BHP (NYSE:BHP) Eyes Woodside Petroleum, Anadarko Drops (NYSE:APC)

BHP Billiton Ltd. (NYSE:BHP) reportedly has turned its focus to the oil industry after the probable failure in acquiring fertilizer giant Potash Corp. (NYSE:POT).

Interesting to BHP has been Woodside Petroleum for Australia, and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE:APC), which has drawn attention of late because of its ownership with BP (NYSE:BP) in the Macondo well, where the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, leading to the oil spill fiasco.

It seems the nod going forward is for Woodside Petroleum, which after that seems to be the direction BHP is taking, Anadarko plummeted on the probability.

That news came from an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., although confirmation as of this writing hasn't been made.

BHP CEO Marius Kloppers remains under pressure to grow the company through acquisition, where he has failed three times in a row. Some have questioned some of the decisions he made, especially the one where he wanted to merge iron ore operations with Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO), which was valued at well over $100 billion.

Anadarko plunged after the news, closing at $64.71, losing $2.90, or 4.29 percent.