Exploration & Production | Drilling / Well Results | Quarterly / Earnings Reports | First Quarter (1Q) Update

SandRidge Back on Track After Weather Woes; Details Well IPs

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   |    Wednesday,May 07,2014

SandRidge Energy, Inc. has reported financial and operational results for the quarter ended March 31, 2014.

Highlights:

• Total production of 7.1 MMBoe (79.2 MBoe per day) included 1.3 MMBoe of divested Gulf of Mexico production. $276 million capital spend was below plan due to temporary weather impacts.
• Extreme winter weather temporarily curtailed production and capital spend, now offset by a robust April ramp-up in well connections bringing 45 wells online vs. 71 in the entire first quarter. As a result, Mid-Continent production improved to 55 MBoe per day in April vs. Q1 average of 51 MBoe per day. Due to the ramp-up, annual production guidance is reaffirmed.
• 71 Q1 Mid-Continent wells had an average 30-day IP of 410 Boe per day vs. an average 30-day IP of 366 Boe per day for the 2013 well set.
• Company record seven wells delivered 30-day IPs over 1,000 Boe per day during the quarter.
• Success in southern Grant and northern Garfield County, OK expands our focus area by 10 townships into northern Garfield County. During the first quarter, 11 test wells delivered an average of 406 Boe per day (28% above type curve) with 55% oil.
• Kansas dual stacked lateral well with 707 Boe per day 30-day IP (44% oil) completed for $5.2 million vs. $6 million for two standard wells, demonstrating breakthrough multilateral drilling cost upsides.

James Bennett, SandRidge's Chief Executive Officer and President, commented, "We are well on our way to deliver the early part of our three year growth plan introduced at our March analyst day. Resumed normal weather conditions have us back on track, with recent activity offsetting the temporary extreme weather challenges in our first quarter Mid-Continent operations. We produced 55 MBoe per day in April compared to our first quarter average of 51 MBoe per day, and brought on 45 new wells in April, compared to 71 wells for all of the first quarter. We continue to advance our value initiatives such as the multi-lateral well programs, producing from multiple zones, and expanding our asset base as with the addition of Oklahoma's northern Garfield County into our focus area. These efforts continue to position SandRidge as the premier operator in the Mid-Continent region."

Key Financial Results

• Adjusted EBITDA, net of Noncontrolling Interest, was $230 million for first quarter 2014 compared to $270 million in first quarter 2013.
• Pro forma for divestitures and net of Noncontrolling Interest, adjusted EBITDA was $177 million in the first quarter of 2014 compared to $112 million in the first quarter of 2013.
• Adjusted operating cash flow of $136 million for first quarter 2014 compared to $182 million in first quarter 2013. Included in the first quarter 2014 results is $70 million of cash paid to unwind hedges related to the Gulf of Mexico divestiture.
• Adjusted net income of $37.9 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, for first quarter 2014 compared to adjusted net income of $2.0 million, or $0.00 per diluted share, in first quarter 2013.

Operational Highlights

David Lawler, SandRidge's Chief Operating Officer remarked, "Record winter weather posed a significant challenge to our development teams during the quarter, and decreased the speed of our new well delivery program. Weather related production deferments totaled approximately 300 MBoe for the quarter. Adapting to the situation, we rapidly connected wells in April, and Mid-Continent production averaged 55 MBoe per day in April and back in line with our annual and three-year targets. At the same time, our innovative teams installed a dual stacked lateral Mississippian prototype well in Harper County, Kansas for $2.6 million per lateral, saving $400,000 per lateral. This compares to drilling two separate wells for $3.0 million each, saving $800,000 total. The well targeted the Upper and Lower Mississippian zones. This result demonstrates our commitment to achieving breakthrough performance, and gives the Mississippian play even stronger economics. We also expanded our resource base during the quarter, adding 10 townships in northern Garfield County, Oklahoma to our focus area after an 11 well appraisal program in the area delivered an average 30-day IP of 406 Boe per day. These wells targeted the Upper and Middle Mississippian, and contain 55% oil with an average cost per well of $3.07 million. SandRidge is maintaining its clear leadership position in the play."

