Item 2—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
We have made in this report, and may from time to time otherwise make in other public filings, press releases and discussions with our management, forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), concerning our operations, economic performance and financial condition. These forward-looking statements include information concerning future production and reserves, schedules, plans, timing of development, contributions from oil and natural gas properties, marketing and midstream activities, and also include those statements accompanied by or that otherwise include the words “may,” “could,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “estimates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “target,” “goal,” “plans,” “objective,” “potential,” “should,” or similar expressions or variations on such expressions that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. For such statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and assumptions about future events. These statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments as well as other factors we believe are appropriate under the circumstances. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report, or if earlier, as of the date they were made; we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
These forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations include, but are not limited to, the following:
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•
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public health crises, such as the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) outbreak in 2020 and 2021, which has negatively impacted the global economy, and correspondingly, the price of oil and natural gas;
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•
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the market prices of oil and natural gas;
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•
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volatility in the commodity-futures market;
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financial market conditions and availability of capital;
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future cash flows, credit availability and borrowings;
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sources of funding for exploration and development;
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•
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our financial condition;
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our ability to repay our debt;
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•
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the securities, capital or credit markets;
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•
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planned capital expenditures;
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•
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future drilling activity;
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•
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uncertainties about the estimated quantities of our oil and natural gas reserves and production from our wells;
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•
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the creditworthiness of our hedging counterparties and the effect of our hedging arrangements;
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pursuit of potential future acquisition opportunities;
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general economic conditions, either nationally or in the jurisdictions in which we are doing business;
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•
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legislative or regulatory changes, including retroactive royalty or production tax regimes, hydraulic-fracturing regulation, drilling and permitting regulations, derivatives reform, changes in state and federal corporate taxes, environmental regulation, environmental risks and liability under federal, state and foreign and local environmental laws and regulations;
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•
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the creditworthiness of our financial counter-parties and operation partners; and
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other factors discussed below and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in our other public filings, press releases and discussions with our management.
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For additional information regarding known material factors that could cause our actual results to differ from projected results please read the rest of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Overview
Goodrich Petroleum Corporation (“Goodrich” and, together with its subsidiary, Goodrich Petroleum Company, L.L.C. (the "Subsidiary”), “we,” “our,” or the “Company”) is an independent oil and natural gas company engaged in the exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas on properties primarily in (i) Northwest Louisiana and East Texas, which includes the Haynesville Shale Trend, (ii) Southwest Mississippi and Southeast Louisiana, which includes the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale Trend (“TMS”), and (iii) South Texas, which includes the Eagle Ford Shale Trend.
We seek to increase shareholder value by growing our oil and natural gas reserves, production, revenues and cash flow from operating activities (“operating cash flow”). In our opinion, on a long term basis, growth in oil and natural gas reserves, cash flow and production on a cost-effective basis are the most important indicators of performance success for an independent oil and natural gas company.
Management strives to increase our oil and natural gas reserves, production and cash flow through exploration and development activities. We develop an annual capital expenditure budget, which is reviewed and approved by our Board of Directors (the “Board”) on a quarterly basis and revised throughout the year as circumstances warrant. When establishing our capital expenditure budget, we take into consideration our projected operating cash flow, commodity prices for oil and natural gas and externally available sources of financing, such as bank debt, asset divestitures, issuance of debt and equity securities and strategic joint-ventures.
Our revenues and operating cash flow depend on the successful development of our inventory of capital projects with available capital, the volume and timing of our production, as well as commodity prices for oil and natural gas. The prices we receive for our production are largely beyond our control. We have historically been able to hedge our natural gas production at prices that are higher than current strip prices in an attempt to minimize the volatility of short term commodity price fluctuations on our earnings and operating cash flow. However, depending on volatility in the commodity price environment, our ability to enter into comparable derivative arrangements may be more limited.
