XTO Energy CEO sees more acquisitions this year

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The chief executive officer of XTO Energy Inc (XTO.N) said on Tuesday he expects the company to spend at least $1 billion to $1.5 billion on additional acquisitions in 2008.

"That is sort of a minimum I see us doing for the rest of the year," Bob Simpson, the Fort Worth, Texas, company's CEO, told analysts on a conference call. "It's just midyear, and lots of deals are coming."

Earlier on Tuesday, XTO said it would buy privately held Hunt Petroleum Corp for $4.2 billion in cash and stock.

(Reporting by Anna Driver; editing by John Wallace)