< "> edit this post http://www.investegate.co.uk/afren-plc-%28afr%29/rns/trading-statement-and-operations-update/201301210700069619
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In an attempt to cut down the header page,i've transferred some of the older news to Page1 post No.3.

http://www.oil-price.net/index.php?lang=en
http://www.ft.com/home/uk

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201111020700081674R
http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201111150700250723S
http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201112010705051251T
http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201201170700146472V
http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201201230701479690V
http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4323758
http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201204170700164488B
http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201205140700212304D
http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201205210700407032D
http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4430164
http://www.investegate.co.uk/afren-plc-%28afr%29/rns/significant-new-seychelles-3d-seismic-programme/201212120700052973T/
http://www.investegate.co.uk/afren-plc--afr-/rns/2013-half-yearly-results/201308230700063334M/
http://www.investegate.co.uk/afren-plc--afr-/rns/ogo-drilling-and-resources-update/201311190700083404T/
http://www.investegate.co.uk/afren-plc--afr-/rns/trading-statement-and-operations-update/201401280700096280Y/
http://www.investegate.co.uk/afren-plc--afr-/rns/interim-management-statement/201405200700135209H/
http://www.investegate.co.uk/afren-plc--afr-/rns/interim-management-statement/201410300700116483V/
http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4942625
http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4943375

Plenty of time left this year for this to be way over 150 by end of year. Soooooo cheap at the moment brilliant time to top up if you`ve got the cash.

Lovely bounce back...

Yes, but beware lower highs & lower lows.

Futures down as well tonight ,,still best bounce back we have had 10.5p ,can't complain ..

gradually creeping back up towards the 100 guys

Don't tell me it's going to break that blinkin' 105p at long last....

we wish! .... perhaps sp creeping up as some think AFR fields are in falklands too!

Well Africa was joined at the hip with South America at some time in the past...

surely that was just on the slave ships?

From The Times yesterday.Further afield AFREN,the oil and gas exploration and production group swung to 89.8p, up 10.65p after the analysts at Renaissance Capital Said they preferred the stock to Africa-focused peer TULLOW OIL, which was 46p up "while we acknowledge the impressive operational success Tullow Oil
had in the past,in the next 12 months,on a relative basis,we believe AFREN shares will outperform,"Renaissance said,setting"buy" and "hold" rating an Afren and Tullow respectively.
The broker said its estimates suggested that Afren was better placed to deliver production growth in the near term,adding "we estimate Afren is set to deliver 7 per cent production growth in 2010 and 111 per cent production growth in 2011. This is better than Tullow's 4 per cent decline in 2010 and 57 percent growth in 2011.

now that US is banning deep-sea exploration and drilling in all probability for the next several years, surely those companies who now have significant proven reserves will become even more important targets for predators.

And those who are drilling well away from American waters.

indeed, but thought that was self-apparent; and of course American should be clarified as USA

Good point cynic , , despite these being up and down like a brides nightdress i'm hoping to hold mine for the future...

From today's Mail (Mail online):
"Fund managers' desks have been littered of late with bullish broker tomes on Afren. By all accounts the West Africa-focused exploration group has become the top pick of the oil exploration and production sector.

Its' impressive corporate progress over the past year or so has attracted the attention of industry giants who now see it as an ideal bolt-on acquisition and a way into Africa.
Afren's shares edged up 0.85p to 94.7p amid rumours of a 140p-a-share cash offer from BG Group, 27.5p better at 1088.5p. BG has extensive exploration interests in Brazil and Australia, but apparently is said to be keen on increasing the size of its operations in Nigeria."

bit of a roller coaster ride today....typical of bid rumours
Up-down-up and now down

StockMarketWire.com
"Afren has reached an agreement to take over Black Marlin Energy Holdings.

Afren says the deal enhances its portfolio and delivers key exploration opportunities and a strategic entry into East Africa.

The deal - 0.3647 Afren shares for each Black Marlin share - values Black Marlin shares at C$0.51 apiece, a premium of approximately 35% to the closing price last night (1 June).

Afren said holders of approximately 55% of Black Marlin shares, including all board members and senior management, had entered into irrevocable undertakings to support and vote in favour of the transaction.

Afren chief executive Osman Shahenshah said: "The acquisition of Black Marlin offers a compelling strategic fit with Afren's existing portfolio and provides strong opportunities for growth.

"Black Marlin has exposure to numerous high impact exploration assets which, combined with Afren's cash generative West African production base and development capabilities, is a complementary extension to our established West African platform.

"We believe that the terms of the transaction are attractive for shareholders of both Afren and Black Marlin and we look forward to the successful completion of the acquisition."

bought a few more today as this geographic expansion makes AFR more attractive to any potential bidder.

Not sure a t/o for AFR is on the cards. as the deal they have with the Nigerian Govt (via FHN) is unique to them & is unlikely to be transferable to another party.

Broker note (part of) from Credit Suisse:
"Proposed Black Marlin Energy acquisition is a divergence from core strategy. Although growth via acquisitions remains central to the Afren story, we do not feel that an all share deal to add a fragmented portfolio of frontier exploration assets is attractive to current shareholders. Following $326m of equity issuance in 2009 (25% of current market cap), this divergence from Afrens core strategy may not be taken positively by the market in our view.
We now set our target price at a 20% discount to NAV to reflect the uncertainty we have in company strategy prior to first production and cash flow from the Ebok field. Target price decreases to 100p and we downgrade to Neutral citing preference for other E&Ps with similar discounts to NAV. Our EPS estimates for 2010-11E decrease 8% to 17p and 55p respectively.
We are not yet convinced of the logic behind the deal. Afren was established with a strategy to take advantage of Nigerias drive towards indigenous oil production, with first mover advantage for accessing and commercialising undeveloped resources. The deal activity that we had been looking forward to was the acquisition of satellite fields around the company's key Ebok development in Nigeria. As such, we feel that exposure to high-risk frontier exploration in East Africa is a divergence."