first quarter of 2020, Devon entered into a farmout agreement in which the third party to the agreement can participate in the development of certain Devon-owned, non-operated interests in the Delaware Basin. Under the agreement, Devon will periodically transfer working interests to the third party, who will then fund its share of operating and development costs. Once certain investment hurdles are met, a portion of the working interest held by the third party will revert to Devon. No material activity occurred during 2020.

During 2019, Devon received proceeds of approximately $390 million and recognized a $48 million net gain on asset dispositions, primarily from sales of non-core assets in the Permian Basin. In aggregate, the total estimated proved reserves associated with these divested assets were approximately 54 MMBoe.

During 2018, Devon received proceeds totaling approximately $500 million, primarily from the sales of non-core assets in the Delaware Basin, and recognized a net gain on asset dispositions of $278 million. In aggregate, the total estimated proved reserves associated with these divested assets were approximately 24 MMBoe.