2026 Shale M&A Hits $80.5B; Enverus Says Utica Ripe for Tie-Ups

Enverus Intelligence Research (EIR) just released its quarterly scorecard on oil and gas mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and the Marcellus/Utica is all over it. U.S. upstream deals (buying and selling wells, acreage, and whole drilling companies) totaled $12.6 billion in the third quarter, and October added another $18 billion, led by EQT's $13.8 billion takeover of Range Resources. That pushes 2026's total to $80.5 billion, and the year still has two months to go. That's already more than all of 2025. The part that should get our readers' attention is Enverus's prediction that the Utica is the most likely place for the next big gas merger.

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