Big acquisitions are always risky, so it was hardly shocking to see that Chevron's (NYSE: CVX) $53 billion deal to buy Hess didn't go as smoothly as planned. However, the delays caused by Chevron's main U.S. competitor may have been a good thing. Here's why Chevron's delayed purchase of Hess was close to the perfect outcome. Chevron's timing matters Chevron announced its agreement to buy Hess on Oct. 23, 2023. Almost instantly, ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) threw down a yellow card, calling a foul because it ha ...