DENVER, COLO. - DECEMBER 16, 2004 - Patina Oil & Gas CEO Thomas J. Edelman, left, and David J. Kornder, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, in the company's Denver headquarters Thursday afternoon, 12/16/04. Patina Oil & Gas was acquired

DENVER, COLO. - DECEMBER 16, 2004 - Patina Oil & Gas CEO Thomas J. Edelman, left, and David J. Kornder, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, in the company's Denver headquarters Thursday afternoon, 12/16/04. Patina Oil & Gas was acquired today for $3.4 billion by Houston-based Noble Energy. "Patina Oil & Gas Corporation (Patina or the Company) is a rapidly growing independent energy company engaged in the acquisition, development and exploitation of oil and natural gas properties within the continental United States. The Company's properties and oil and gas reserves are principally located in relatively long-lived fields with well-established production histories. The properties are concentrated in the Wattenberg Field (Wattenberg) of Colorado's Denver-Julesburg Basin (D-J Basin), the Mid Continent region of southern Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, and the San Juan Basin. The Company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol POG." (Jerry Cleveland | The Denver Post) (Photo By Jerry Cleveland/The Denver Post via Getty Images)