Business · Week of Oct 26, 2026
Energy and healthcare deals lead the week in business releases
Energy and healthcare deals led the week, including EQT's all-stock agreement for Range Resources, as regional banks reported higher third-quarter profits.
Deals dominated the week's business releases. EQT Corporation and Range Resources Corporation announced an all-stock merger that the companies say would create a natural gas producer with a pro forma enterprise value over $50 billion. Ovintiv agreed to buy Logan Energy for approximately $890 million in cash to expand in the Montney oil window. Outside energy, HealthSpan Partners agreed to acquire Surgery Partners in an all-cash deal valued at about $5.7 billion, and Corxel US agreed to go public through a combination with special purpose acquisition company Amanat Acquisition Corp.
Regional banks reporting third-quarter 2026 results pointed to net interest margin expansion. HBT Financial and Bank of Marin Bancorp both reported higher net income than in the prior quarter and the year-earlier period. MainStreet Bancshares reported a 2 basis point margin increase but booked a $1.9 million provision for credit losses tied to commercial real estate.
HBT Financial, Inc.
HBT FINANCIAL, INC. ANNOUNCES
HBT Financial reported third-quarter 2026 net income of $31.4 million, or $0.86 diluted earnings per share, up from $27.8 million in the second quarter and $19.8 million a year earlier. The company says its tax-equivalent net interest margin rose 2 basis points to 4.40% as maturing fixed-rate loans repriced higher and securities cash flows were reinvested at higher rates.
Bank of Marin Bancorp
Bank of Marin Bancorp
Bank of Marin Bancorp reported third-quarter 2026 net income of $9.9 million, or $0.62 diluted earnings per share, compared with $9.2 million in the prior quarter and $7.5 million a year earlier. The company attributes the gains largely to net interest margin expansion from higher loan yields and lower deposit costs, and says loan growth was supplemented by a loan pool purchase.
MainStreet Bancshares, Inc.
MainStreet Bancshares, Inc.
MainStreet Bancshares reported third-quarter net income of $3.6 million, or $0.43 per common share, with net interest income rising to $18.8 million for a fourth consecutive quarterly increase. The bank added a $1.9 million provision for credit losses, which it says reduced earnings per common share by $0.21, as it works through commercial real estate credit issues.
Range Resources Corp
EQT Announces Strategic Acquisition of Range Resources,
Range Resources and EQT announced a definitive agreement under which EQT will acquire Range in an all-stock transaction with a pro forma enterprise value over $50 billion. The companies say the combined business would have more than 9 Bcfe/d of net production, more than 30 years of inventory across nearly 3 million net acres and more than 3,700 miles of midstream infrastructure.
EQT Corp
EQT Announces Strategic Acquisition of Range Resources, Creating America’s Undisputed Natural Gas Champion
EQT's release on the same Range Resources transaction describes the combined company as the largest vertically integrated natural gas producer in the U.S., according to the companies. EQT says the deal positions it as a partner for end users of natural gas, citing what it calls the largest natural gas marketing platform in the country.
Amanat Acquisition Corp.
Corxel US and Amanat Acquisition Corp Announce Definitive Business Combination Agreement to Create Publicly Listed Obesity-Focused Biopharmaceutical Company
Corxel US, a clinical-stage developer of oral obesity and cardiometabolic therapies, agreed to a business combination with Amanat Acquisition Corp that would list the combined company on the Nasdaq Capital Market under a new name and ticker. The companies say the deal includes approximately $75 million held in Amanat's trust account plus commitments for a concurrent PIPE, and that a U.S.-based CEO is expected to be hired before or upon closing.
Surgery Partners, Inc.
HealthSpan Partners to Acquire Surgery Partners, Establishing a Leading Outpatient Surgical Care Platform
HealthSpan Partners, an affiliate of Bon Secours Mercy Health, agreed to acquire Surgery Partners in an all-cash transaction valued at an enterprise value of approximately $5.7 billion, with shareholders other than Bain Capital affiliates receiving $23.50 per share. Bain Capital affiliates will roll over their shares and remain a significant partner, and the companies say the combination will form one of the country's largest outpatient surgical care platforms.
Ovintiv Inc.
Ovintiv Inc.
Ovintiv agreed to acquire Logan Energy in an all-cash transaction valuing Logan at approximately $890 million (C$1.26 billion) including expected net debt at closing. Ovintiv says the deal adds about 420 net oil well locations, about 266,000 net acres in the Montney oil window and roughly 20 MBOE/d of current production near its existing operations.
This roundup is written with AI assistance from the press releases listed above, using only what they state. The releases are the companies' own announcements, not News Today Lines reporting.