Diamondback Energy (FANG) Q1 Results - May 2
Posted: Mon May 02, 2022 5:15 pm
MIDLAND, Texas, May 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FANG) (“Diamondback” or the “Company”) today announced financial and operating results for the first quarter March 31, 2022.
FIRST QUARTER 2022 HIGHLIGHTS
Average production of 222.8 MBO/d (381.4 MBOE/d) < Beat my forecast of 372,000 Boepd and 220,000 BOPD.
Cash flow from operating activities of $1,252 million; Operating Cash Flow Before Working Capital Changes (as defined and reconciled below) of $1,411 million < Beat my forecast of $1,357 million operating cash flow.
Cash capital expenditures of $437 million; Q1 2022 activity-based capital expenditures incurred of approximately $444 million < FANG's CapEx Budget for the year was $1.75 to $1.90 billion, so they are staying on-track and production growth is slightly ahead of schedule.
Free Cash Flow of $974 million < At the current strip prices, FANG's full-year FCF will be well above $4 billion.
Increasing annual base dividend by 17% to $2.80 per share; declared Q1 2022 base cash dividend of $0.70 per share payable on May 23, 2022; implies a 2.2% annualized yield based on the April 29, 2022 closing share price of $126.23
Announcing a variable cash dividend of $2.35 per share payable on May 23, 2022; total base-plus-variable dividend of $3.05 implies a 9.7% annualized yield based on April 29, 2022 closing share price of $126.23
Repurchased 57,300 shares of common stock in Q1 2022 for ~$6.7 million (at a weighted average price of approximately $117.34/share)
Total return of capital of $555 million; represents 57% of Q1 2022 Free Cash Flow (as defined and reconciled below) and 50% of Adjusted Free Cash Flow (as defined and reconciled below) from stock repurchases and the declared Q1 2022 base-plus-variable dividend
As previously announced, Diamondback fully redeemed the $1,000 million outstanding 2.875% Senior Notes due 2024 and the $500 million outstanding 4.750% Senior Notes due 2025 with cash on hand and the net proceeds from the issuance of its new 4.25% Senior Notes due 2052 in the aggregate principal amount of $750 million
Closed the acquisition of approximately 6,200 net acres in Ward County, Texas for a gross purchase price of $230 million
“In February, Russia launched an unprovoked invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine. We strongly condemn Russia’s actions and in March announced a $10 million commitment to support various non-profit entities that have risen to meet the humanitarian needs of the millions of men, women, and children affected by this unjust war. We hope and pray for a peaceful resolution to this conflict,” stated Travis Stice, Chief Executive Officer of Diamondback.
Mr. Stice continued, “Russia’s actions have increased the volatility in our sector, creating significant swings in commodity prices as a result of uncertainty around global oil supply. At Diamondback, we are proud to have grown our production from just under 3,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day (“BOE/d”) exactly a decade ago, to over 380,000 BOE/d this quarter. This production growth, along with material growth from many of our peers across the United States and in the Permian Basin, has significantly lowered our Country’s relative cost of energy and contributed to our energy security, the strength of our currency and our Country's geopolitical position on the world stage.
Today, Diamondback is committed to maintaining our current production levels, providing a significant supply of energy to our Country and the world. While we believe that efficiently growing our production base is achievable over the long-term, we do not feel that today is the appropriate time to begin spending dollars that would not equate to additional barrels until multiple quarters from today given the uncertainty and volatility currently in the market.
Like many other industries, we are operating in a challenging environment. We are seeing inflationary pressure across all facets of our business, with labor and materials shortages now present across the supply-chain. We are fortunate to have secured the necessary equipment, personnel and materials to run our capital program, but increasing activity today would result in capital efficiency degradation and would not meaningfully contribute to the global supply and demand imbalance in the oil market today.
Therefore, we are focused on maintaining our operational excellence and producing one of the lowest cost and environmentally friendly barrels in the world. By doing so, we expect to continue generating differentiated returns, hitting our production and capital targets and returning at least 50% of our Free Cash Flow to our stockholders.”
