Woodside raises $2bn in bonds amid rising investor worries over capex plans
Australia's Woodside Energy raised $2-billion in the US bond market, it said on Friday, driving it shares lower on growing worries over the oil and gas producer's capital expenditure plans.
The bond issue was in two tranches -- $1.25-billion via 10-year bonds with a coupon of 5.1% and $750-million through 30-year bonds with a coupon of 5.7%.
Woodside, Australia's top gas producer, said the funds would be for general corporate purposes, without disclosing any details.
Ratings agency Standard & Poor's thinks the company could use the money to partly fund two recent acquisitions that total more than $3-billion.
The company's shares fell as much as 2.2% to their lowest since late January 2022, also pressured by crude oil prices near 14-month lows.
"Woodside shares have been in the firing line over the past week, with sinking crude prices and concerns over its capex direction taking a toll on the stock price," said Tim Waterer, a market analyst at KCM Trade.
"From an investor standpoint, there are question marks over whether the funds will be used to expand core business activities or instead be injected into developmental projects, which may not generate the desired returns in the short to medium term."
Woodside has also drawn investor and activist ire over its strategy for curbing carbon emissions. In April, shareholders rejected the company's climate plan.
Since then, the company has announced the $2.35 billion purchase of a clean ammonia project in Texas and the $900-million acquisition of an LNG terminal in Louisiana.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation