CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cequence Energy Ltd. (“Cequence” or the “Company”) (TSX: CQE) is pleased to announce its operating and financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019. The Company’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) and Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements are available at cequence-energy.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Optimization projects implemented in the second quarter 2019 increased production to 6,142 boe/d compared to 5,964 boe/d for the first quarter of 2019.
- Completed the repayment of $10.0 million of the $60.0 million Term Loan and amended the Term Loan agreement extending the maturity to October 2023, fixing the interest rate at 5% and cancelling the 1.8 million warrants held by the Term Loan holders.
- Issued 17.2 million common shares at a price of $0.65 per share for gross proceeds of $11.2 million on a Canadian development expense flow-through basis. Issued at a $0.31 per share premium to Cequence’s closing price on June 27, 2019.
- Renewed the credit facility agreement on June 14, 2019 extending it to June 16, 2020 and maintaining the $7.0 million borrowing base.
For the six months ended June 30, 2019 funds flow from operations was $7.2 million, $1.7 million higher than the same prior year period. Production was 6,053 boe/d compared to 6,651 boe/d for the same prior year period. The increased funds flow was due to higher crude oil production and realized pricing, higher natural gas pricing and lower finance expenses.
SELECTED INFORMATION
(in thousands of dollars except production volumes, per share and $/boe amounts) | Three months ended June 30, |
Six months ended June 30, |
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2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | ||||||||||||
Financial | |||||||||||||||
Total revenue(1) | $12,966 | $14,613 | $29,603 | $29,057 | |||||||||||
Net loss and comprehensive loss (ii) | (2,464 | ) | (2,745 | ) | (6,278 | ) | (6,470 | ) | |||||||
Per share – basic and diluted(i) | (0.10 | ) | (0.22 | ) | (0.25 | ) | (0.53 | ) | |||||||
Funds flow from operations(1) (ii) | 1,806 | 2,191 | 7,170 | 5,427 | |||||||||||
Per share – basic and diluted(i) | 0.07 | 0.18 | 0.29 | 0.44 | |||||||||||
Capital expenditures, before acquisitions (dispositions) | 1,163 | 1,830 | 3,347 | 9,284 | |||||||||||
Total assets | 270,645 | 272,669 | |||||||||||||
Net debt(1) | 61,236 | 73,486 | |||||||||||||
Production volumes | |||||||||||||||
Natural gas (Mcf/d) | 29,007 | 28,628 | 27,854 | 31,711 | |||||||||||
Crude oil (bbls/d) | 747 | 864 | 831 | 556 | |||||||||||
Natural gas liquids (bbls/d) | 186 | 240 | 184 | 257 | |||||||||||
Condensate (bbls/d) | 374 | 459 | 396 | 553 | |||||||||||
Total (boe/d) | 6,142 | 6,334 | 6,053 | 6,651 | |||||||||||
Netback ($/boe) | |||||||||||||||
Price, including realized hedges | $23.20 | $25.35 | $27.02 | $24.14 | |||||||||||
Operating netback(1) | $7.92 | $8.82 | $10.67 | $9.11 | |||||||||||
(i) | Prior period common shares, stock options, warrants, restricted share units and per share amounts have been restated to reflect the 2018 share consolidation where one post-consolidation common share was equal to 20 pre-consolidation common shares. | ||||||||||||||
(ii) | During the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 Cequence incurred $0.5 million of due diligence fees paid to the Term Debt holders. | ||||||||||||||
1 | Refer to “Non-IFRS Measures” section for further information. |
OPERATIONS
Three months ended June 30, | ||||||||||||
2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||
($ thousands) | ($/boe) | ($ thousands) | ($/boe) | |||||||||
Sales of natural gas, oil and condensate | $12,639 | $22.61 | $15,720 | $27.27 | ||||||||
Realized gain (loss) on commodity contracts | 327 | 0.59 | (1,107 | ) | (1.92 | ) | ||||||
Total revenue(1) | 12,966 | 23.20 | 14,613 | 25.35 | ||||||||
Royalties expense | 704 | 1.26 | 1,043 | 1.81 | ||||||||
12,262 | 21.94 | 13,570 | 23.54 | |||||||||
Operating expense | 5,501 | 9.84 | 6,758 | 11.72 | ||||||||
Transportation expense | 2,337 | 4.18 | 1,728 | 3.00 | ||||||||
Operating netback(1) | 4,424 | 7.92 | 5,084 | 8.82 | ||||||||
General and administrative expense (i) | 1,871 | 3.35 | 1,487 | 2.58 | ||||||||
Finance expense | 953 | 1.71 | 1,881 | 3.26 | ||||||||
Cash netback(1) | 1,600 | $2.86 | 1,716 | $2.98 | ||||||||
Unrealized gain on commodity contracts | (691 | ) | (216 | ) | ||||||||
Depletion and depreciation expense | 4,739 | 6,310 | ||||||||||
Share-based payment expense | 92 | 75 | ||||||||||
Other income | (76 | ) | (1,708 | ) | ||||||||
Net loss and comprehensive loss | $(2,464 | ) | $(2,745 | ) | ||||||||
(i) | During the three months ended June 30, 2019 Cequence incurred $0.5 million of due diligence fees paid to the Term Debt holders included in general and administrative expenses. |
Production for the three months ended June 30, 2019 averaged 6,142 boe/d compared to production of 6,334 boe/d for the same prior year period. The decrease was due to the natural decline of the 3.0 gross (2.0 net) Dunvegan horizontal oil wells that were completed in the first quarter 2018. Crude oil and liquids production as a percentage of total production decreased to 21 percent in the three months ended June 30, 2019 from 25 percent for the same prior year period.
Operating netback(1) was $7.92 per boe for the three months ended June 30, 2019 compared to $8.82 per boe for the same prior year period. The decrease was due to lower realized prices and crude oil and liquids production. Decreased crude oil and liquids production was due to natural decline rates on the Dunvegan horizontal oil wells completed in 2018.
Operating expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2019 were $9.84 per boe compared to $11.72 per boe for the same prior year period. Lower operating expenses per boe were due to reduced use of rental equipment, lower trucking and water disposal costs at Simonette where a water disposal well was completed in 2018 and costs incurred in 2018 to start up the 3 gross (2 net) Dunvegan horizontal oil wells.
Six months ended June 30, | ||||||||||||
2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||
($ thousands) | ($/boe) | ($ thousands) | ($/boe) | |||||||||
Sales of natural gas, oil and condensate | $28,290 | $25.82 | $29,398 | $24.42 | ||||||||
Realized gain (loss) on commodity contracts | 1,313 | 1.20 | (341 | ) | (0.28 | ) | ||||||
Total revenue(1) | 29,603 | 27.02 | 29,057 | 24.14 | ||||||||
Royalties expense | 1,586 | 1.45 | 1,780 | 1.48 | ||||||||
28,017 | 25.57 | 27,277 | 22.66 | |||||||||
Operating expense | 11,632 | 10.62 | 13,147 | 10.92 | ||||||||
Transportation expense | 4,687 | 4.28 | 3,168 | 2.63 | ||||||||
Operating netback(1) | 11,698 | 10.67 | 10,962 | 9.11 | ||||||||
General and administrative expense (i) | 3,027 | 2.76 | 2,737 | 2.27 | ||||||||
Finance expense | 1,935 | 1.77 | 3,777 | 3.14 | ||||||||
Cash netback(1) | 6,736 | $6.14 | 4,448 | $3.70 | ||||||||
Unrealized loss on commodity contracts | 2,099 | 1,431 | ||||||||||
Depletion and depreciation expense | 10,815 | 11,139 | ||||||||||
Share-based payment expense | 227 | 140 | ||||||||||
Other income | (127 | ) | (1,792 | ) | ||||||||
Net loss and comprehensive loss | $(6,278 | ) | $(6,470 | ) | ||||||||
(i) | During the six months ended June 30, 2019 Cequence incurred $0.5 million of due diligence fees paid to the Term Debt holders included in general and administrative expenses. |
Production for the six months ended June 30, 2019 averaged 6,053 boe/d compared to production of 6,651 boe/d for the same prior year period. Crude oil production partially offset natural declines in natural gas, condensate and natural gas liquids production.
Operating netback(1) was $10.67 per boe for the six months ended June 30, 2019 compared to $9.11 per boe for the same prior year period. The increase was due to higher realized natural gas and crude oil prices and increased oil production. Higher realized natural gas prices were due to AECO prices that were supported by cold weather during the first quarter 2019 and the Company entering into a marketing arrangement for fixed transportation effective April 1, 2018, to sell 10,850 GJ/d of gas in the Dawn, Ontario market. Higher oil production for the six months ended June 30, 2019 was due to completing and tying in 5.0 gross (4.0 net) Dunvegan horizontal oil wells in 2018 and early 2019.
