Southwestern Energy Announces Third Quarter 2018 Results

SPRING, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Southwestern Energy Company (NYSE: SWN) today announced financial and operating results for the quarter ended September 30, 2018. Unless noted, results are compared to the third quarter of 2017.

Highlights

• Generated positive net cash flow after capital investment; full year capital guidance unchanged
• Reported net cash provided by operating activities of $307 million and net cash flow of $355 million, 45% and 43% higher, respectively
• Produced 252 Bcfe, including a 22% increase in Appalachia to 187 Bcfe
• Achieved record liquids production of 67.1 MBbls per day including 56.3 MBbls per day of NGLs and 10.8 MBbls per day of oil
• Captured $2.51 per Mcfe weighted average realized price, excluding hedges, with a 37% increase in Appalachia to $2.63 per Mcfe
• Drilled two record laterals of 15,559 feet in West Virginia and 16,272 feet in Pennsylvania
• Initiated share repurchase program, spending $25 million for 4.8 million shares
• Credit facility confirmed at $2.0 billion after Fayetteville sale
• Reported net loss attributable to common stock of $29 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, and adjusted net income attributable to common stock of $146 million, or $0.25 per diluted share 

Bill Way, President and Chief Executive Officer of Southwestern Energy said, “This quarter’s cash flow was more than 40% higher than the same period last year. Results benefited from our returns focused growth of liquids as prices improved, from our leading low cost gas transportation portfolio as regional basis tightened and from operational achievements made by our leading operational team. In addition to building on our operational and financial momentum, we took another deliberate step in our strategy to reposition the Company by signing an agreement to sell the Fayetteville Shale assets.”

Way continued, “In addition to delivering strong quarterly results, we initiated the share repurchase program with an initial $25 million repurchase of shares and we completed a conditional $900MM debt tender that will significantly reduce near term debt maturities and leverage. Clearly, our team is executing and our strategy is working.”

Third Quarter 2018 Financial Results

Southwestern Energy generated record Appalachia production and benefited from higher realized pricing from gas, liquids and oil compared to the prior year. Including a non-cash impairment of $161 million, related to Fayetteville assets, primarily midstream, which were reclassified as held for sale, the Company reported a net loss attributable to common stock of $29 million or $0.05 per diluted share.

Adjusted net income attributable to common stock was $146 million, or $0.25 per diluted share for the quarter. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“adjusted EBITDA”) was $377 million, a 40% increase compared to 2017, primarily due to a 9% increase in production along with stronger realized gas, oil and NGL prices. The primary components of adjusted EBITDA included $276 million from Appalachia operations, $59 million from Fayetteville operations and $49 million from Midstream operations.

Improved Appalachia gas basis differentials and higher NGL prices drove Company-wide weighted average realized price 24% higher to $2.51 per Mcfe, compared to NYMEX gas price of $2.90 per MMbtu, excluding a hedging loss of $0.03 per Mcfe. Weighted average realized price includes transportation costs and basis differentials for gas, liquids and oil.

Increasing demand and tight fractionation capacity drove realized NGL prices 34% higher to $19.43 per barrel, including the impact of ethane and propane hedges. Realized oil price, including financial derivatives, of $59.96 per barrel was 48% higher and includes transportation costs, which remain in line with original guidance. Realized natural gas price for the Company, including hedges, was 10% higher at $2.16 per Mcf reflecting a 32% improvement in basis differentials, which were $0.76 per Mcf in the quarter compared to $1.11 per Mcf for the same period a year ago.

During the quarter, the Company announced the sale of Fayetteville Shale E&P and midstream assets for $1.865 billion subject to customary closing adjustments. Proceeds from the Fayetteville Shale will be used to reduce debt, continue a share repurchase program and continue development of its liquids-rich Appalachia assets. Upon the completion of the transaction, which is expected by year end 2018, the Company will retire $900 million in senior notes, as previously announced, reduce borrowings under the credit facility and will hold the remainder of proceeds in cash and short-term equivalents. The investments in Appalachia assets will be made in accordance with the Company’s strict capital allocation and internal return metrics.

Pursuant to the previously announced $200 million share repurchase program, the Company repurchased 4.8 million shares during the quarter at an average price of $5.18 per share.

At September 30, 2018, the Company reported liquidity of $1.5 billion including unused revolver capacity net of outstanding revolver borrowings and letters of credit. In October 2018, the Company’s bank group confirmed the borrowing base, adjusted for the sale of the Fayetteville assets, will be in excess of the Company’s $2.0 billion commitment under its credit facility.

A summary of the Company’s hedging position is provided in the attached financial tables. Additional information on physical basis sales, natural gas liquids and oil financial derivatives can be found in the 10-Q.

E&P Operational Review
Southwestern Energy’s net production for the third quarter was 9% higher at 252 Bcfe.

Appalachia Basin production was 22% higher at 187 Bcfe and was comprised of 20% liquids or 6,169 MBbls (67.1 MBbls per day) and 80% or 150 Bcf of natural gas (1.6 Bcf per day).

The Company invested $295 million in E&P capital, including $26 million related to the Southwest Appalachia water project, and drilled 22 wells, completed 23 wells and placed 35 wells to sales.

Southwest Appalachia – Total net production of 66 Bcfe, was 27% higher than the prior year quarter and was comprised of 52% liquids. NGL and oil production averaged 56.3 MBbls per day and 10.8 MBbls per day, totaling 67.1 MBbls per day liquids.

