M&A Deal Summary

KKR, Crestview Partners, Natural Gas Partners and ITOCHU Acquire Samson Investment

On November 23, 2011, private equity firm KKR, private equity firm Crestview Partners, private equity firm Natural Gas Partners and ITOCHU acquired oil/gas exploration company Samson Investment for 7.2B USD

Acquisition Highlights
  • This is KKR’s 2nd, Crestview Partners’ 1st, Natural Gas Partners’ 10th and ITOCHU’s 1st transaction in the Oil/Gas Exploration sector.
  • This is KKR’s 13th, Crestview Partners’ , Natural Gas Partners’ and ITOCHU’s largest (disclosed) transaction.
  • This is KKR’s 46th, Crestview Partners’ 10th, Natural Gas Partners’ 12th and ITOCHU’s 4th transaction in the United States.
  • This is KKR’s 1st, Crestview Partners’ 1st, Natural Gas Partners’ 2nd and ITOCHU’s 1st transaction in Oklahoma.
Investment Fate
  • Samson Investment went bankrupt in 2015.

M&A Deal Summary

Date 2011-11-23
Target Samson Investment
Sector Oil/Gas Exploration
Buyer(s) KKR
Crestview Partners
Natural Gas Partners
ITOCHU
Deal Type Buyout (LBO, MBO, MBI)
Deal Value 7.2B USD
Advisor(s) Jefferies (Financial)

Target

Samson Investment

Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
website
Samson Investment Company is a privately-held independent exploration and production company.

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Buyer(S) 4

Buyer

KKR

New York, New York, United States

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor

website


Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 1976
PE ASSETS 510.0B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION
KKR's office in Menlo Park, California.
KKR's office in Menlo Park, California.

KKR is a global investment firm founded by Jerome Kohlberg, Henry Kravis, and George Roberts. The Firm is separated into several business segments including private markets, public markets, capital markets, and other principal activities. KKR's private equity practice invests in management buyouts, take privates, corporate divestitures, industry consolidations, and partnerships with family-owned companies. KKR will invest in a broad range of industries and companies and will consider businesses throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia/New Zealand. Sectors of interest include chemicals, consumer products, energy and natural resources, financial services, healthcare, industrial, media/communications, retail, and technology. In addition to its traditional principal investment activity business, KKR also invests in infrastructure assets. KKR was formed in 1976 and is based in New York, New York.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 102 of 426
Sector (Oil/Gas Exploration) 2 of 7
Type (Buyout (LBO, MBO, MBI)) 26 of 58
State (Oklahoma) 1 of 2
Country (United States) 46 of 187
Year (2011) 13 of 17
Size (of disclosed) 13 of 94
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2011-10-21 Santander Consumer USA

Dallas, Texas, United States

Santander Consumer USA is a provider of financial services for vehicle and consumer lending products. Santander Consumer USA was founded in 1995 and is based in Dallas, Texas.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2011-11-29 Capital Safety

Red Wing, Minnesota, United States

Capital Safety, Inc. is a provider of fall protection equipment for people working at height in a wide range of end user sectors including manufacturing, construction, oil and gas, and utilities.

Buy $1.1B
Buyer

Crestview Partners

New York, New York, United States

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor

website


Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 2004
PE ASSETS 9.0B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

Crestview Partners is a private equity firm focused on challenging investment situations. Crestview targets opportunities across a broad range of industries, with a special interest in asset management, media, healthcare and financial service companies. The Firm looks to commit $100 to $250 million of equity capital in transactions valued between $500 million and $3 billion. Crestview Partners was formed in 2004 and is based in New York, New York.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 14 of 55
Sector (Oil/Gas Exploration) 1 of 4
Type (Buyout (LBO, MBO, MBI)) 8 of 15
State (Oklahoma) 1 of 3
Country (United States) 10 of 44
Year (2011) 1 of 1
Size (of disclosed) 1 of 9
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2011-08-01 Cumulus Media Partners

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Cumulus Media Partners, LLC owns and operates radio broadcasting stations. The company, through its AM and FM radio stations, serves listeners, communities, advertisers, and agencies in Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, York, Albemarle, and Anniston. The company was formerly known as Susquehanna Radio Corp. and it changed its name to Cumulus Media Partners, LLC in May, 2006.

