Ascent Resources Utica Holdings Reports Third Quarter 2020 Operating And Financial Results
OKLAHOMA CITY, Nov. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --
Third Quarter 2020 Highlights:
-- Averaged net production of 2.0 bcfe per day, despite nearly 210 mmcfe per day of elective curtailments -- Decreased average well cost to approximately $569 per lateral foot during the quarter, resulting in capital expenditures incurred of $122 million -- Adjusted EBITDAX((1)) of $210 million and net cash provided by operating activities of $183 million -- Generated $59 million of free cash flow((1) )during the quarter -- Deliberate, multi-year hedge program delivered realizations totaling $114 million, or $0.63 per mcfe -- Successfully exchanged 92.7% of our 10% Senior Notes due 2022 while extending our weighted average maturity profile to approximately five years -- Borrowing base reaffirmed at $1.85 billion in November 2020 -- Reiterating production, free cash flow and capital guidance for the year
(1) A non-GAAP financial measure. See the Non-GAAP reconciliations included in this press release for the definition of, and other important information regarding, this non-GAAP financial measure.
Ascent Resources Utica Holdings, LLC ("Ascent", "we" or "our") today reported its third quarter 2020 operating and financial results and reiterated full year 2020 guidance. In addition, Ascent announced a conference call with analysts and investors at 9 AM CST / 10 AM EST, Thursday, November 12, 2020. For more detailed information on Ascent, please refer to the latest investor presentation and additional information located on our website at https://www.ascentresources.com/investors.
"The third quarter of 2020 was yet another example of Ascent demonstrating our ability to deliver best-in-class operational results and basin-leading capital efficiencies while reaffirming our ability to generate sustainable positive free cash flow," said Jeff Fisher, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ascent. "During the quarter, we saw our overall capital efficiency continue to improve as we produced 2.0 bcfe net per day while only incurring $122 million of capital expenditures. We also made the strategic decision to curtail approximately 210 mmcfe per day of net production during the quarter due to low commodity prices and increased volatility. Our outstanding results this quarter were accomplished while continuing to prioritize the health and safety of our employees, contractors and the communities in which we operate. We are excited to reiterate our production and free cash flow guidance while projecting total capital to come in at the low end of our guidance range."
Third Quarter 2020 Results
For the third quarter of 2020, Ascent reported a net loss of $552 million and adjusted net loss of $22 million, compared to net income of $130 million and adjusted net income of $86 million in the third quarter of 2019. Ascent's adjusted EBITDAX and capital expenditures incurred for the third quarter of 2020 were $210 million and $122 million, respectively. Free cash flow increased by $130 million, to $59 million in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the same quarter last year.
Average net daily production for the third quarter of 2020 was 1,982 mmcfe per day, and if you include the 19 bcfe of net curtailments, this represents a 5% increase relative to the third quarter of 2019. Net production during the quarter consisted of 1,785 mmcf per day of natural gas, 12,185 bbls per day of oil and 20,652 bbls per day of natural gas liquids ("NGL").
Financial Position
As of September 30, 2020, Ascent's principal amount of debt outstanding was approximately $2.8 billion, including $1.2 billion drawn under its revolving credit facility. As of September 30, 2020, Ascent had $155 million of letters of credit issued and $527 million of available capacity under its fully committed $1.85 billion borrowing base. Combined with $5 million of cash on hand, Ascent had total liquidity of $532 million exiting the third quarter. As of September 30, 2020, Ascent's leverage ratio was 2.7x.
In November 2020, Ascent's borrowing base was reaffirmed at $1.85 billion pursuant to the scheduled semi-annual borrowing base redetermination under our credit agreement.
