HOUSTON (Reuters) – The value of U.S. oil and gas mergers and acquisitions fell to a 10-year low in the first quarter, according to data released on Thursday, as investors pushed shale producers that have driven a recent merger boom to focus on lifting shareholder returns rather than production. FILE PHOTO: Oil pours out of a spout from Edwin Drake’s original 1859 well that launched the modern petroleum industry at the Drake Well Museum and Park in Titusville, Pennsylvania U.S., October 5, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo The value of oil and gas deals tumbled plunged 93 percent to $1.6 billion last quarter from a year ago to the lowest in a decade, energy consultancy Drillinginfo said in its quarterly M&A review. Investors have urged independent shale producers to stop spending on acreage and on corporate deal-making and return cash to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks. Just seven of […]