Notable 30-day IP results during the first quarter:

• Seven wells over 1,000 Boe per day
• 71 wells completed in the first quarter averaged 410 Boe per day
• Sumner area performance remains strong with four laterals delivering an average 30-day IP of 353 Boe per day (67% oil) during the quarter. Six rigs are currently operating in the area, five assigned to horizontal development and one assigned to produced water disposal.
• During the quarter, 34 artificial lift conversions were completed including 14 wells to ESP and 20 wells to rod pump. In total, these conversions increased oil by 402 barrels of oil per day and 1,461 Boe per day (a 38% increase in Boe rate).
• First quarter drill and complete costs averaged $3.0 million per well.
• Drilled nine Mid-Continent disposal wells during the quarter and exited the quarter disposing approximately 960,000 gross barrels of water per day.

Financial / Other Highlights:

• Pro forma Adjusted EBITDA of $177 million, 58% growth year-over-year
• Closed sale of Gulf of Mexico business on February 25, 2014
• Quarter-end liquidity of $1.9 billion ($1.2 billion of cash) and a 3.0x leverage ratio
• 87% of liquids production and 63% of natural gas production hedged in the remainder of 2014

Drilling and Operational Activities

Mid-Continent

During the first quarter of 2014, SandRidge drilled 87 horizontal wells: 58 in Oklahoma and 29 in Kansas. SandRidge also drilled nine disposal wells during the quarter. The company averaged 25 horizontal rigs operating in the play: 14 in Oklahoma and 11 in Kansas. Additionally, the company averaged 2.5 rigs drilling disposal wells. The company's Mid-Continent assets produced 50.6 MBoe per day during the first quarter (38% Oil, 11% NGLs, 51% Natural Gas).

Gulf of Mexico / Gulf Coast

The company's Gulf of Mexico and Gulf Coast assets produced 1.3 MMBoe during the first quarter of 2014 (51% Oil, 4% NGLs, 45% Natural Gas). The assets produced 23.6 MBoe per day through closing which occurred on February 25, 2014. The company includes the 56 days of production associated with these properties in its reported production for the quarter.

Permian Basin

In the company's Permian properties, 51 wells were drilled during the first quarter of 2014, all for SandRidge Permian Trust. The company's Permian Basin assets produced 6.0 MBoe per day during the quarter (87% Oil, 9% NGLs, 4% Natural Gas).

Other Operating Areas

During the first quarter, SandRidge's legacy West Texas properties produced approximately 6.1 MBoe per day (1% Oil, 99% Natural Gas). Additionally, its legacy Mid-Continent assets produced 1.8 MBoe per day in the quarter (13% Oil, 8% NGLs, 79% Natural Gas).

Royalty Trusts

At March 31, 2014, the company was obligated to drill 14 development wells for SandRidge Mississippian Trust II and 145 development wells for SandRidge Permian Trust. The company expects to complete its drilling obligations for SDR and PER in the third quarter of 2014.

First Quarter 2014 Financial Results

Oil and natural gas revenue decreased 15% to $405 million in the first quarter of 2014 from $478 million in the same period of 2013 as a result of a 21% decrease in total production due to the Gulf of Mexico and Permian divestitures that closed in the first quarters of 2014 and 2013, respectively. Improved oil and gas prices received in the first quarter of 2014 partially offset decreased production for the period. Reported prices, which exclude the impact of derivative settlements, were $97.03 per barrel of oil and $4.53 per Mcf of natural gas during the first quarter of 2014 compared to $94.38 per barrel and $3.21 per Mcf in the same period of 2013.

During the first quarter of 2014, production expense decreased to $13.83 per Boe from $14.73 per Boe in the first quarter of 2013 due primarily to the sale of the Gulf of Mexico properties, which had higher production costs inherent with offshore operations. Also contributing to the lower cost per unit was a 4% decrease in per unit production expense in SandRidge's Mid-Continent operations.

The company incurred an impairment of approximately $165 million in the first quarter of 2014 due to a full cost ceiling limitation resulting from the divestiture of the Gulf of Mexico properties, as the PV-10 associated with these properties exceeded the associated reduction to the full cost pool.

During the first quarter of 2014, the company's debt, net of cash balances, decreased by approximately $365 million as a result of the Gulf of Mexico divestiture, funding the company's drilling program and $70 million of cash paid to unwind hedges related to the Gulf transaction. On May 2, 2014, the company had no amount drawn under its $775 million senior credit facility. The company was in compliance with all applicable covenants contained in its debt agreements during the first quarter and through and as of the date of this release.

2014 Operational Guidance: The company is updating its 2014 guidance to adjust for the closing of the Gulf of Mexico divestiture. Production guidance has been increased to reflect actual production realized from the divested Gulf assets during the first quarter. Additionally, final adjustments related to the sale impacted the full year DD&A rate. The company is increasing its projected NGL price realization to account for better NGL realizations experienced in the first quarter.