Sell $740M
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2012-02-29 Insight Communications

Belvidere, Illinois, United States

Insight Communications Company, Inc. is the ninth largest cable company in the United States, serving approximately 1.3 million basic video customers in the four contiguous Midwestern states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

Sell $3.0B
Buyer

Natural Gas Partners

Dallas, Texas, United States

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor

website


Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 1988
PE ASSETS 20.0B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Focused
DESCRIPTION

Natural Gas Partners is a specialist private equity firm focused on investments in the energy industry. The Firm looks for opportunities in oil and gas production, as well as midstream and oilfield service companies. Natural Gas Partners will also consider start-up company investments. The Firm's investments range from $20 to $100 million. Natural Gas Partners is an affiliate of energy investment firm NGP Energy Capital Management. The Group was formed in 1988 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas with additional offices in Houston; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Stamford, Connecticut; and London.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 16 of 59
Sector (Oil/Gas Exploration) 10 of 38
Type (Buyout (LBO, MBO, MBI)) 14 of 24
State (Oklahoma) 2 of 3
Country (United States) 12 of 51
Year (2011) 4 of 4
Size (of disclosed) 1 of 3
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2011-01-01 Rice Energy

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, United States

Rice Energy, Inc. is a family-owned and operated independent oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale. Rice is dedicated to being the most landowner-friendly, environmentally conscious and successful exploration company in the Marcellus Shale.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2011-12-09 Amplify Energy

Houston, Texas, United States

Amplify Energy engages in the acquisition, production, and development of oil and natural gas properties. Our primary business objective is to generate stable cash flows, allowing us to make quarterly cash distributions to our unitholders and, over time, to increase those quarterly cash distributions. We believe our properties are well suited for our partnership because they consist of mature oil and natural gas reservoirs with long-lived, predictable production profiles and modest capital requirements. Amplify Energy was founded in 2011 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Sell -
Buyer

ITOCHU

Tokyo, Japan

website


Category Company
Founded 1858
Sector Business Services
Employees128,146
Revenue 12,293.3B JPY (2022)
DESCRIPTION
ITOCHU's corporate headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.
ITOCHU's corporate headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.

Itochu is a prominent multinational trading company operating in various industries worldwide. With a diverse portfolio, Itochu engages in the sales, import, and export of an extensive range of products and services. Its offerings span sectors such as textiles, machinery, metals, energy, chemicals, food, and general merchandise. Itochu caters to a broad customer base comprising retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and businesses across different sectors, providing them with high-quality goods and facilitating global trade through its extensive network and expertise. ITOCHU was founded in 1858 and is based in Tokyo, Japan.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 6 of 25
Sector (Oil/Gas Exploration) 1 of 1
Type (Buyout (LBO, MBO, MBI)) 1 of 1
State (Oklahoma) 1 of 1
Country (United States) 4 of 7
Year (2011) 3 of 3
Size (of disclosed) 1 of 3
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2011-04-25 Elenza

Roanoke, Vermont, United States

ELENZA, Inc. is developing the world's first electronic "AutoFocal" Intraocular Lens to compete in the multi-billion dollar IOL market. Elenza's highly proprietary next generation Accommodating IOL is designed to give patients a complete visual range, providing effective near, intermediate and distance vision.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2013-04-01 Dole Food - Worldwide Packaged Foods and Asia Fresh Produce Businesses

Japan

Dole Food - Worldwide Packaged Foods and Asia Fresh Produce Businesses produces canned pineapple, canned pineapple juice, fruit juice concentrate, fruit in plastic cups, jars and pouches, fruit parfaits, snack foods, and frozen fruits.

Buy $1.7B