The COVID-19 pandemic and related economic repercussions have created significant volatility, uncertainty and turmoil in the oil and gas industry. Throughout 2020, the effect of COVID-19 lowered the demand for oil and natural gas which resulted in an oversupply of crude oil with significant downward pressure on oil and natural gas prices for much of the year. West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed at $21 per barrel on March 31, 2020 and generally remained at that level or lower through May 2020. In the third and fourth quarters of 2020, and continuing into the first quarter of 2021, we experienced gradual increases in oil and natural gas prices although not enough to alleviate the oversupply caused by lack of demand caused by COVID-19. The ultimate magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting governmental restrictions placing limitations on the mobility and ability to work of the worldwide population and the related impact on crude oil prices, and the U.S. and global economy and capital markets remains uncertain. Because we predominately produce natural gas, and natural gas has not been impacted by the same market forces as crude oil, we have experienced less of an impact from COVID-19 than many of our peers. However, the scope and length of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ultimate effect on the price of natural gas cannot be determined, and we could be adversely affected in future periods.
To mitigate the effects of the downturn in commodity prices due to the effects of COVID-19, we initiated a company-wide cost reduction program eliminating outside services that are not core to our business, which we continue to focus on. We also reduced our general and administrative costs by reducing employee headcount over the past several months. Additionally, we have substantial volumes of our production favorably hedged through the first quarter of 2022.
As a result of the steps we have taken to enhance our liquidity, we anticipate our cash on hand, cash from operations and our available borrowing capacity under our 2019 Senior Credit Facility will be sufficient to meet our investing, financing, and working capital requirements into 2022.
We remain committed to the following priorities while navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic:
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Ensuring the health and safety of our employees and the contractors that provide services to us;
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Continuing to monitor the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has on demand for our products in addition to related commodity price impacts in order to adjust our business accordingly; and
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Ensuring we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic in as strong of a position as possible as we continue to move forward with our long-term strategies.
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While the COVID-19 pandemic may potentially adversely affect our operations or employees’ health in the future, as of the date of this filing, we have not experienced a significant disruption to our operations and we have implemented a contingency plan, with employees working remotely where possible and in compliance with governmental orders and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations.
Primary Operating Areas
Haynesville Shale Trend
We have acquired or farmed-in leases totaling approximately 49,000 gross (26,000 net) acres as of March 31, 2021 in the Haynesville Shale Trend. We completed and produced 9 gross (3.3 net) new wells in the first quarter of 2021 and had 5 gross (3.2 net) wells in the drilling or completions phase as of March 31, 2021. Our Haynesville Shale Trend drilling activities are currently located in leasehold areas in Caddo, DeSoto and Red River parishes, Louisiana. Our net production volumes from our Haynesville Shale Trend wells represented approximately 98% of our total equivalent production on a Mcfe basis and substantially all of our natural gas production for the first quarter of 2021. We are focusing on increasing our natural gas production volumes through increased drilling in the Haynesville Shale Trend, where we plan to focus all of our 2021 drilling efforts.
Tuscaloosa Marine Shale Trend
As of March 31, 2021, we own approximately 48,000 gross (34,000 net) lease acres in the TMS, an oil shale play in Southwest Mississippi and Southwest Louisiana, which is predominately held by production. We have 2 gross (1.7 net) TMS wells drilled and awaiting completion. Our net production volumes from our TMS wells represented approximately 2% of our total equivalent production on a Mcfe basis and 98% of our total oil production for the first quarter of 2021. Despite no capital expenditures, we are seeking to maintain production through strategic expense workover operations in the TMS.
Eagle Ford Shale Trend
We have retained approximately 4,300 net acres of undeveloped leasehold in the Eagle Ford Shale Trend in Frio County, Texas as of March 31, 2021.
Results of Operations
The items that had the most material financial effect on our net income of $4.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 were increased oil and gas revenues due to increased natural gas and oil prices, lower depletion, depreciation, and amortization expense due to a lower depletion rate calculated based on the year-end 2020 reserve report, and lower general and administrative costs. Offsetting these were a $3.3 million loss on derivatives not designated as hedges for the three months ended March 31, 2021.