Successful Exchange of 2022 Senior Notes Completed
Subsequent to quarter end, Ascent successfully completed the exchange of $857 million, or 92.7%, of the outstanding principal value of its Senior Notes due 2022. The 2022 Notes were exchanged for $538 million of New Term Loans due 2025 and $340 million of New Senior Notes due 2027. Additionally, as part of the exchange, our sponsors contributed $20 million of new capital in a clean-up facility in order to provide incremental liquidity to the business and underscore their continued support of Ascent. "We are extremely pleased with the positive results and participation in the exchange as we believe it validates our high-quality assets, management team and operational capabilities that we have worked hard to establish. The transaction extends our weighted average maturity profile to approximately five years and provides us with the ability to use free cash flow to deleverage the balance sheet going forward," said Brooks Shughart, Chief Financial Officer of Ascent.
Hedging Update
Ascent has significant hedges in place for the balance of 2020 and beyond to prudently reduce exposure to volatility in commodity prices as well as to protect our expected operating cash flow. As of September 30, 2020, Ascent had hedged over 1.5 bcf per day of natural gas production for the remainder of the calendar year 2020 at approximately $2.68 per mmbtu ($2.87 per mcf). In addition, Ascent has hedged 2,500 bbls per day of crude oil production at an average price above $48.00 per bbl for the remainder of calendar year 2020.
About Ascent Resources
Ascent is the eighth largest producer of natural gas in the United States in terms of daily production and is focused on acquiring, developing, producing, and operating natural gas and oil properties located in the Utica Shale in Southeast Ohio. With a continued focus on good corporate citizenship, Ascent is committed to delivering low-cost clean-burning energy to our country and the world, while reducing environmental impacts. For more information, visit www.ascentresources.com.
Contact:
Chris Benton - Director of Finance & Investor Relations
investor.relations@ascentresources.com
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of US federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements express views of Ascent regarding future plans and expectations. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future operations, business strategy, liquidity and cash flows of Ascent. These statements are based on numerous assumptions and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including, commodity price volatility, inherent uncertainty in estimating natural gas, oil and NGL reserves, environmental and regulatory risks, availability of capital, and the other risks described in Ascent's most recent investor presentation provided at www.ascentresources.com/investors. Actual future results may vary materially from those expressed or implied in this news release and Ascent's business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow could be materially and adversely affected by such risks and uncertainties. As a result, forward-looking statements should be understood to be only predictions and statements of Ascent's current beliefs; they are not guarantees of performance.
ASCENT RESOURCES UTICA HOLDINGS, LLC CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, September 30, ($ in thousands) 2020 2019 2020 2019 --- --- Revenues: Natural gas $ 300,643 $ 352,867 $ 868,249 $ 1,173,381 Oil 37,177 72,173 107,736 174,928 NGL 27,243 29,379 80,590 90,971 Commodity derivative (loss) gain (386,020) 175,031 (248,066) 357,523 Total Revenues (20,957) 629,450 808,509 1,796,803 Operating Expenses: Lease operating expenses 19,203 18,128 57,839 52,279 Gathering, processing and transportation expenses 227,247 219,697 689,896 619,968 Production and ad valorem taxes 9,344 9,522 28,343 25,969 Exploration expenses 28,096 25,178 77,907 82,916 General and administrative expenses 15,063 14,864 50,112 45,705 Natural gas and oil depreciation, depletion and amortization 195,120 183,815 572,001 499,323 Depreciation and amortization of other assets 928 817 2,794 2,364 Total Operating Expenses 495,001 472,021 1,478,892 1,328,524 (Loss) Income from Operations (515,958) 157,429 (670,383) 468,279 Other (Expense) Income: Interest expense, net (33,279) (28,854) (98,432) (74,865) Change in fair value of embedded derivative - 1,259 4,404 (Losses) gains on purchases or exchanges of debt (3,632) 9,671 Other income 437 315 1,024 2,892 Total Other Expense (36,474) (27,280) (87,737) (67,569) Net (Loss) Income $ (552,432) $ 130,149 $ (758,120) $ 400,710
