You might say Will Gray II kicked off 2025 on a high note. A really high note. The co-founder and CEO of New Era Helium rang the NASDAQ opening bell on January 2 to all the fanfare that moment generates when you also become one of the first helium-focused companies to land a listing on a major U.S. exchange. ...

The wildly successful Double Eagle Energy last May set tongues wagging on news it was exploring a sale of its Permian assets that could potentially fetch $6.5 billion. Three years into its iteration as Double Eagle IV, co-founders and co-CEOs Cody Campbell and John Sellers had built one of the most coveted, privately held positions in the Midland. This, after selling Double Eagle III in 2021 to Pioneer Natural Resources for $6.4 billion. ...

In what was described as a “surprise move” by Okla. City-based Devon Energy back in 2022, the company made a bolt-on acquisition that further expanded its Eagle Ford position with the purchase of Denver-based Validus Energy. The $1.8 billion deal included 42,000 net acres, 35 MBOED (70% oil), 350 repeatable drilling locations, and 150 refrac candidates. In an epic score, Validus pocketed double the price it paid for those assets just a year before. While it might’ve been a see-you-later-bye to South Texas, the company’s exit there hardly marked the end of Validus....