Key Takeaways

  • Reported production of 404,000 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day; adjusted production, which excludes Egypt noncontrolling interest and tax barrels, was 322,000 BOE per day;
  • Generated net cash from operating activities of $891 million, adjusted EBITDAX of $1.7 billion, and free cash flow of $675 million, up 39% from previous quarter;
  • Announced discovery at Krabdagu exploration well on Block 58 offshore Suriname and spud Rasper exploration well on Block 53;
  • Retired $1.3 billion of bonds and repurchased more than $260 million of APA shares; and
  • Received approximately $1 billion in proceeds from previously announced sales of Delaware Basin minerals package and Kinetik common stock.

HOUSTON, May 4, 2022 - APA Corporation (Nasdaq: APA) today announced its financial and operational results for the first-quarter 2022.

APA reported net income attributable to common stock of $1.9 billion, or $5.43 per diluted share. When adjusted for items that impact the comparability of results, most notably the gains on the closing of the Altus Midstream business combination in February and the sale of the Delaware Basin minerals package in March, APA's first-quarter earnings were $668 million, or $1.92 per diluted share. Net cash provided by operating activities was $891 million, and adjusted EBITDAX was $1.7 billion. The company generated $675 million in free cash flow during the quarter, and at recent strip oil and gas prices, expects to generate approximately $2.9 billion of free cash flow for the full year 2022.

"APA's strong first-quarter results reflect the benefits of our recently modernized production sharing contract in Egypt and demonstrate the strength of a diversified, unhedged upstream oil and gas portfolio," said John J. Christmann IV, APA's CEO and president. "We had a number of important achievements during the first quarter including a $1.3 billion reduction in bonds outstanding, the return of more than $300 million of capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases, and the completion of the Altus Midstream transaction and its resulting deconsolidation.

"In the U.S., oil production exceeded expectations as well performance in the Permian Basin benefitted from longer laterals and enhanced completion techniques. In Suriname Block 58, flow test operations are complete and pressure build-up tests are ongoing at Krabdagu and should be finished later this month. On Block 53, we spud the Rasper exploration well in late March and have not yet reached the targeted zones," he said.

First-Quarter Summary

First-quarter reported production was 404,000 BOE per day, and adjusted production, which excludes Egypt noncontrolling interest and tax barrels, was 322,000 BOE per day. APA's first-quarter upstream capital investment was $361 million, which was lower than expected as activity in Egypt and the North Sea was deferred to the second quarter.

Debt Reduction Progress and Capital Return to Shareholders

During the first quarter, APA paid off $213 million in bonds that were set to mature in April and completed an upsized tender offer, which eliminated $1.1 billion of additional near-term maturities. At the end of April, APA established new credit facilities comprising a $1.8 billion revolver and £1.5 billion letter of credit facility, the latter to support asset retirement obligations in the North Sea.

As part of its capital return framework, APA repurchased 7.2 million shares of common stock during the quarter at an average price of $36 per share. Since the inception of the buyback program in October 2021 through the end of the first quarter 2022, APA has bought back 38.4 million shares at an average price of $28.83 per share.

Capital Guidance

APA is raising capital investment guidance for the full year by approximately 8%, to $1.725 billion, to support increased drilling activity in Suriname, as well as an expected increase in U.S. non-operated activity.

"Recent geopolitical events and rising commodity prices have highlighted the need for reliable and abundant sources of energy, and APA is focused on safely and responsibly meeting the global demands for oil and gas. We remain committed to our capital investment program and capital return framework and anticipate an increase in share repurchases if the current commodity price environment sustains through the year. We are equally committed to progressing our ESG initiatives including reducing emissions and bettering the lives of our employees and communities," Christmann said.

Conference Call

APA will host a conference call to discuss its first-quarter 2022 results at 10 a.m. Central time, Thursday, May 5. The conference call will be webcast from APA's website at www.apacorp.com and investor.apacorp.com, and the webcast replay will be archived there as well. The conference call will also be available for playback by telephone for one week beginning at approximately 4 p.m. Central time May 5. The number for the replay is 855-859-2056 or 404-537-3406 for international calls. The conference access code is 7382328. Sign up for email alerts to be reminded of the webcast at investor.apacorp.com/alerts/email-alerts-subscription.

About APA

APA Corporation owns consolidated subsidiaries that explore for and produce oil and natural gas in the United States, Egypt and the United Kingdom and that explore for oil and natural gas offshore Suriname. APA posts announcements, operational updates, investor information and press releases on its website, www.apacorp.com. Additional details regarding Suriname, ESG performance and other investor-related topics are posted at investor.apacorp.com.

Additional Information

Additional information follows, including reconciliations of adjusted earnings, adjusted EBITDAX, upstream capital investment, net debt, cash flows from operations before changes in operating assets and liabilities and free cash flow (non-GAAP financial measures) to GAAP measures and information regarding adjusted production. APA's quarterly supplement is available at http://www.apacorp.com/financialdata.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

APA's financial information includes information prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) as well as non-GAAP financial information. It is management's intent to provide non-GAAP financial information to enhance understanding of our consolidated financial information as prepared in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted earnings, adjusted EBITDAX, upstream capital investment, net debt, cash flows from operations before changes in operating assets and liabilities and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures. This non-GAAP information should be considered by the reader in addition to, but not instead of, the financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Each non-GAAP financial measure is presented along with the corresponding GAAP measure so as not to imply that more emphasis should be placed on the non-GAAP measure.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "seeks," "believes," "continues," "could," "estimates," "expects," "guidance," "may," "might," "outlook," "possibly," "potential," "projects," "prospects," "should," "will," "would," and similar references to future periods, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future plans, expectations, and objectives for operations, including statements about our capital plans, drilling plans, production expectations, asset sales, and monetizations. While forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by us that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, whether actual results and developments will meet our expectations and predictions depend on a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause our actual results, performance, and financial condition to differ materially from our expectations. See "Risk Factors" in APA's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of risk factors that affect our business. Any forward-looking statement made in this news release speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. APA and its subsidiaries undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future development or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Cautionary Note to Investors

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission permits oil and gas companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only proved, probable, and possible reserves that meet the SEC's definitions for such terms. APA may use certain terms in this news release, such as "resources," "potential resources," "resource potential," "estimated net reserves," "recoverable reserves," and other similar terms that the SEC guidelines strictly prohibit APA from including in filings with the SEC. Such terms do not take into account the certainty of resource recovery, which is contingent on exploration success, technical improvements in drilling access, commerciality, and other factors, and are therefore not indicative of expected future resource recovery and should not be relied upon. Investors are urged to consider carefully the disclosure in APA's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2021 available from APA at www.apacorp.com or by writing APA at: 2000 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 100, Houston, TX 77056 (Attn: Corporate Secretary). You can also obtain this report from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330 or from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Contacts

Investor: (281) 302-2286 Gary Clark
Media: (713) 296-7276 Alexandra Franceschi
Website: www.apacorp.com

Click here for the full release with quarterly financial statements.

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APA Corporation (US) published this content on 04 May 2022 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 04 May 2022 21:18:13 UTC.