Transportation expense for the six months ended June 30, 2019 increased per boe compared to the same prior year period due to the Company entering into agreements to secure service for natural gas and crude oil transportation that are recognized as transportation expense where this was previously included as part of the realized price on the commodity sale.
Operating expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2019 were $10.62 per boe compared to $10.92 per boe for the same prior year period. Lower water handling costs with the completion of a water disposal well in 2018 and reduced long-term field rentals expenses were partially offset in the first quarter 2019 by workover, swabbing and chemical expenses to optimize and reactivate production.
Finance expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2019 were lower compared to the same prior year period due to restructuring the Senior loan in 2018 and replacing it with the Term Loan which reduced the interest rate on the debt from 9.7% to 5.0%.
CAPITAL EXPENDITURES
Three months ended June 30, |
Six months ended June 30, |
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(in thousands of dollars) | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||
Land | $291 | $149 | $443 | $347 | |||||||||||||
Geological & geophysical and capitalized overhead | 151 | 151 | 343 | 320 | |||||||||||||
Drilling, completions and workovers | 495 | 866 | 1,929 | 6,693 | |||||||||||||
Equipment, facilities and tie-ins | 221 | 664 | 624 | 1,924 | |||||||||||||
Office furniture & equipment | 5 | – | 8 | – | |||||||||||||
Capital expenditures | 1,163 | 1,830 | 3,347 | 9,284 | |||||||||||||
Property dispositions (i) | (39 | ) | (1,433 | ) | (38 | ) | (1,429 | ) | |||||||||
Total capital expenditures | $1,124 | $397 | $3,309 | $7,855 | |||||||||||||
(1) Represent the cash proceeds from the sale of assets. |
Capital expenditures for the six months ended June 30, 2019 focused on Simonette where the Company completed and tied in the 2.0 gross (2.0 net) Dunvegan horizontal oil wells drilled in the fourth quarter of 2018 and completed in early 2019.
Cequence’s 2019 capital budget is approximately $13.0 million comprised of expenditures to enhance and optimize existing well performance using artificial lift solutions and costs to drill 2.0 gross (2.0 net) Dunvegan horizontal oil wells in 2019. The capital budget will be funded from funds flow from operations(1) and proceeds from the private placement completed on June 27, 2019.
TERM LOAN AND PRIVATE PLACEMENT
On June 27, 2019, the Company completed the repayment of $10.0 million of its $60.0 million term loan facility and certain amendments to the Loan Agreement governing the Term Loan, including extending the maturity date from October 3, 2022 to October 3, 2023, fixing the interest rate at 5%, removing the interest rate escalation to 10% when funds flow from operations(1) is equal to or greater than $40.0 million, and canceling the warrants held by the Term Loan holders. In consideration for the amendments, the Company agreed to pay the holders of the Term Loan fees in the amount of $1.2 million, which included a modification fee and the prepayment of due diligence costs payable in accordance with the Term Loan agreement, eliminating a future obligation of the Company under the agreement.
On June 27, 2019, the Company also completed a private placement (the “Private Placement”) of 17.2 million common shares of the Company at a price of $0.65 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of $11.2 million. The shares were issued on a Canadian development expense “flow-through” basis at a premium of $0.31 per share compared to the closing price on that date. Upon completion of the private placement the Company had 41.8 million common shares outstanding.
OUTLOOK
Cequence continues to monitor commodity price volatility and plans to spend within funds flow from operations(1) in executing its 2019 capital program and meeting its debt maintenance requirements. The Company plans to drill 2.0 gross (2.0 net) Dunvegan horizontal oil wells in 2019 and bring them on to production in early 2020. Key guidance metrics for 2019 are as follows:
Guidance year ended December 31, 2019 |
Year ended December 31, 2018 |
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Average production, boe/d(i) | 5,800 | 6,507 | |
Funds flow from operations(1) (ii) ($ thousands) | 13,000 | 13,087 | |
Development expenditures ($ thousands) | 13,000 | 23,800 | |
Net wells | 2.0 | 4.0 | |
Operating and transportation expenses ($/boe) | 15.00 | 13.15 | |
Royalties (% revenue) | 7 | 7 | |
Crude – WTI (US$/bbl) | 56.85 | 65.20 | |
Natural gas – AECO (CDN$/GJ) | 1.56 | 1.44 | |
(i) | Average production estimates on a per BOE basis are comprised of approximately 75% natural gas and 25% oil, condensate and natural gas liquids in 2019. | ||
(ii) | Cequence incurred $0.5 million of due diligence fees paid to the Term Debt holders included in general and administrative expenses. |