Filing Flows › Chord Energy (CHRD) › Takeover & LBO
Is Chord Energy (CHRD) a takeover target?
A leveraged buyout at today's price plus 30% ($177.16 a share) would return about 21% a year to a private-equity buyer over 5 years; the most a buyer could pay for a 20% return is $179.87 a share (32% against today's $136.28). Historically 2.2% of companies with its figures were bought within a year (0.45× the average).
The buyout, step by step
| Entry | Amount | How |
|---|---|---|
| Offer price a share | $177.16 | today's $136.28 plus 30% |
| × shares | 54.7 million | |
| = Equity value | $9.7B | |
| + Debt refinanced | $1.5B | |
| − Cash | $805M | |
| = Enterprise value | $10.4B | 3.4× EBITDA of $3.1B |
| Fees | $208M | 2% of the price |
| New debt | $6.7B | 2.2× EBITDA at 7.65% a year; the limit that binds: 65% of the price |
| Buyer's own money | $3.8B | 36% of the cost |
5 years under the buyer
| Year | Revenue | EBITDA | Interest | Free cash flow | Debt left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $7.3B | $3.3B | $516M | $908M | $5.8B |
| Year 2 | $7.7B | $3.6B | $446M | $1.1B | $4.8B |
| Year 3 | $8.2B | $3.8B | $366M | $1.2B | $3.6B |
| Year 4 | $8.5B | $3.9B | $275M | $1.3B | $2.3B |
| Year 5 | $8.8B | $4.0B | $173M | $1.5B | $814M |
The exit and the buyer's return
| Exit | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Exit multiple | 2.6× EBITDA | today's trading multiple, before any premium |
| Enterprise value at exit | $10.6B | |
| − Debt left | $814M | |
| = Buyer's equity | $9.8B | |
| Money multiple | 2.56× | on $3.8B put in |
| Buyer's yearly return (IRR) | 20.6% |
Price against return
What the buyer makes at other premiums over today's $136.28; the IRR reaches 20% at $179.87 a share.
| Premium | Price a share | Buyer's IRR |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $149.91 | 27.5% |
| 20% | $163.54 | 24.0% |
| 30% | $177.16 | 20.6% |
| 40% | $190.79 | 17.4% |
| 50% | $204.42 | 14.3% |
The figures used
| Figure | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue, last 12 months | $6.7B | |
| EBITDA, last 12 months | $3.1B | 46.0% of revenue |
| Depreciation and amortization | $1.6B | |
| Capital spending | $1.4B | |
| Debt | $1.5B | |
| Cash | $805M | |
| Share price | $136.28 | on Nov 6, 2026 |
Fixed rules, the same as the interactive view's starting point: the shares are bought at today's price plus 30%, the company's debt is refinanced and fees take 2%. New debt is the least of 5.5× EBITDA, 65% of the price and the amount whose interest EBITDA covers 2 times, at 7.65% a year (SOFR 3.89% plus the high-yield B spread 3.26% plus 0.5%, rates of Oct 15, 2026). Revenue grows 8.0% in the first year — the company's own rate, held between −3% and +8% — fading to 3% by year 5; the EBITDA margin, depreciation and capital spending stay at today's share of revenue; working capital takes 10% of each year's added revenue; tax is 30% of profit after interest. Every dollar of free cash flow repays debt. After 5 years the buyer sells at today's multiple of EBITDA.
What a takeover could cost
Takeovers on record paid a median premium of 32.5% over the share price before the deal (the middle half 20% to 51.8%), according to the 1,437 merger proxies and tender-offer responses on EDGAR that state a premium. At the median, Chord Energy would cost about $180.57 a share, $9.9B for all its shares.
| Premium | % | Price a share | All shares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low end (a quarter of deals paid less) | 20% | $163.54 | $9.0B |
| Median | 32.5% | $180.57 | $9.9B |
| High end (a quarter paid more) | 51.8% | $206.87 | $11.3B |
The odds, from history
Historically 2.2% of companies with its figures were bought within a year (0.45× the average). Its figures put it in decile 1 of 10 (10 = the most likely to be bought). The odds come from a model of every merger proxy, tender-offer response and going-private statement filed on EDGAR since 2011, set against each company's size, margins, debt, cash flow and growth the year before.
Chord Energy's latest quarter
Chord Energy, Q3 2026: revenue $1.7B (+30% year over year), operating margin 29.6%, net earnings $182M, operating cash flow $781M. The chart follows the revenue to costs, profit and cash.
Questions
Is Chord Energy being acquired?
No headline, 8-K or 13D about a sale is on file in the last year.
Could private equity buy Chord Energy?
A leveraged buyout at today's price plus 30% ($177.16 a share) would return about 21% a year to a private-equity buyer over 5 years; the most a buyer could pay for a 20% return is $179.87 a share (32% against today's $136.28).
What would a takeover of Chord Energy cost?
Takeovers on record paid a median premium of 32.5% over the share price before the deal (the middle half 20% to 51.8%), according to the 1,437 merger proxies and tender-offer responses on EDGAR that state a premium. At the median, Chord Energy would cost about $180.57 a share, $9.9B for all its shares.
Updated Nov 8, 2026. Read automatically from SEC filings and public data; errors are possible. Not investment advice.