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My valuation was $196/share prior to this bullish press release. I will update my forecast/valuation model tomorrow morning.
FIRST QUARTER 2022 HIGHLIGHTS
Average production of 222.8 MBO/d (381.4 MBOE/d) < Beat my forecast of 372,000 Boepd and 220,000 BOPD.
Cash flow from operating activities of $1,252 million; Operating Cash Flow Before Working Capital Changes (as defined and reconciled below) of $1,411 million < Beat my forecast of $1,357 million operating cash flow.
Cash capital expenditures of $437 million; Q1 2022 activity-based capital expenditures incurred of approximately $444 million < FANG's CapEx Budget for the year was $1.75 to $1.90 billion, so they are staying on-track and production growth is slightly ahead of schedule.
Free Cash Flow of $974 million < At the current strip prices, FANG's full-year FCF will be well above $4 billion.
Increasing annual base dividend by 17% to $2.80 per share; declared Q1 2022 base cash dividend of $0.70 per share payable on May 23, 2022; implies a 2.2% annualized yield based on the April 29, 2022 closing share price of $126.23
Announcing a variable cash dividend of $2.35 per share payable on May 23, 2022; total base-plus-variable dividend of $3.05 implies a 9.7% annualized yield based on April 29, 2022 closing share price of $126.23
Repurchased 57,300 shares of common stock in Q1 2022 for ~$6.7 million (at a weighted average price of approximately $117.34/share)
Total return of capital of $555 million; represents 57% of Q1 2022 Free Cash Flow (as defined and reconciled below) and 50% of Adjusted Free Cash Flow (as defined and reconciled below) from stock repurchases and the declared Q1 2022 base-plus-variable dividend
As previously announced, Diamondback fully redeemed the $1,000 million outstanding 2.875% Senior Notes due 2024 and the $500 million outstanding 4.750% Senior Notes due 2025 with cash on hand and the net proceeds from the issuance of its new 4.25% Senior Notes due 2052 in the aggregate principal amount of $750 million
Closed the acquisition of approximately 6,200 net acres in Ward County, Texas for a gross purchase price of $230 million
“In February, Russia launched an unprovoked invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine. We strongly condemn Russia’s actions and in March announced a $10 million commitment to support various non-profit entities that have risen to meet the humanitarian needs of the millions of men, women, and children affected by this unjust war. We hope and pray for a peaceful resolution to this conflict,” stated Travis Stice, Chief Executive Officer of Diamondback.
Mr. Stice continued, “Russia’s actions have increased the volatility in our sector, creating significant swings in commodity prices as a result of uncertainty around global oil supply. At Diamondback, we are proud to have grown our production from just under 3,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day (“BOE/d”) exactly a decade ago, to over 380,000 BOE/d this quarter. This production growth, along with material growth from many of our peers across the United States and in the Permian Basin, has significantly lowered our Country’s relative cost of energy and contributed to our energy security, the strength of our currency and our Country's geopolitical position on the world stage.
Today, Diamondback is committed to maintaining our current production levels, providing a significant supply of energy to our Country and the world. While we believe that efficiently growing our production base is achievable over the long-term, we do not feel that today is the appropriate time to begin spending dollars that would not equate to additional barrels until multiple quarters from today given the uncertainty and volatility currently in the market.
Like many other industries, we are operating in a challenging environment. We are seeing inflationary pressure across all facets of our business, with labor and materials shortages now present across the supply-chain. We are fortunate to have secured the necessary equipment, personnel and materials to run our capital program, but increasing activity today would result in capital efficiency degradation and would not meaningfully contribute to the global supply and demand imbalance in the oil market today.
Therefore, we are focused on maintaining our operational excellence and producing one of the lowest cost and environmentally friendly barrels in the world. By doing so, we expect to continue generating differentiated returns, hitting our production and capital targets and returning at least 50% of our Free Cash Flow to our stockholders.”
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My valuation was $196/share prior to this bullish press release. I will update my forecast/valuation model tomorrow morning.