ASCENT RESOURCES UTICA HOLDINGS, LLC CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited) September 30, December 31, ($ in thousands) 2020 2019 --- --- Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 4,968 $ 7,346 Accounts receivable - natural gas, oil and NGL sales 177,183 260,759 Accounts receivable - joint interest and other 13,096 20,425 Short-term derivative assets 2,482 248,118 Other current assets 6,508 8,468 Total Current Assets 204,237 545,116 Property and Equipment: Natural gas and oil properties, based on successful efforts accounting 8,682,979 8,233,964 Other property and equipment 31,517 30,818 Less: accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization (2,465,098) (1,890,506) Property and Equipment, net 6,249,398 6,374,276 Other Assets: Long-term derivative assets 258 70,778 Other long-term assets 17,482 20,248 Total Assets $ 6,471,375 $ 7,010,418 Current Liabilities: Accounts payable $ 54,524 $ 68,364 Revenue payable 69,905 99,300 Accrued interest 66,548 36,787 Current portion of long-term debt, net 96,536 Short-term derivative liabilities 150,945 Other current liabilities 220,512 280,841 Total Current Liabilities 658,970 485,292 Long-Term Liabilities: Long-term debt, net of current portion 2,672,065 2,838,676 Long-term derivative liabilities 211,073 Other long-term liabilities 5,203 5,067 Total Long-Term Liabilities 2,888,341 2,843,743 Member's Equity 2,924,064 3,681,383 Total Liabilities and Member's Equity $ 6,471,375 $ 7,010,418
ASCENT RESOURCES UTICA HOLDINGS, LLC CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, September 30, --- ($ in thousands) 2020 2019 2020 2019 --- --- Cash Flows from Operating Activities: Net (loss) income $ (552,432) $ 130,149 $ (758,120) $ 400,710 Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation, depletion and amortization 196,048 184,632 574,795 501,687 Change in fair value of commodity derivatives 500,175 (67,418) 677,647 (246,380) Change in fair value of interest rate derivatives 26 528 Impairment of unproved natural gas and oil properties 26,327 24,213 75,006 79,352 Non-cash interest expense 6,088 6,983 19,394 20,770 Change in fair value of embedded derivative - (1,259) (4,404) Gains on purchases or exchanges of debt - (13,303) Stock-based compensation 710 710 Other 37 (539) (1,564) 508 Changes in operating assets and liabilities 6,004 52,354 79,454 166,967 Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities 182,983 329,115 654,547 919,210 Cash Flows from Investing Activities: Drilling and completion costs (126,353) (292,166) (472,233) (889,878) Acquisitions of natural gas and oil properties (30,512) (56,849) (111,499) (202,141) Proceeds from divestitures of natural gas and oil properties - 11,218 14,541 Additions to other property and equipment (84) (970) (1,461) (2,964) Net Cash Used in Investing Activities (156,949) (338,767) (585,193) (1,080,442) Cash Flows from Financing Activities: Proceeds from credit facility borrowings 230,000 180,000 695,000 915,000 Repayment of credit facility borrowings (260,000) (170,000) (715,000) (758,000) Repayment of long-term debt (23) (50,995) Cash paid for debt issuance costs (4) (2,294) Other - 1,557 Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Financing Activities (30,027) 10,000 (71,732) 157,000 Net (Decrease) Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents (3,993) 348 (2,378) (4,232) Cash and Cash Equivalents, Beginning of Period 8,961 6,450 7,346 11,030 Cash and Cash Equivalents, End of Period $ 4,968 $ 6,798 $ 4,968 $ 6,798
ASCENT RESOURCES UTICA HOLDINGS, LLC NATURAL GAS, OIL AND NGL PRODUCTION AND PRICES (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, September 30, --- 2020 2019 2020 2019 --- Net Production Volumes: Natural gas (mmcf) 164,208 168,570 490,108 455,330 Oil (mbbls) 1,121 1,447 3,404 3,446 NGL (mbbls) 1,900 2,365 7,423 5,682 Natural Gas Equivalents (mmcfe) 182,333 191,443 555,068 510,097 Average Daily Net Production Volumes: Natural gas (mmcf/d) 1,785 1,832 1,789 1,668 Oil (mbbls/d) 12 16 12 13 NGL (mbbls/d) 21 26 27 21 Natural Gas Equivalents (mmcfe/d) 1,982 2,081 2,026 1,869 % Natural Gas 90 88 88 89 % % % % % Liquids 10 12 12 11 % % % % Average Sales Prices: Natural gas ($/mcf) $ 1.83 $ 2.09 $ 1.77 $ 2.58 Oil ($/bbl) $ 33.16 $ 49.87 $ 31.65 $ 50.76 NGL ($/bbl) $ 14.34 $ 12.42 $ 10.86 $ 16.01 Natural Gas Equivalents ($/mcfe) $ 2.00 $ 2.37 $ 1.90 $ 2.82 Settlements of commodity derivatives ($/mcfe) 0.63 0.56 0.77 0.22 Average sales price, after effects of settled derivatives ($/mcfe) $ 2.63 $ 2.93 $ 2.67 $ 3.04
