Icahn Ups Oxy Board Battle After CEO Talks Fail
(Bloomberg) -- Billionaire Carl Icahn formally asked Occidental Petroleum Corp. investors to help him replace four of the company’s 10 directors and potentially push for a sale. The shares climbed more than 2%.
Icahn and Occidental Chief Executive Officer Vicki Hollub spoke three times in the last six weeks both by phone and in person to discuss his ideas about corporate governance reforms after the company’s $38 billion deal to buy Anadarko Petroleum Corp. earlier this year, he said in a proxy filing Thursday.
Buying Anadarko was a “high-risk strategy” that may not have passed muster with shareholders had they been allowed to vote, Icahn said. “The board has acted and continues to act with a complete disregard with respect to stockholder demands and good governance,” he said in the filing.
Occidental “is reviewing the latest materials filed by Mr. Icahn and will respond in due course,” the company said in a statement. The stock rose 1.8% to $51.92 at 12:08 p.m. in New York after earlier rising as much as 2.1%.
The proxy battle could be a vehicle for investors to express discontent with a management team that outbid Chevron Corp. for Anadarko to expand in the Permian Basin, the world’s biggest shale oil field. The high price Occidental paid and expensive funding from Warren Buffett sparked concern among some shareholders at a time when rival oil explorers are becoming more fiscally prudent.
Icahn, who said in May he built a $1.6 billion stake in Occidental, wants Chairman Eugene Batchelder to step down along with board members Spencer Abraham, Margaret Foran and Avedick Poladian. The billionaire’s hand-picked replacements would be John Hofmeister, a retired Royal Dutch Shell Plc executive, former Jarden Corp. CFO Alan LeFevre, and Nicholas Graziano and Andrew Langham of Icahn Enterprises.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Kevin Crowley in Houston at kcrowley1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Simon Casey at scasey4@bloomberg.net
Christine Buurma
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
- Japan Failing to Meet Corporate Demand for Clean Power: Amazon
- Russian Navy Enters Warship-Crowded Red Sea Amid Houthi Attacks
- Oman Sees Increasing Ship-to-Ship Transfers of Russian Oil Bound for India
- Ithaca Energy Studies Deal for Eni's UK Upstream Assets
- New China Climate Chief Says Fossil Fuels Must Keep a Role
- Falcon Oil Declares Commercial Flow Test Results for Shenandoah Well
- UK Oil Regulator Publishes New Emissions Reduction Plan
- Japan Failing to Meet Corporate Demand for Clean Power: Amazon
- PetroChina Posts Higher Annual Profit on Higher Production
- McDermott Settles Reficar Dispute
- Macquarie Strategists Expect Brent Oil Price to Grind Higher
- US, SKorea Launch Task Force to Stop Illicit Refined Oil Flows into NKorea
- Russian Navy Enters Warship-Crowded Red Sea Amid Houthi Attacks
- Pennsylvania County Joins List of Local Govts Suing Big Oil over Climate
- Equinor Makes Discovery in North Sea
- Standard Chartered Reiterates $94 Brent Call
- India Halts Russia Oil Supplies From Sanctioned Tanker Giant
- DOI Announces Proposal for Second GOM Offshore Wind Auction
- Centcom, Dryad Outline Recent Moves Around Red Sea Region
- PetroChina Set to Receive Venezuelan Oil
- Czech Conglomerate to Buy Major Stake in Gasnet for $917MM
- US DOE Offers $44MM in Funding to Boost Clean Power Distribution
- Oil Settles Lower as Stronger Dollar Offsets Tighter Market
- UK Grid Operator Receives Aid to Advance Rural Decarbonization
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- VIDEO: Missile Attack Kills Crew Transiting Gulf of Aden
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Another Major Oilfield Discovery
- What Is the Biggest Risk to Offshore Oil and Gas Personnel in 2024?
- Vessel Sinks in Red Sea After Missile Strike
- Exxon Rights in Stabroek Do Not Apply to Hess Merger with Chevron: Hess
- Analysts Reveal Latest Oil Price Outlook Following OPEC+ Cut Extension
- Equinor Makes Discovery in North Sea
- Standard Chartered Reiterates $94 Brent Call