Weighted average realized price on a natural gas equivalent basis was $3.62 per Mcf, a $0.72 per Mcfe uplift compared to a NYMEX gas price of $2.90 per Mcf.

The Company placed 16 Marcellus wells to sales with an average lateral length of 6,994 feet. Fourteen wells were located in the super rich acreage and online for at least 30 days, had an average 30-day rate of 7.9 MMcfe per day with a 43% NGL, 23% oil and 34% gas mix. Two wells in the rich acreage were online for at least 30 days and had an average 30-day rate of 13.4 MMcfe per day with a 44% NGL and 56% gas mix.

During the quarter, the Company drilled a West Virginia state record well lateral of 15,559 feet in the super rich area, which is expected to be online early next year.

The first Upper Devonian well was drilled in the Company’s liquids-rich acreage and brought online in the third quarter. This well continues to show encouraging, early results with 45% liquids. The Company plans to bring additional Upper Devonian wells online in the fourth quarter to support its ongoing delineation program.

Northeast Appalachia – Total net production of 121 Bcf, or 1.3 Bcf per day, was 20% higher than the third quarter of 2017. The Company placed 18 wells to sales with an average lateral length of 6,960 feet, 14 of which were online for 30 days and had an average 30-day rate of 13.7 MMcf per day. This includes four short laterals associated with a “wine rack” test.

The longest lateral in the Company’s history, the Mitchell South 2H well, was successfully drilled at 16,272 feet, and is expected to be online in the fourth quarter.

Realized price, which includes transportation costs, was $2.09 per Mcf, a 30% improvement due to tightening basis differentials driven by takeaway capacity going in-service to markets outside of the area. In addition to the ongoing benefit of regional basis improvements, the Company maintains a leading low cost firm transportation portfolio to premium markets that supply low cost natural gas to northeast US markets.

Conference Call
Southwestern Energy will host a conference call and webcast on Friday, October 26, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. Central to discuss third quarter 2018 results. To participate, dial US toll-free 877-883-0383, or international 412-902-6505 and enter access code 3794459. The conference call will webcast live at www.swn.com.

To listen to a replay of the call, dial 877-344-7529, International 412-317-0088, or Canada Toll Free 855-669-9658. Enter replay access code 10124794. The replay will be available until November 20, 2018.

About Southwestern Energy
Southwestern Energy Company is an independent energy company whose wholly-owned subsidiaries are engaged in natural gas and oil exploration, development and production, natural gas gathering and marketing. Additional information on the Company can be found on our website: www.swn.com.

Forward Looking Statement
This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to future events and anticipated results of operations, business strategies, and other aspects of our operations or operating results. In many cases you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “estimate,” “continue,” “potential,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “will,” “objective,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “effort,” “expect,” “believe,” “predict,” “budget,” “projection,” “goal,” “forecast,” “target” or similar words. Statements may be forward looking even in the absence of these particular words. Where, in any forward-looking statement, the Company expresses an expectation or belief as to future results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. However, there can be no assurance that such expectation or belief will result or be achieved. The actual results of operations can and will be affected by a variety of risks and other matters including, but not limited to, changes in commodity prices (including geographic basis differentials); changes in expected levels of natural gas and oil reserves or production, or the Company’s ability to consummate the closing of the sale of its Fayetteville Shale assets; operating hazards, drilling risks, unsuccessful exploratory activities; natural disasters; limited access to capital or significantly higher cost of capital related to illiquidity or uncertainty in the domestic or international financial markets; international monetary conditions; unexpected cost increases in service or other costs related to drilling and completion activities; potential liability for remedial actions under existing or future environmental regulations; failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals; potential liability resulting from pending or future litigation; and general domestic and international economic and political conditions; as well as changes in tax, environmental and other laws, including court rulings, applicable to our business. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements include other economic, business, competitive and/or regulatory factors affecting our business generally as set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Unless legally required, Southwestern Energy Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Hedging Summary

A detailed breakdown of the Company’s derivative financial instruments and financial basis positions as of September 30, 2018 is shown below. Please refer to our quarterly report on Form 10-Q to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for complete information on the Company’s commodity, basis and interest rate protection.

Explanation and Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company reports its financial results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). However, management believes certain non-GAAP performance measures may provide financial statement users with additional meaningful comparisons between current results, the results of its peers and of prior periods.

One such non-GAAP financial measure is net cash flow. Management presents this measure because (i) it is accepted as an indicator of an oil and gas exploration and production company’s ability to internally fund exploration and development activities and to service or incur additional debt, (ii) changes in operating assets and liabilities relate to the timing of cash receipts and disbursements which the Company may not control and (iii) changes in operating assets and liabilities may not relate to the period in which the operating activities occurred.

Additional non-GAAP financial measures the Company may present from time to time are net debt, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share, adjusted EBITDA and its E&P and Midstream segment operating income, all which exclude certain charges or amounts. Management presents these measures because (i) they are consistent with the manner in which the Company’s position and performance are measured relative to the position and performance of its peers, (ii) these measures are more comparable to earnings estimates provided by securities analysts, and (iii) charges or amounts excluded cannot be reasonably estimated and guidance provided by the Company excludes information regarding these types of items. These adjusted amounts are not a measure of financial performance under GAAP.

See the reconciliations throughout this release of GAAP financial measures to non-GAAP financial measures for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, as applicable. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the Company’s reported results prepared in accordance with GAAP.

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Contacts

Southwestern Energy Company
Paige Penchas, 832-796-4068
Vice President, Investor Relations

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