LOS ANGELES, Oct. 9, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY) announced today that it signed an agreement to purchase Phibro LLC ("Phibro") from Citigroup Inc., for approximately net asset value.
Primarily a trader in oil and gas, Phibro's assets consist of cash, marketable securities and readily saleable commodity positions. Phibro does not trade in any exotic derivatives or hold any level three type assets. Occidental's net investment in Phibro is expected to be about $250 million.
Phibro's management team, headed by Andrew Hall, and its employees will remain with the company after closing. The senior management team has agreed to make a significant investment in Phibro and receive returns dependent upon the company's future performance. Additionally, significant portions of current and future bonuses will be deferred and retained by Phibro and paid out in future years. These future payouts will be adjusted to reflect Phibro's results during that period.
From 1997 until the second quarter of 2009, Phibro averaged approximately $200 million per year in pre-tax earnings, while over the last five years Phibro's earnings averaged $371 million per year. Phibro has been profitable each fiscal year since 1997, attaining profitability in 80 percent of all quarters.
The transaction is expected to close by year end. Upon closing, Occidental will support the credit of Phibro. Phibro will become a part of Occidental's midstream segment which includes Occidental's natural gas liquids, power, pipeline and existing trading business.
About Oxy
Occidental Petroleum Corporation is an international oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States, Middle East/North Africa and Latin America regions. Oxy is the fourth largest U.S. oil and gas company, based on equity market capitalization. Oxy's wholly owned subsidiary, OxyChem, manufactures and markets chlor-alkali products and vinyls. Occidental is committed to safeguarding the environment, protecting the safety and health of employees and neighboring communities and upholding high standards of social responsibility in all of the company's worldwide operations.
Disclaimer and Forward Looking Statements
Past performance is not a guarantee of future results and Occidental did not independently verify Phibro's past results. Statements in this release that contain words such as "will," "expect" or "estimate," or otherwise relate to the future, are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect expected results. Factors that could cause results to differ materially include, but are not limited to: exploration risks, such as drilling of unsuccessful wells; not successfully completing (or any material delay in) field development or capital expenditures; higher-than-expected costs; changes in laws or regulations; political risk; global commodity pricing fluctuations and supply/demand considerations for oil and gas; and operational interruptions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date of this filing. Unless legally required, Occidental does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. U.S. investors are urged to consider carefully the disclosure in Occidental's Form 10-K, available through the following toll-free telephone number, 1-888-OXYPETE (1-888-699-7383) or on the Internet at http://www.oxy.com. You also can obtain a copy from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.