Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) is an oil stock worth owning on its own merits. But a fresh report that Exxon Mobil (XOM) could acquire the Club holding would likely unlock even more value. Exxon has held “informal” talks about buying Pioneer, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Any potential deal would not transpire until later this year or in 2024, the Journal reported. Exxon — which generated $62 billion in free cash flow in 2022 and ended the year with nearly $30 billion in cash — has held acquisition discussions with at least one other oil-and-gas firm, according to the Journal. Pioneer shares jumped more than 6% Monday, to around $221 each — making it by far the best-performing energy stock in the S & P 500 . Shares of Exxon fell by by 0.25%, to just under $115 apiece. Pioneer and Exxon did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment Monday. Exxon’s reported interest in Pioneer is hardly a surprise because the Texas shale driller is a “marquee” independent exploration-and-production company in the lower 48 states, Stifel analyst Derrick Whitfield told the CNBC Monday. If Exxon wants to meaningfully bolster its rig count in the Permian Basin, it’s “going to need quality depth of inventory,” which Pioneer has, Whitfield said. The analyst, who has a buy rating and $286 per share price target on PXD, said the likelihood of a Pioneer-Exxon deal comes down to how much Exxon is willing to pay. “I think management would want to … improve performance of their asset base and arguably have a higher stock price before coming to the table with Exxon Mobil,” Whitfield said. “That’s not to say if Exxon Mobil offered a 25% premium, it wouldn’t be done. Personally, that was the number I had pegged in my mind. If you saw a 25% premium, I think that would bring them to the table because, let’s be realistic, every independent wants to be acquired by Exxon Mobil.” The Club believes it may take a bit more for Pioneer to seriously consider selling. A 25% premium from where Pioneer closed Thursday, at roughly $208 per share, would value shares at around $260 each. However, Jim Cramer said Monday he thinks Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield — an industry veteran in his second stint leading the company — would hesitate to sell at a per-share price below $285. That’s Pioneer stock’s all-time closing high, reached in June 2022. “I am not saying he wouldn’t sell. I am saying that he’s not going to sell below where this stock was, given the fact oil could be going back to $90 [a barrel], given the fact that he’s got the best Permian assets,” he added. West Texas Intermediate crude — the U.S. oil benchmark — was trading down more than 1% Monday afternoon, at $79.70 a barrel. We were content with our Pioneer investment prior to Exxon’s reported interest in the company, adding to our PXD stake twice last month at lower levels than Monday’s market price. Our most recent purchase of 25 shares on March 20 came at roughly $185 each. Pioneer’s attractiveness stems in large part from its quality acreage and low oil price breakevens, at roughly $39 per barrel. That enables the firm to generate hefty amounts of free cash flow and return most of it to shareholders through stock buybacks and quarterly dividends. Knowing that Exxon is reportedly on the prowl for an acquisition, investors may look at Pioneer and other Permian operators even more favorably. Stifel’s Whitfield believes the Journal story could put a near-term floor underneath Pioneer’s stock price — a view we share. At the very least, Pioneer’s shareholders may be more likely to remain invested in the company, Whitfield said. And that’s certainly our intention at this time. “What I suspect is it’s going to further firm the shareholder base because you now have an article that directly links Exxon Mobil to Pioneer, and the way it was set up, there is clearly an interest there,” Whitfield said. “I think if you’ve seen Pioneer at [a] much higher share price in the past, that gives you that much more conviction to hold onto it now.” (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long PXD. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
Permian Basin rigs in 2020, when U.S. crude oil production dropped by 3 million a day as Wall Street pressure forced cuts.
Paul Ratje | Afp | Getty Images
Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) is an oil stock worth owning on its own merits. But a fresh report that Exxon Mobil (XOM) could acquire the Club holding would likely unlock even more value.
A dump truck moves raw ore inside the pit at the Mountain Pass mine, operated by MP Materials, in Mountain Pass, California, U.S., on Friday, June 7, 2019.
Joe Buglewicz | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Shares of U.S. rare earth miners surged in early trading Monday, after President Donald Trump threatened China with retaliation over its strict export controls.
Trump on Friday threatened China with a “massive” increase in tariffs in retaliation for Beijing imposing strict export controls on rare earth elements. The president then dialed down his rhetoric on Sunday, saying the situation with China will “be fine.”
The Defense Department, meanwhile, is accelerating its effort to stockpile $1 billion worth of critical minerals, according to The Financial Times.
And JPMorgan Chase said Monday it would invest up to $10 billion in companies that are crucial to U.S. national security.
“It has become painfully clear that the United States has allowed itself to become too reliant on unreliable sources of critical minerals, products and manufacturing — all of which are essential for our national security,” JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said in press release.
Rare earths are a subset of critical minerals that are crucial inputs in U.S. weapons platforms, robotics, electric vehicles and other applications.
Bloom Energy power storage equipment in San Ramon, California.
Smith Collection | Gado | Archive Photos | Getty Images
Shares of Bloom Energy surged Monday after striking a deal with Brookfield to deploy fuel cells for artificial intelligence data centers.
Brookfield will spend up to $5 billion to deploy Bloom Energy’s technology, the first investment in its strategy to support big AI data centers with power and computing infrastructure.
Shares of Bloom Energy were up more than 30% in early trading. Bloom’s fuel cells provide onsite power that can be deployed quickly because they do not rely on the electric grid.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told CNBC last week that the AI industry will need to build power off the electric to meet demand quickly and protect consumers from rising electricity prices.
“Data center self-generated power could move a lot faster than putting it on the grid and we have to do that,” Huang told CNBC on Oct. 8.
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JPMorgan Chase on Monday said it is launching a decade-long plan to help finance and take direct stakes in companies it considers crucial to U.S. interests.
The bank said in a statement it would invest up to $10 billion into companies in four areas: defense and aerospace, “frontier” technologies including AI and quantum computing, energy technology including batteries, and supply chain and advanced manufacturing.
The money is part of a broader effort, dubbed the Security and Resiliency Initiative, in which JPMorgan said it will finance or facilitate $1.5 trillion in funding for companies it identifies as crucial. It said the total amount is 50% more than a previous plan.
“It has become painfully clear that the United States has allowed itself to become too reliant on unreliable sources of critical minerals, products and manufacturing — all of which are essential for our national security,” JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said in the release.
As the biggest American bank by assets and a Wall Street juggernaut, JPMorgan was already raising funds and lending money to companies in those industries. But the move helps organize the company’s activities around national interests at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and China.
On Friday, markets tumbled as President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on Chinese imports after the major U.S. trading partner tightened export controls on rare earths.
In the release, Dimon said that the U.S. needs to “remove obstacles” including excessive regulations, “bureaucratic delay” and “partisan gridlock.”
JPMorgan said that within the four major areas, there were 27 specific industries it would look to support with advice, financing and investments. That includes areas as diverse as nanomaterials, autonomous robots, spacecraft and space launches, and nuclear and solar power.
“Our security is predicated on the strength and resiliency of America’s economy,” Dimon said. “This new initiative includes efforts like ensuring reliable access to life-saving medicines and critical minerals, defending our nation, building energy systems to meet AI-driven demand and advancing technologies like semiconductors and data centers.”
The bank said it would hire an unspecified numbers of bankers and create an external advisory council to support its initiative.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.