ASCENT RESOURCES UTICA HOLDINGS, LLC CAPITAL EXPENDITURES INCURRED (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, September 30, --- ($ in thousands) 2020 2019 2020 2019 --- --- Capital Expenditures Incurred: Drilling and completion costs incurred $ 91,622 $ 287,777 $ 412,737 $ 880,473 Acquisition and leasehold costs incurred 10,559 31,664 47,166 111,148 Capitalized interest incurred 19,483 28,736 64,119 98,896 Total Capital Expenditures Incurred $ 121,664 $ 348,177 $ 524,022 $ 1,090,517
ASCENT RESOURCES UTICA HOLDINGS, LLC RECONCILIATIONS OF ADJUSTED NET INCOME (LOSS) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, September 30, --- ($ in thousands) 2020 2019 2020 2019 --- --- Net (Loss) Income $ (552,432) $ 130,149 $ (758,120) $ 400,710 Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to adjusted net (loss) income: Impairment of unproved natural gas and oil properties 26,327 24,213 75,006 79,352 Change in fair value of commodity derivatives 500,175 (67,418) 677,647 (246,380) Change in fair value of interest rate derivatives 26 528 Losses (gains) on purchases or exchanges of debt 3,632 (9,671) Stock-based compensation 710 710 Non-recurring legal expense - 5,572 Change in fair value of embedded derivative - (1,259) (4,404) Other - 62 314 Adjusted Net (Loss) Income (Non-GAAP)(a)(b) $ (21,562) $ 85,747 $ (8,328) $ 229,592
(a) As shown above, and on pages 10, 11 and 12, Ascent uses adjusted net income (loss), EBITDAX, adjusted EBITDAX, discretionary cash flow and free cash flow (non-GAAP measures) as supplemental measures to evaluate the performance of its assets. Ascent believes these non-GAAP measures provide meaningful information to our investors, as discussed below. These non-GAAP measures, as used and defined by Ascent, are not measures of performance as determined by United States generally accepted accounting principles (US GAAP) and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures employed by other companies. Non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for operating income, net income or loss, cash flows provided by operating, investing and financing activities or other income or cash flow statement data prepared in accordance with US GAAP. Non- GAAP measures provide no information regarding a company's capital structure, borrowings, interest costs, capital expenditures and working capital movement. Non- GAAP measures do not represent funds available for discretionary use because those funds may be required for debt service, capital expenditures, working capital, exploration expenses and other commitments and obligations. However, Ascent's management team believes these non-GAAP measures are useful to an investor in evaluating Ascent's financial performance because these measures: -- Are widely used by investors in the natural gas and oil industry to measure a company's operating performance without regard to items excluded from the calculation of such term, which can vary substantially from company to company depending upon accounting methods and book value of assets, capital structure, and the method by which assets were acquired, among other factors; -- Are more comparable to estimates used by analysts; -- Help investors to more meaningfully evaluate and compare the results of Ascent's operations from period to period by removing the effect of its capital structure from its operating structure; -- Excludes one-time items, non- cash items or items whose timing cannot be reasonably estimated; and -- Are used by Ascent's management team for various purposes, including as a measure of operating performance, in presentations to its Board of Managers and as a basis for strategic planning and forecasting. There are significant limitations to using non-GAAP measures as measures of performance, including the inability to analyze the effect of certain recurring and non-recurring items that materially affect Ascent's net income or loss, the lack of comparability of results of operations of different companies, and the different methods of calculating non-GAAP measures reported by different companies. (b) Ascent defines "adjusted net (loss) income" as net income (loss) before impairment of unproved natural gas and oil properties; changes in fair value of commodity derivatives; change in fair value of interest rate derivatives; (gains) losses on purchases or exchanges of debt; stock- based compensation; non-recurring legal expense (benefit); change in fair value of embedded derivative; acquisition expenses; impairment of other property and equipment; and other non- recurring items.
