Drilling & Completions | Quarterly / Earnings Reports | Second Quarter (2Q) Update | Financial Results | Capital Markets | Capital Expenditure | Drilling Activity
Whiting Petroleum Second Quarter 2021 Results
Whiting Petroleum Corp. announced second quarter 2021 results.
Second Quarter 2021 Highlights:
- Revenue was $352 million for the quarter ending June 30, 2021
- Net loss (GAAP) was $62 million or $1.57 per diluted share
- Adjusted net income (non-GAAP) was $118 million or $3.01 per diluted share
- Adjusted EBITDAX (non-GAAP) was $176 million
- June 30, 2021 net debt of $98 million (non-GAAP)
Lynn A. Peterson, President and CEO commented, "Our team is delivering positive results and the economic conditions continue to be in our favor. We generated net cash provided by operating activities of $183 million and $111 million in adjusted free cash flow during the quarter and over $200 million through six months. We have reinvested approximately a third of our EBITDAX back into our operations with the balance used to rapidly reduce our debt position. Subsequent to the quarter, the Company announced the purchase of assets within our Sanish field in North Dakota and the divestiture of our Redtail assets in Colorado. These transactions will increase our inventory life with higher return locations and will better focus our asset portfolio. These transactions show the flexibility provided by Whiting's balance sheet, liquidity and cash flow generation. With our operating results to date and our improving outlook for the year, we are updating our guidance for 2021 as discussed below. We have increased our expectations for production and cash flows, while maintaining our capex investments in 2021 at the higher end of our previous guidance."
Second Quarter 2021 Results
Revenue for the second quarter of 2021 increased $44 million to $352 million when compared to the first quarter of 2021, primarily due to increased commodity prices between periods.
Net loss for the second quarter of 2021 was $62 million, or $1.57 per share, as compared to a net loss of $0.9 million, or $0.02 per share, for the first quarter of 2021. Adjusted net income (non-GAAP) for the second quarter of 2021 was $118 million, or $3.01 per share, as compared to $108 million, or $2.79 per share, for the first quarter of 2021. The primary difference between net loss and adjusted net income for both periods is non-cash expense related to the change in the value of the Company's hedging portfolio.
The Company's adjusted EBITDAX (non-GAAP) for the second quarter of 2021 was $176 million compared to $170 million for the first quarter of 2021. This resulted in net cash provided by operating activities of $183 million and adjusted free cash flow (non-GAAP) of $111 million.
Adjusted net income, adjusted net income per share, adjusted EBITDAX and adjusted free cash flow are non-GAAP financial measures. Please refer to the end of this release for disclosures and reconciliations regarding these measures.
Production averaged 92.6 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (MBOE/d) and oil production averaged 53.4 thousand barrels of oil per day (MBO/d). Total production benefited from better than forecasted well performance and increased ethane recoveries from our processed natural gas.
Capital expenditures in the second quarter of 2021 were $58 million compared to the first quarter 2021 spend of $56 million. During the quarter, the Company drilled 9 gross/5.6 net operated wells and turned in line 9 gross/5.4 net operated wells. The Company currently has one drilling rig and one completion crew operating in its Sanish Field in North Dakota.
Lease operating expense (LOE) for the second quarter of 2021 was $64 million compared to $59 million in the first quarter of 2021. The increase was primarily due to an increase in well workover costs and certain variable expenses associated with increased activity and production. General and administrative expenses in the second quarter of 2021 of $12 million was a slight increase from the first quarter of 2021 of $10 million. Both quarters included approximately $2.4 million of non-cash stock compensation costs.
During the second quarter, oil differentials improved reflecting a more certain expectation of continued DAPL operations during the EIS. Additionally, as basin total production levels remained relatively flat, there was decreased utilization of pipeline capacity further supporting narrowed differentials.
Full-Year 2021 Guidance
Based on the Company's increased expectations for the remainder of the year along with the outperformance in the first half of 2021, Whiting adjusted its guidance parameters as shown in the following table. This guidance includes the effect of its previously announced acquisition and divestiture.
More Second Quarter (2Q) Update News

Berry Reaffirms FY25 Guidance; Uinta Wells Drive 2H Growth
Berry Corporation delivered a steady second quarter update that reinforced the company’s core message for 2025: production is on plan, guidance is intact, and the hedge book is…

SM Energy Hits Record Output; Driven by Uinta
In Q2 2025, SM Energy (NYSE: SM) delivered a performance that underscored its evolution from a mid-cap E&P into a streamlined, tech-enabled operator executing a multibasin optimization strategy.…

Expand Energy Talks, Wells, Frac Crews, Production For 2H-2025
In the second half of 2025, Expand Energy is not chasing production growth — it's engineering it. Fresh off record-setting drilling performance in Q2, the company is approaching…

Comstock Rides Higher Gas Prices, Operational Momentum in Q2 2025
Comstock Resources delivered a resilient second quarter, capitalizing on higher natural gas prices and solid well results across the Haynesville and Bossier plays. The company reported strong production…

A Quarter of Quiet Strength: CNX’s Patient Ascent in Appalachia
In the heart of Appalachia, CNX Resources continued to methodically execute on a playbook built for resilience and long-term value. Q2 2025 marked the company’s 22nd consecutive quarter…
Rockies News

Why $90 Oil Isn’t Bringing Back the Rigs
Higher oil prices are not translating cleanly into a drilling response across U.S. shale, and company disclosures are starting to show why. The issue is not simply capital…

Q1 A&D Transactions Jump to $30B , While Deal Flow Was Down 40%
The first quarter of 2026 has officially defined the "Barbell Era" of American oil and gas. While the total number of deals plummeted by 46% YoY (dropping to…

Wright to U.S. Oil Industry: The Price Signal Is Telling You to Drill
Energy Secretary Chris Wright stood in front of the largest gathering of oil executives in the world this morning and delivered a message that was equal parts market…

This Operator Will Chop it's 2026 Rig Count From 34 to 24
ConocoPhillips is setting up 2026 as a lower-intensity, more efficient operating year — with the clearest proof coming from the Lower 48 activity reset following the Marathon integration.…

A Quiet Capital Pattern Is Forming in North American Upstream — and Almost No One Is Talking About It
A handful of recent transactions and capital raises point to a subtle pattern in North American upstream—one that is easy to miss because each event, on its own,…
Williston Basin News

Permian E&P Bucking The Trend; Plan to Increasing Drilling & Fracs in 2026
Occidental’s 2025 U.S. onshore program is centered on the Permian, with ~$3.5B of Permian CapEx and ~$0.8B in the Rockies, totaling ~$4.3B. This supports ~15 net rigs in…

Bakken Midstream Project shelved; as future growth projects thin
Hess Midstream highlighted continued throughput growth across its Williston Basin (Bakken/Three Forks) systems, signaling higher utilization in gas gathering and processing. For producers, the only forward-looking capacity signal…

Japex Enters DJ Basin with Acquistion of Verdad
Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd. (JAPEX) has announced a major expansion into North American shale with a $1.3 billion acquisition of Verdad Resources Intermediate Holdings LLC (VRIH), marking…

Dallas Fed Energy Survey: What Oil and Gas Executives Are Really Saying
The latest Dallas Fed Energy Survey shows a U.S. oil and gas industry that is not collapsing—but is clearly constrained. Executives are operating in a defensive posture, focused…

Large E&P Adds Second Completions Crew and Accelerates 4-Mile Lateral Program
Chord Energy extended its 2025 execution streak in 3Q25, delivering oil volumes above the midpoint of guidance while keeping E&P and other capital spending below the midpoint. The…