Furthermore, EOG Resources has taken advantage of the downturn to invest more than $2.8 billion on acquisitions to bolster its ability to grow when conditions improve. Contrast this with Whiting, which spent the bulk of the past year improving its balance sheet by completing several transactions to reduce debt by $1.15 billion. Because EOG Resources was better positioned to weather low oil prices, it is ready to return to growth mode next year, while Whiting still has to get back to even.