Although I've never felt that Anadarko (NYSE:APC) would completely be cleared of any liability in the Gulf oil spill, even with their aggressive stance against BP (NYSE:BP), whom they've labeled as "reckless" in the incident.
Anadarko has been working hard to position themselves outside the responsibility circle related to the accident, but that could come crumbling down around them, as a report from the Financial Times said that the company had approved of the major well designs for the Macondo area, and was also aware of the key operational decisions being made in reference to the project.
BP has been pushing for their partners in the well to start coughing up some money, even sending them bills for the damages. It was at about that time that Anadarko started to take shots at BP, focusing on their admitted mistakes.
That seemed to be a warning itself concerning Anadarko, as that big of a push had to come from concerns they were exposed to some liability concerning the well.
If the report is accurate, it's difficult to see how they could escape without paying out a significant amount of money, as they're 25 percent owner in the oil well.
Investors felt that way too, as the company finished the trading session at $36.09 a share, a $.58 drop, or 1.58 percent.
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It always frustrates me when these articles slap in that the market agreed. The broad market sold off. It's silly to suggest that the movement in APC was indicative of this and not just noise or beta. It's almost as silly as saying "look, APC is up today. Investors don't think it will be liable."
ReplyDeleteAPC is a major stakeholder in the well and had to be informed of decisions with a cost impact. This exercise in denial is just a ploy to buy time to raise cash for their share of the clean-up, fines and compensation costs. Better to pay out over a five or six year period than taking the hit in one or two by admitting liability now.
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