Mergers and acquisitions activity steadies from the end of 2015 into the current year, but the dollar value of those transactions was down year-over-year. Constrained cash flow, highly leveraged assets and over-extended balance sheets have remained concerns at oil and gas companies – all of which has led to a “leaner for longer” strategy in the “lower for longer” market. Although this approach has meant mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity has remained flat in the United States, according to a new report from PwC US, it positions these companies for a market recovery. “We believe that the economic environment is showing early stages of recovery which would allow for increased deal activity in the second half of 2016,” Doug Meier, PwC’s U.S. Oil & Gas deals leader, told Rigzone. During the first three months of 2016, there were 39 oil and gas deals announced, each with a value greater […]