The item that had the most material financial effect on our net income of $3.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was the $9.1 million gain on derivatives not designated as hedges. The majority of the gain was attributable to $5.9 million in cash settlements of our natural gas derivative positions at prices lower than our fixed contract prices. Our operating expenses remained flat and our oil and gas revenues decreased due to the decline in oil and natural gas prices compared to the three months ended March 31, 2019.
The following table reflects our summary operating information for the periods presented (in thousands, except for price and volume data). Because of normal production declines, increased or decreased drilling activity and the effects of acquisitions or divestitures, the historical information presented below should not be interpreted as indicative of future results.
Revenues from Operations
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Three Months Ended March 31,
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(In thousands, except for price and average daily production data)
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2021
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2020
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Variance
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Revenues:
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Natural gas
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$
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30,019
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$
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21,169
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$
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8,850
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42
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%
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Oil and condensate
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1,853
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1,814
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39
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2
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%
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Natural gas, oil and condensate
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31,872
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22,983
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8,889
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39
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%
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Net Production:
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Natural gas (Mmcf)
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11,045
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12,242
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(1,197
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)
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(10
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)%
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Oil and condensate (MBbls)
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32
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38
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(6
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)
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(16
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)%
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Total (Mmcfe)
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11,237
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12,471
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(1,234
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)
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(10
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)%
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Average daily production (Mcfe/d)
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124,857
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137,042
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(12,185
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)
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(9
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)%
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Average realized sales price per unit:
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Natural gas (per Mcf)
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$
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2.72
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|
|
$
|
1.73
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|
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$
|
0.99
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|
|
|
57
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%
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Natural gas (per Mcf) including the effect of realized gains/losses on derivatives
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$
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2.66
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|
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$
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2.19
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|
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$
|
0.47
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|
|
|
21
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%
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Oil and condensate (per Bbl)
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$
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57.88
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|
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$
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47.64
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|
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$
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10.24
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|
|
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21
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%
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Oil and condensate (per Bbl) including the effect of realized losses on derivatives
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|
$
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57.18
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|
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$
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56.23
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|
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$
|
0.95
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|
|
|
2
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%
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Average realized price (per Mcfe)
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|
$
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2.84
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|
$
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1.84
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$
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1.00
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|
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54
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%
|
Natural gas, oil and condensate revenues increased by $8.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. The increase was primarily driven by higher realized oil and natural gas prices partially offset by decreased oil and natural gas production volumes. The rise in oil and natural gas prices increased revenues by $12.5 million, which was partially offset by the $3.6 million impact of lower oil and natural gas production compared to the prior year period.
Operating Expenses
As described below, total operating expenses decreased $6.0 million compared to the same period in 2020 to $21.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021. The decrease in total operating expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was primarily due to decreased transportation expense, depreciation, depletion and amortization expense and general and administrative costs discussed further below.
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Three Months Ended March 31,
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Operating Expenses (in thousands)
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2021
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2020
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Variance
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Lease operating expenses
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$
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3,182
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|
|
$
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3,328
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$
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(146
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)
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(4
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)%
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Production and other taxes
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|
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643
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|
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863
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(220
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)
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(25
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)%
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Transportation and processing
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4,005
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4,875
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(870
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)
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|
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(18
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)%
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Operating Expenses per Mcfe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Lease operating expenses
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|
$
|
0.28
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|
|
$
|
0.27
|
|
|
$
|
0.01
|
|
|
|
4
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%
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Production and other taxes
|
|
$
|
0.06
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|
|
$
|
0.07
|
|
|
$
|
(0.01
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)
|
|
|
(14
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)%
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Transportation and processing
|
|
$
|
0.36
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|
|
$
|
0.39
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|
|
$
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(0.03
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)
|
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(8
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)%
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Lease Operating Expense
Lease operating expense (“LOE”) decreased $0.1 million to $3.2 million for three months ended March 31, 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. Per unit operating cost was $0.28 per Mcfe for the three months ended March 31, 2021 of which $0.04 per Mcfe was attributed to the $0.5 million in workover expense incurred. The $0.01/mcf increase in per unit LOE is primarily attributable to lower production, which was as a result of production downtime in February due to winter storms as well as the timing of new wells brought online during the quarter.
