The Avanti Group the equities research house based in Tokyo, providing professional trading and investment research solutions to institutional and private investors across the globe have recently drawn their investor’s attention to Apache the oil and gas producer, reportedly engaged in early stage discussions with potential buyers regarding the sale of its stake in Chevron Corp’s AUD $29 billion ($27 billion) Wheatstone LNG project located in Western Australia, with both Macquarie Group Ltd and Goldman Sachs Group Inc acting as advisors to Houston-based Apache on the sale.

“We along with the other shareholders of Apache have a lot to be happy about at this point in time. The same would not be easy to say as little as twelve months ago where it took a lot of resolve to stand by Apache as it began its asset sell off to escape some rather dismal performance, but as we predicted back in August of 2013, the plan was a sound one and the company would emerge in a far stronger position with its share value up some 20% since that point,” said a Senior Analyst and Researcher at The Avanti Group.

Over the course of the last twelve months, Apache has sold off a number of interests including its Argentinean operations, deep-water assets in the Gulf of Mexico and significant portion of its stake in its Egypt operations as the energy company continues to seek to further reduce the company’s net debt, which at the end of March was some $8 billion. Apache’s 13% holding in the Western Australian Wheatstone LNG project could potentially have a valuation of around $2.5 billion.

“Apache has shown that it is capable of making hard, but well thought out strategic decisions, sometimes unpopular and at least to those outside the industry hard to comprehend, but ultimately beneficial. We believe that over the next year to 18 months that Apache will see further profitability across the scale of its operations translating into even greater shareholder benefit,” added the Senior Analyst and Researcher at The Avanti Group.

Slated to enter production in 2016 the Wheatstone liquefied natural gas plant is forecast to produce some 8.9 million tons of LNG per annum with Apache having an additional 65% holding in both the Julimar and Brunello offshore fields, which the energy company operates, with these fields set to provide the Wheatstone facility. The plant is one of seven LNG export facilities currently under construction in Australia to meet rising Asian demand with a combined cost of nearly $190 billion.

The Avanti Group is an equity research house providing research and analysis outsourcing solutions for institutional financial traders worldwide, founded in early 2003.