Investors in Dublin-listed exploration firm Dragon Oil are being urged to hold out for an anticipated higher value takeover offer from the company’s majority shareholder, the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), than the €5.03bn currently being proposed.

Irish-listed exploration firm Dragon Oil has upped its half-year dividend payment to shareholders by 33% to 20c, on the back of a strong set of interim results.

Dragon Oil is planning to spend $1.5bn (€1.1bn) on infrastructure and drilling activities over the next two years, with the aim to reach a production target of 100,000 barrels of oil per day by late 2015.