Production and Other Taxes
Production and other taxes includes severance and ad valorem taxes. Severance taxes for the three months ended March 31, 2021 decreased by $0.1 million to $0.4 million, and ad valorem taxes remained relatively flat at $0.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 compared to the same period in 2020.
Severance taxes decreased $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared with the same period in 2020 due to a lower severance tax rate in Louisiana. The State of Louisiana has enacted an exemption from the existing 12.5% severance tax on oil and from the $0.125 per Mcf (from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020) and $0.0934 per Mcf (from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021) severance tax on natural gas for horizontal wells with production commencing after July 31, 1994. The exemption is applicable until the earlier of (i) 24 months from the date of first sale of production or (ii) payout of the well. All of our recently drilled, operated Haynesville Shale Trend wells in Northwest Louisiana are benefiting from this exemption.
Transportation and Processing
Our natural gas production incurs substantially all of our transportation and processing expense. Transportation and processing expense for the three months ended March 31, 2021 decreased $0.9 million compared to the same period in 2020, reflecting decreased production and lower per unit costs from our new Haynesville Shale Trend wells. Our natural gas volumes, particularly from our recent operated wells brought online, generally carry less transportation cost than those from wells we do not operate.
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|
Three Months Ended March 31,
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Operating Expenses (in thousands):
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|
2021
|
|
|
2020
|
|
|
Variance
|
|
Depreciation, depletion and amortization
|
|
$
|
10,060
|
|
|
$
|
13,267
|
|
|
$
|
(3,207
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)
|
|
|
(24
|
)%
|
General and administrative
|
|
|
3,545
|
|
|
|
4,914
|
|
|
|
(1,369
|
)
|
|
|
(28
|
)%
|
Other
|
|
|
(186
|
)
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
|
(194
|
)
|
|
|
(2,425
|
)%
|
Operating Expenses per Mcfe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation, depletion and amortization
|
|
$
|
0.90
|
|
|
$
|
1.06
|
|
|
$
|
(0.16
|
)
|
|
|
(15
|
)%
|
General and administrative
|
|
$
|
0.32
|
|
|
$
|
0.39
|
|
|
$
|
(0.07
|
)
|
|
|
(18
|
)%
|
Other
|
|
$
|
(0.02
|
)
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
(0.02
|
)
|
|
|
(100
|
)%
|
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization (“DD&A”)
The decrease in DD&A expense was attributed primarily to a lower per unit cost based on the year-end 2020 reserve report, largely as a result of recognizing impairment expense of $36.1 million in the prior year, as well as decreased production for the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020.
General and Administrative (“G&A”)
The Company recorded $3.5 million in G&A expense for the three months ended March 31, 2021, which included non-cash expenses of $0.3 million for share-based compensation. G&A expense decreased for the three months ended March 31, 2021 by $1.4 million compared to the same period in 2020 primarily due to reduced employee expenses including salaries and stock compensation expense as well as decreased rent expense, partially offset by higher bonuses related to a cash-based long term incentive plan granted at the end of 2020.
The Company recorded $4.9 million in G&A expense for the three months ended March 31, 2020, which included non-cash expenses of $1.1 million for stock compensation.
Other Operating Expenses
Other operating expense credits of $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was attributed primarily to the receipt of ad valorem tax credits from a vendor related to prior periods.
