Quarterly / Earnings Reports | Third Quarter (3Q) Update

Riviera Resources Reports Q3 2019 Results

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Riviera Resources, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, Blue Mountain Midstream LLC, reported financial and operating results for the third quarter 2019.

Highlights:

• Increased previously announced $100 million share repurchase authorization to a total of $150 million
• Returned over $140 million of capital to shareholders through share repurchases and tender offer since the beginning of the year, and over $295 million since August 2018
• Signed definitive agreements to sell our remaining Hugoton Basin assets for a contract price of $295 million, and interests in properties located in the Overton field of East Texas for a contract price of $18.5 million
• Ended the third quarter with a consolidated cash balance of ~$83 million and ~$61 million drawn on the Blue Mountain Credit Facility
• Averaged approximately 242 MMcfe/d of production in the third quarter, in line with our guidance range
• Invested Upstream capital of approximately $6 million, ~33% below the guidance target for the quarter

Blue Mountain highlights:

• Entered into a long-term, fee-based crude oil gathering agreement with Roan Resources, Inc. (“Roan”) and construction commenced on initial facilities for the North and South systems
• Roan entered into an agreement and plan of merger with Citizen Energy Operating, LLC (“Citizen”), which is a portfolio company of Warburg Pincus
• Placed into service water gathering pipelines, connecting to 14 Roan pads
• Closed the acquisition of Lumen Midstream Partnership, LLC, and constructed interconnect facilities, with volumes redirected to the cryo plant beginning on October 1, 2019
• Continued engagement with Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. to review strategic alternatives to unlock unrealized value

David Rottino, Riviera’s President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “I am very pleased with Riviera’s performance in the third quarter. We remain relentlessly focused on our commitment to maximizing shareholder value through our strategy of capital discipline, returning capital to shareholders and efficiently managing our assets. So far this year, we have generated approximately $220 million in proceeds through opportunistic asset monetizations, and returned over $140 million of capital to shareholders through our ongoing share repurchase program and July tender offer. In addition, we will generate significant proceeds from the sale of our remaining Hugoton assets that we still expect to close in the fourth quarter of this year that can be used to return capital to shareholders. Finally, we continue to work with Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. to review strategic alternatives for our Blue Mountain midstream business.”

Opportunistic Asset Monetizations

Thus far in 2019, the Company has closed six transactions that in combination generated proceeds of approximately $220 million. The six transactions include the sale of the Arkoma Basin assets (closed January 2019), the monetization of a portion of the Company’s helium reserves in the Hugoton Basin utilizing a VPP structure (closed March 2019), the sale of certain non-operated properties located in the Hugoton Basin (closed May 2019), the sale of properties located in Michigan (closed July 2019), the sale of certain non-core properties located in North Louisiana (closed August 2019), and the sale of properties located in Illinois (closed September 2019).

The Company has also signed definitive agreements to sell its remaining interests in properties located in the Hugoton Basin, expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019, and its interest in properties located in the Overton field in East Texas, that is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020. In combination, the transactions are expected to generate estimated proceeds of approximately $300 million. The Board and management will determine the use of proceeds, which consistent with past history may include a significant return of capital to shareholders.

Continuation of Share Repurchase Plan

The Company has returned over $140 million of capital to shareholders through a tender offer and share repurchases since the beginning of the year, and over $295 million since August 2018.

On July 18, 2019, the Board increased the share repurchase authorization to $150 million of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock. Through September 30, 2019, the Company repurchased an aggregate of 8,916,526 shares at an average price of $13.55 for a total cost of approximately $121 million. In the third quarter alone the Company bought back 2,327,416 shares at an average price of $10.70 for a total cost of approximately $25 million. As of October 31, 2019, approximately $28 million was available for share repurchase under the program.

Third Quarter 2019 Activity – Upstream Assets

The Company performed in line with expectations in the third quarter with respect to its upstream assets. Production for the third quarter averaged approximately 242 MMcfe/d, in line with our guidance range. Upstream capital expenditures were approximately $6 million, 33% below the guidance target for the quarter. Adjusted G&A expenses were approximately $9 million, and operating expenses were approximately $39 million, both in-line with guidance ranges for the quarter.

