Exxon Is Said to Study Takeover Targets Including Woodside (1)

Exxon Mobil Corp. is studying potential acquisition targets including Australia’s Woodside Energy Group, as the US giant eyes options to deepen its presence in liquefied natural gas and Asian markets, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Exxon has been holding early-stage discussions internally, said the people, who asked not to be named as they are not allowed to speak to the media. Woodside is one of several targets the company has been evaluating, the people said.

Woodside’s American depositary receipts rose as much as 14% in New York on Friday. The company had a market capitalization of ...