ExxonMobil’s shale-focused subsidiary, XTO Energy, is reportedly looking for buyers for some of its assets in Texas’ Eagle Ford play. This was reported by Reuters, which said on January 23 that an ExxonMobil spokesperson had confirmed it in a statement to the news service.

The confirmation came after two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters earlier that ExxonMobil had opened up a virtual data room in the days prior in order to begin marketing the assets. According to those sources, the assets in question span about 168,000 net acres (680 square km) and are valued at over $1bn. The sources added that the assets include over 1,000 wells, of which some are operated and some are not. Reuters further cited the sources as saying ExxonMobil was marketing the assets internally and had not hired investment banks for the process.

"This marketing decision is consistent with our strategy to continually evaluate and optimise our portfolio," the spokesperson told Reuters in the subsequent confirmation. Further details were not provided, however the attempt to offload the properties is in line with ExxonMobil’s focus on the Permian Basin, which it views as a core asset along with its offshore operations in Guyana and its LNG investments globally.

Meanwhile, both XTO and ExxonMobil more broadly have been shedding non-core assets. This includes a transaction unveiled in September 2025, when XTO agreed to sell 48,000 net acres (194 square km) in the Williston Basin – home to the Bakken play – to Chord Energy for $550mn. That acquisition was due to have been completed by the end of 2025, though Chord has not issued any announcement confirming this.

Meanwhile, ExxonMobil significantly increased its presence in the Permian via its $59.5bn acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources in 2024. Focus on the prolific Permian Basin remains high among shale producers and consolidation in the basin has been ongoing in recent years. However, as the Permian matures, some producers may turn their attention to opportunities outside the basin, while others still have consistently been focused on other shale regions. From among those producers, a buyer could emerge for the Eagle Ford assets that XTO is marketing.