Blue Mountain Business Update

In the third quarter of 2019, natural gas throughput averaged 114 MMcf/d and NGLs produced were 7,250 bpd. Average natural gas throughput for the nine months ending September 30, 2019 was 117 MMcf/d. During the third quarter, 13 wells were turned to sales on the Blue Mountain system; however, throughput volumes were impacted due to our primary customer Roan preloading or temporarily shutting-in 15 producing wells during the quarter, contributing to an average throughput loss on the system of ~11 MMcf/d since the second quarter of 2019. We anticipate these wells and volumes to return in the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020.

Management expects throughput volumes from its primary customer to remain relatively flat during the remainder of 2019 as Roan recently entered into an agreement and plan of merger with Citizen. Roan has significantly curtailed operations pending the closing of that transaction, which is anticipated to take place prior to yearend. Citizen is a portfolio company of Warburg Pincus, which has over $62 billion of assets under management and substantial experience in the energy sector.

On August 5, 2019, Blue Mountain acquired 100% interests in Lumen Midstream Partnership, LLC, including approximately 55 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines and an 18 MMcf/d processing plant. During the quarter, the Lumen system was connected to the Blue Mountain system, adding natural gas throughput of ~5 MMcf/d at the cryo plant, beginning on October 1, 2019.

Blue Mountain began gathering produced water on pipelines for Roan in July 2019, averaging 8,280 bpd during the third quarter of 2019. As the company progresses on the buildout of its water gathering system, it continues to transport produced water via third-party trucking services, hauling 5 million barrels of water in total, or averaging 54,165 bpd, during the third quarter of 2019. In September 2019, Blue Mountain executed a new water services agreement with a large independent producer. The agreement includes a minimum volume commitment of 5,000 bpd over a three-year term, with facilities estimated in-service in November 2019. In addition, Blue Mountain has placed in-service its first owned and operated disposal well and is constructing two more water disposal facilities, one of which is estimated to be in-service in the fourth quarter of 2019. Furthermore, Blue Mountain has acquired additional disposal capacity through a non-operated interest in another well that went in service in October 2019.

Blue Mountain entered into a crude oil gathering agreement with Roan Resources in July 2019. Construction has commenced on the initial facilities consisting of approximately 50 miles of gathering pipelines across the North and South systems, with an estimated in-service date in the first half of 2020.

During the quarter, the business was impacted by lower throughput volumes and overall lower commodity prices. Also, the business continued to be impacted by the NGL pricing differentials at Conway and Mont Belvieu, along with ineffective hedges related to these pricing differences. As a result, Blue Mountain’s third quarter adjusted EBITDA decreased by approximately $5 million compared with second quarter results. The elimination of the impact of the hedges would have added approximately $3 million to Blue Mountain’s Adjusted EBITDA. Management expects to eliminate all basis dislocation in the first quarter of 2020 when ONEOK’s Arbuckle II Pipeline is completed.

Capital expenditures for the third quarter were approximately $36 million (including approximately $3 million of acquisition capital), with the majority of capital being invested in the construction of water gathering pipelines.

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

Riviera and Blue Mountain have established separate credit facilities. As of September 30, 2019, there were no borrowings outstanding on Riviera’s revolving credit facility, and borrowing commitments of up to $90 million with available borrowing capacity of approximately $57 million, inclusive of outstanding letters of credit. At quarter end, Riviera had approximately $62 million of cash. In September 2019, Riviera amended its Credit Facility. The amendment resulted in a borrowing commitment reduction from $230 million to $90 million, primarily due to pending asset sales, including the sale of remaining Hugoton Basin properties expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019. In addition to extending the facility’s term by one year, Riviera reduced its pricing grid by 50 basis points.

As of September 30, 2019, Blue Mountain had approximately $61 million drawn on its revolving credit facility, and borrowing commitments of up to $200 million with available borrowing capacity of approximately $126 million, including outstanding letters of credit, subject to covenant restrictions in the Blue Mountain Credit Facility, and approximately $21 million ending cash balance.

As of September 30, 2019 the Company had a consolidated ending cash balance of approximately $83 million. With $61 million drawn on Blue Mountain’s credit facility, the company had approximately $22 million in net cash.