ASCENT RESOURCES UTICA HOLDINGS, LLC RECONCILIATIONS OF EBITDAX, ADJUSTED EBITDAX AND NET DEBT (Unaudited) EBITDAX and Adjusted EBITDAX Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, September 30, --- ($ in thousands) 2020 2019 2020 2019 --- --- Net (Loss) Income $ (552,432) $ 130,149 $ (758,120) $ 400,710 Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to EBITDAX: Exploration expenses 28,096 25,178 77,907 82,916 Natural gas and oil depreciation, depletion and amortization 195,120 183,815 572,001 499,323 Depreciation and amortization of other assets 928 817 2,794 2,364 Interest expense, net 33,279 28,854 98,432 74,865 EBITDAX (Non-GAAP)(a)(b) (295,009) 368,813 (6,986) 1,060,178 Adjustments to reconcile EBITDAX to Adjusted EBITDAX: Change in fair value of commodity derivatives 500,175 (67,418) 677,647 (246,380) Losses (gains) on purchases or exchanges of debt 3,632 (9,671) Stock-based compensation 710 710 Non-recurring legal expense - 5,572 Change in fair value of embedded derivative - (1,259) (4,404) Other - 62 314 Adjusted EBITDAX (Non-GAAP)(b)(c) $ 209,508 $ 300,198 $ 667,272 $ 809,708
(a) Ascent defines "EBITDAX" as net income (loss) before exploration expenses; depreciation, depletion and amortization; and interest expense, net. (b) See footnote (a) on page 9 for a discussion around our uses of non- GAAP measures. (c) Ascent defines "adjusted EBITDAX" as EBITDAX before changes in fair value of commodity derivatives; (gains) losses on purchases or exchanges of debt; stock-based compensation; non-recurring legal expense (benefit); acquisition expenses; change in fair value of embedded derivative; and other non- recurring items.
