Oil and gas producer EP Energy, which emerged from bankruptcy last year, has received takeover bids from private equity firms including EnCap Investments and Quantum Energy Partners, four people familiar with the talks told Reuters. The Houston-based company is targeting a valuation of as much as $1.5 billion, two of the sources said. It is exploring a full sale, while also trying to sell its Eagle Ford and Northeastern Utah assets in separate deals, four sources said. The sources requested anonymity since the talks were confidential and said there is no guarantee a transaction will materialize. A deal would be the latest in the sector experiencing a strong rebound in commodity prices after one of its worst downturns last year, encouraging buyers to grab cheap acreage from struggling companies. Privately held Validus Energy, which recently took over Ovintiv’s (OVV.N) assets in the region, has made […]