Evolution Petroleum Corporation (NYSE American: EPM) ("Evolution" or the "Company") today announced its financial and operating results for its fiscal fourth quarter and full year ended June 30, 2024. Evolution also declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.12 per common share for the fiscal 2025 first quarter.
- Participated in 3 new producing wells during the fiscal fourth quarter and 27 in fiscal 2024; 10 wells in progress subsequent to fiscal year-end.
- Returned $4.0 million to shareholders in the form of cash dividends during the fiscal fourth quarter of 2024 and $16.0 million for fiscal year 2024. The Company also declared its 44th consecutive quarterly dividend of $0.12 per common share, payable September 30th.
- Generated record oil revenues in fiscal year 2024.
- Generated record liquids (oil + NGLs1) revenue and production in fiscal year 2024.
- Proved oil reserves increased by 20% fiscal year-over-year.
Kelly Loyd, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “Following our record year of natural gas production and revenue in fiscal 2023, this fiscal year we recognized the importance of balancing our portfolio. This helped reduce exposure to natural gas price volatility while increasing our ability to participate in organic growth of reserves and production. As a result, we generated record liquids revenues and production for the year and completed two transformative transactions that added 6.6 MMBOE of proved reserves, with the majority of the locations yet to be booked. We expect these acquisitions to meaningfully contribute to cash flow and further support our dividend-focused policy over the next ten years.
“In Fiscal 2024, we added 300+ drilling locations in the SCOOP/STACK and 80+ drilling locations at Chaveroo, fundamentally strengthening and diversifying our organic growth portfolio. We participated in 22 SCOOP/STACK wells that, on average, are performing well above our original type curve projections. In Chaveroo, we partnered on our first 3 horizontal San Andres wells with early results exceeding our estimates. At Delhi, we worked with ExxonMobil to begin development of Test Site V with the first of 3 initial wells scheduled to be drilled by calendar year-end. This development drilling activity combined with the acquisition of SCOOP/STACK producing reserves enabled us to more than replace production despite the adverse impact of lower natural gas prices during the year.”
1) Natural Gas Liquids.
Mr. Loyd concluded, “Looking ahead, we plan to continue executing our plans to deliver long-term shareholder value. We have diversified our asset base of long-lived, low-decline properties through acquisitions of proved developed reserves, bolstered with additional drilling locations, at attractive costs that were designed to support our dividend program, we expect, well into the future.”
Fiscal Fourth Quarter 2024 Financial Results
Total revenues increased 17% to $21.2 million compared to $18.2 million in the year-ago period. The improvement was driven by an increase in oil and NGL revenue, partially offset by lower natural gas revenue.
Lease operating costs (“LOE”) decreased to $11.4 million compared to $11.8 million in the year-ago period. On a per unit basis, total LOE decreased 13% to $17.39 per BOE compared to $20.02 per BOE last year. The decrease was driven by suspended CO2 purchases for the quarter due to maintenance on the pipeline that began in February 2024. CO2 purchases are expected to restart in the early second quarter of fiscal 2025.
Depletion, depreciation, and accretion expense was $5.3 million compared to $3.8 million in the year-ago period. On a per BOE basis, the Company's current quarter depletion rate increased to $7.51 per BOE compared to $6.01 per BOE in the year-ago period due to an increase in depletable base related to the Company’s SCOOP/STACK acquisitions and capital development expenditures since the prior fiscal year, partially offset by an increase in proved reserves.
General and administrative (“G&A”) expenses decreased to $2.1 million compared to $2.3 million in the year-ago period. On a per BOE basis, G&A expenses were $3.22 compared to $3.84 in the year-ago period. The decrease was primarily due to a reduction in third-party consulting fees.
Net income increased 644% to $1.2 million or $0.04 per diluted share, compared to $0.2 million or $0.00 per diluted share in the year-ago period.
Adjusted EBITDA increased 72% to $8.0 million compared to $4.7 million in the year-ago period. The increase was primarily due to increased revenue and reduced operating costs from the year-ago period.
Production & Pricing
Total production for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 increased 11% to 7,209 net BOEPD compared to 6,484 net BOEPD in the year-ago period. Total production for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 was comprised of 2,088 barrels per day ("BOPD") of crude oil, 3,945 BOEPD of natural gas, and 1,176 BOEPD of NGLs. The increase in total production was driven by the closing of the Company’s SCOOP/STACK acquisitions in February 2024 and production from an initial three wells in the Chaveroo oilfield in February 2024.
Average realized commodity price (excluding the impact of derivative contracts) increased 5% to approximately $32.36 per BOE compared to $30.80 per BOE in the year-ago period. Realized oil and NGL prices increased approximately 10% and 20%, respectively, over the prior year period. These increases were partially offset by a decrease of approximately 32% in realized natural gas prices compared to the year-ago period.
Operations Update
During the quarter, the Company’s operators turned-in-line 3 gross wells in the SCOOP/STACK with 10 additional gross wells in progress, and as of today, 7 of these 10 wells are currently producing. Additionally, Evolution has agreed to participate in 3 gross new horizontal wells across the acreage. Since the effective date of the acquisitions, 22 gross wells have been converted to Proved Developed Producing.
In the Chaveroo oilfield, Evolution plans to participate in fiscal 2025 for its full 50% working interest in four horizontal wells in Drilling Block 2. These operations are expected to begin in fiscal Q2 2025. The Company has preliminarily agreed to six additional horizontal wells in Drilling Block 3 that are estimated to begin in fiscal Q4 2025. The Company also purchased acreage in advance for Drilling Blocks 4 and 5, bringing the total number of Proved Undeveloped locations to 18, and expects to systematically participate in future development blocks. Future acreage costs are fixed at $36,000 per additional net horizontal well, spaced at approximately 160 gross acres per well.
Williston Basin production increased during the fiscal quarter due to a full quarter of natural gas and NGL sales from the ONEOK Grassland System, which came back online during the prior quarter.
At Delhi, production was affected during the quarter by field-wide power outages for 7 days combined with downtime from one of the CO2 recycle compressors, reducing CO2 injection volumes for most of the quarter. The compressor was replaced, and full CO2 recycling resumed in July 2024. The CO2 purchase pipeline was taken offline for preventative maintenance at the end of February 2024 and remained down through this quarter. The operator anticipates resuming CO2 purchases in the early second quarter of fiscal 2025.
Balance Sheet, Liquidity, and Capital Spending
On June 30, 2024, cash and cash equivalents totaled $6.4 million and working capital was $5.9 million. Evolution had $39.5 million of borrowings outstanding under its revolving credit facility, which was used to fund the acquisitions of SCOOP/STACK, and total liquidity of $16.9 million, including cash and cash equivalents. In fiscal Q4, Evolution paid $4.0 million in common stock dividends, repaid $3.0 million of borrowings under its revolving credit facility, and paid $2.5 million in capital expenditures.
During the quarter, the Company received cash payments totaling $5.0 million related to purchase price reductions from the SCOOP/STACK properties for net cash flows received during the period between the effective date of November 1, 2023, and the closing date.
Evolution believes its near-term capital spending requirements will be funded from cash flows from operations, current working capital, and borrowings as needed under its revolving credit facility.
Cash Dividend on Common Stock
On September 9, 2024, Evolution’s Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.12 per share of common stock, which will be paid on September 30, 2024, to common stockholders of record on September 20, 2024. This will be the 44th consecutive quarterly cash dividend on the Company’s common stock since December 31, 2013. To date, Evolution has returned approximately $118.4 million, or $3.57 per share, back to stockholders in common stock dividends.