ASCENT RESOURCES UTICA HOLDINGS, LLC RECONCILIATIONS OF EBITDAX, ADJUSTED EBITDAX AND NET DEBT (CONTINUED) (Unaudited) Last Twelve Months ("LTM") EBITDAX and Adjusted EBITDAX Three Months Twelve Months Ended Ended December 31, March 31, June 30, September 30, September 30, ($ in thousands) 2019 2020 2020 2020 2020 --- --- Net Income (Loss) $ 65,255 $ 85,362 $ (291,050) $ (552,432) $ (692,865) Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to EBITDAX: Exploration expenses 41,561 26,953 22,858 28,096 119,468 Natural gas and oil depreciation, depletion 203,091 175,550 201,331 195,120 775,092 and amortization Depreciation and amortization of other assets 875 924 942 928 3,669 Interest expense, net 34,249 33,920 31,233 33,279 132,681 EBITDAX (Non-GAAP)(a)(b) 345,031 322,709 (34,686) (295,009) 338,045 Adjustments to reconcile EBITDAX to Adjusted EBITDAX: Change in fair value of commodity (3,077) (62,375) 239,847 500,175 674,570 derivatives (Gains) losses on purchases or exchanges of - (13,493) 190 3,632 (9,671) debt Stock-based compensation - 710 710 Non-recurring legal expense - 5,572 5,572 Change in fair value of embedded derivative (622) (622) Other 61 61 Adjusted EBITDAX (Non-GAAP)(b)(c) $ 341,393 $ 246,841 $ 210,923 $ 209,508 $ 1,008,665
(a) Ascent defines "EBITDAX" as net income (loss) before exploration expenses; depreciation, depletion and amortization; and interest expense, net. (b) See footnote (a) on page 9 for a discussion around our uses of non- GAAP measures. (c) Ascent defines "adjusted EBITDAX" as EBITDAX before changes in fair value of commodity derivatives; (gains) losses on purchases or exchanges of debt; stock-based compensation; non-recurring legal expense (benefit); acquisition expenses; change in fair value of embedded derivative; and other non- recurring items.
Net Debt and Net Debt to LTM Adjusted EBITDAX September 30, ($ in thousands) 2020 2019 --- Net Debt: Total debt(a) $ 2,759,135 $ 2,757,755 Less: cash and cash equivalents 4,968 6,798 Net Debt(b) $ 2,754,167 $ 2,750,957 Net Debt to LTM Adjusted EBITDAX: Net Debt(b) $ 2,754,167 $ 2,750,957 LTM Adjusted EBITDAX(c) $ 1,008,665 $ 1,128,110 Net Debt to LTM Adjusted EBITDAX 2.7 x 2.4 x
(a) Total debt represents outstanding principal balances and includes the current portion of our long-term debt. (b) Ascent defines "Net Debt" as total debt less cash and cash equivalents. Management uses net debt to determine our outstanding debt obligations that would not be readily satisfied by its cash and cash equivalents on hand. (c) Adjusted EBITDAX for the LTM ended September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively.
ASCENT RESOURCES UTICA HOLDINGS, LLC RECONCILIATIONS OF DISCRETIONARY CASH FLOW AND FREE CASH FLOW (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, September 30, --- ($ in thousands) 2020 2019 2020 2019 --- --- Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities $ 182,983 $ 328,982 $ 654,547 $ 919,210 Adjustments to reconcile Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities to Discretionary Cash Flow: Changes in operating assets and liabilities (6,004) (52,354) (79,454) (166,967) Discretionary Cash Flow (Non-GAAP)(a)(b) 176,979 276,628 575,093 752,243 Adjustments to reconcile Discretionary Cash Flow to Free Cash Flow: Drilling and completion costs incurred (91,622) (287,777) (412,737) (880,473) Acquisition and leasehold costs incurred (10,559) (31,664) (47,166) (111,148) Capitalized interest incurred (19,483) (28,736) (64,119) (98,896) Non-recurring legal expense - 5,572 Other 3,632 3,632 Free Cash Flow (Non-GAAP)(b)(c) $ 58,947 $ (71,549) $ 60,275 $ (338,274)
(a) Discretionary cash flow is widely accepted as a financial indicator of a natural gas and oil company's ability to generate cash which is used to internally fund exploration and development activities and service debt. Ascent defines "discretionary cash flow" as net cash provided by operating activities before changes in operating assets and liabilities. (b) See footnote (a) on page 9 for a discussion around our uses of non-GAAP measures. (c) Free cash flow is an indicator of a company's ability to generate funding to maintain or expand its asset base, make distributions and repurchase or extinguish debt. Ascent defines "free cash flow" as discretionary cash flow less incurred drilling and completion costs, acquisitions of natural gas and oil properties and certain non-recurring items.
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SOURCE Ascent Resources, LLC