June 17 (Reuters) - LandBridge, a landowner in the
oil-rich Permian Basin, said on Monday it was looking to raise
up to $319 million in its U.S. initial public offering (IPO)
that could give it a potential valuation of up to $1.6 billion.
The company, backed by private equity firm Five Point
Energy, owns about 220,000 surface acres in the basin that it
can lease to oil and natural gas producers. It also sells
resources extracted from its land.
LandBridge says this business model, which largely
depends on fee-based contracts, reduces its susceptibility to
volatility in commodity prices at a time when geopolitical and
other risks have cast a shadow on oil demand.
Last week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration
slightly upgraded its oil demand growth estimate for 2024, but a
flurry of weak economic data from China kept optimism in check
on Monday.
LandBridge said it plans to sell 14.5 million shares priced
between $19 and $22 each. It will list on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol "LB."
Public markets in the U.S. have seen an influx of IPOs
in the last few months after a nearly two-year dry spell, as
expectations of a soft landing for the economy encourage
companies to list their shares.
Goldman Sachs and Barclays are the lead underwriters for
the IPO.