Other Income (Expense)
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31,
|
|
Other income (expense) (in thousands):
|
|
2021
|
|
|
2020
|
|
|
Variance
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
$
|
(1,916
|
)
|
|
$
|
(1,952
|
)
|
|
$
|
(36
|
)
|
|
|
(2
|
)%
|
Interest income and other expense
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
119
|
|
|
|
(119
|
)
|
|
|
(100
|
)%
|
Gain (loss) on commodity derivatives not designated as hedges
|
|
|
(3,269
|
)
|
|
|
9,138
|
|
|
|
(12,407
|
)
|
|
|
(136
|
)%
|
Loss on early extinguishment of debt
|
|
|
(935
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(935
|
)
|
|
|
(100
|
)%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average funded borrowings adjusted for debt discount
|
|
$
|
114,148
|
|
|
$
|
102,456
|
|
|
$
|
11,692
|
|
|
|
11
|
%
|
Average funded borrowings
|
|
$
|
116,996
|
|
|
$
|
106,019
|
|
|
$
|
10,977
|
|
|
|
10
|
%
|
Interest Expense
The Company's interest expense for the three months ended March 31, 2021 included $1.0 million incurred on the 2019 Senior Credit Facility (as defined below), $0.5 million incurred on the Company's 13.50% Convertible Second Lien Senior Secured Notes due 2022 (the “2021/2022 Second Lien Notes”), and $0.4 million incurred on the Company's 13.50% Convertible Second Lien Senior Secured Notes due 2023 (the “2023 Second Lien Notes”). The interest on the 2021/2022 Second Lien Notes and 2023 Second Lien Notes was all non-cash consisting of paid in-kind interest of $0.6 million, amortization of debt discount of $0.2 million and amortization of debt issuance costs of $0.1 million. The interest on the 2019 Senior Credit Facility included $0.9 million of interest payable in cash, and $0.1 million of non-cash amortization of debt issuance costs.
The Company's interest expense for the three months ended March 31, 2020 reflected interest payable in cash of $1.2 million incurred on the 2019 Senior Credit Facility and non-cash interest of $0.7 million incurred primarily on the 2021/2022 Second Lien Notes, which included $0.4 million of paid in-kind interest, $0.1 million of amortization of debt discount, and $0.2 million in amortization of debt issuance costs.
Gain (Loss) on Commodity Derivatives Not Designated as Hedges
We produce and sell oil and natural gas into a market where prices are historically volatile. We enter into swap contracts, collars or other derivative agreements from time to time to manage our exposure to commodity price risk for a portion of our production. We do not designate our derivative contracts as hedges for accounting purposes. Consequently, the changes in our mark-to-market valuations are recorded directly to income or loss on our financial statements.
The loss on commodity derivatives not designated as hedges of $3.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was comprised of a mark-to-market loss of $2.6 million, representing the change of fair value on our open natural gas and oil derivative contracts, and a $0.7 million loss on cash settlement of natural gas and oil derivative contracts.
The gain on commodity derivatives not designated as hedges of $9.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was comprised of a $6.0 million gain on cash settlement of natural gas and oil derivative contracts as well as a mark-to-market gain of $3.1 million, representing the change of the fair value of our open natural gas and oil derivative contracts.
Income Tax Benefit
We recorded no income tax expense or benefit for the three months ended March 31, 2021 or 2020. We maintained a valuation allowance at March 31, 2021, which resulted in no net deferred tax asset or liability appearing on our statement of financial position. We recorded this valuation allowance after an evaluation of all available evidence (including commodity prices and our recent history of tax NOLs in 2019 and prior years) led to a conclusion that based upon the more-likely-than-not standard of the accounting literature our deferred tax assets were unrecoverable.
Loss on Early Extinguishment of Debt
The loss on early extinguishment of debt was recorded as a result of the Company exchanging the 2021/2022 Second Lien Notes for the 2023 Second Lien Notes on March 9, 2021. The $0.9 million loss is comprised of the remaining unamortized debt discount of $0.8 million and remaining unamortized debt issuance costs of $0.1 million on the 2021/2022 Second Lien Notes.
