OREANDA-NEWS. RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION “Range” (NYSE:RRC) and MEMORIAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT CORP. (“MRD”) (NASDAQ:MRD) today announced the completion of the merger agreement under which Range will acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of MRD in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $4.2 billion, including the assumption of MRD’s net debt.  The transaction, which was approved by Range and Memorial shareholders at special meetings held on September 15, 2016, enhances Range’s position as a premier independent natural gas, oil and NGL producer in the United States with exceptional core acreage positions in both the Appalachian Basin and Northern Louisiana.

Commenting, Jeff Ventura, Range’s CEO, said, “We are excited to announce the closing of the Memorial transaction and believe this is a significant milestone for Range.  The combination of the two highest quality natural gas plays in the United States provides Range with a strong foundation to create sustainable shareholder value, while our extensive, regionally-diverse drilling inventory allows us to continue improving our already class-leading cost structure and further drive operational and marketing efficiencies.  We welcome the newest members of the Range team in Houston and Northern Louisiana who share our values and commitment to being good stewards for our shareholders, while doing the same for the environment and the communities where we live and work.”

Jay C. Graham, Memorial’s CEO, commented, "The exceptional work of the Range and Memorial integration teams has ensured that operations have continued to run smoothly during this transition.  We are very excited about the combined company being one of the top natural gas producers in the United States."  

As a result of the merger, MRD’s common stock will no longer be listed for trading on the NASDAQ exchange.  Pursuant to the terms of the merger, each share of MRD’s common stock has been exchanged for 0.375 shares of Range common stock.

RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION (NYSE:RRC) is a leading U.S. independent oil and natural gas producer with operations focused in stacked-pay projects in the Appalachia Basin and Northern Louisiana.  The Company pursues an organic growth strategy targeting high return, low-cost projects within its large inventory of low risk development drilling opportunities.