BlackRock Said to Weigh Sale of Stake in Aramco Gas Pipelines

Market Trends & Industry Dynamics - Potential trend of energy companies buying back stakes in their infrastructure assets, mirroring a similar move by Adnoc last year [1][3][4] - Abu Dhabi's asset manager unit bought back BlackRock and KKR's 40% stake in Adnoc oil pipeline last year [3] Investment & Financial Implications - BlackRock is considering selling its stake in the leasing rights to Saudi Aramco's natural gas pipeline network back to Saudi Aramco [1] - The original deal in 2021, where BlackRock led the consortium to acquire those leasing rights, was around $155 billion [2] - Aramco's debt levels are near a three-year high, making the acquisition of such assets a potentially challenging move [2] Company Strategy & Valuation - Aramco may be seeing increasing value in increasing its stake in a business vital to the kingdom's energy infrastructure [3]