Adjusted EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA is a supplemental non-United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principle (“US GAAP”) financial measure that is used by management and external users of our consolidated financial statements, such as industry analysts, investors, lenders and rating agencies. The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as earnings before interest expense, income and similar tax, DD&A, share-based compensation expense and impairment of oil and natural gas properties (if any). In calculating Adjusted EBITDA, mark-to-market gains/losses on commodity derivatives not designated as hedges are also excluded. Other excluded items include adjustments resulting from the accounting for operating leases under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 842 in accordance with our 2019 Senior Credit Facility, interest income and any extraordinary non-cash gains or losses. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of net income as determined by US GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered an alternative to net income, as defined by US GAAP.
The following table presents a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA:
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31,
|
|
(In thousands)
|
|
2021
|
|
|
2020
|
|
Net income (US GAAP)
|
|
$
|
4,503
|
|
|
$
|
3,036
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
1,916
|
|
|
|
1,952
|
|
Depreciation, depletion and amortization
|
|
|
10,060
|
|
|
|
13,267
|
|
Share-based compensation expense (non-cash)
|
|
|
339
|
|
|
|
1,155
|
|
Loss (gain) on commodity derivatives not designated as hedges, not settled
|
|
|
2,577
|
|
|
|
(3,169
|
)
|
Loss on early extinguishment of debt
|
|
|
935
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Other items (1)
|
|
|
(36
|
)
|
|
|
407
|
|
Adjusted EBITDA
|
|
$
|
20,294
|
|
|
$
|
16,648
|
|
(1)
|
Other items included less than $0.1 million and $0.4 million from the impact of accounting for operating leases under ASC Topic 842 as well as interest income for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
|
Management believes that this non-US GAAP financial measure provides useful information to investors because it is monitored and used by our management and widely used by professional research analysts in the valuation and investment recommendations of companies within the oil and natural gas exploration and production industry.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
Our primary sources of cash during the first three months of 2021 were cash on hand, cash from operating activities and borrowings under our 2019 Senior Credit Facility. We used cash primarily to fund capital expenditures. We currently plan to fund our operations and capital expenditures for the remainder of 2021 through a combination of cash on hand, cash from operating activities and borrowing under our revolving credit facility, although we may from time to time consider the funding alternatives described below.
On May 14, 2019, the Company entered into a Second Amended and Restated Senior Secured Revolving Credit Agreement (the “2019 Credit Agreement”) among the Company, the Subsidiary, as borrower (in such capacity, the “Borrower”), Truist Bank, as administrative agent (the “Administrative Agent”), and certain lenders that are party thereto, which provides for revolving loans of up to the borrowing base then in effect (the “2019 Senior Credit Facility”).
The 2019 Senior Credit Facility matures on (a) May 14, 2024 or (b) December 2, 2022, if the 2023 Second Lien Notes (as defined below) have not been voluntarily redeemed, repurchased, refinanced or otherwise retired by December 2, 2022, which is the date that is 180 days prior to the May 31, 2023 “Maturity Date” of the 2023 Second Lien Notes. The 2019 Senior Credit Facility provides for a maximum credit amount of $500 million subject to a borrowing base limitation, which was $120.0 million as of March 31, 2021 and reaffirmed during the Spring 2021 borrowing base redetermination. The borrowing base is scheduled to be redetermined in March and September of each calendar year, and is subject to additional adjustments from time to time, including for asset sales, elimination or reduction of hedge positions and incurrence of other debt. Additionally, each of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent may request one unscheduled redetermination of the borrowing base between scheduled redeterminations. The amount of the borrowing base is determined by the lenders in their sole discretion and consistent with their oil and gas lending criteria at the time of the relevant redetermination. The Borrower may also request the issuance of letters of credit under the 2019 Credit Agreement in an aggregate amount up to $10 million, which reduce the amount of available borrowings under the borrowing base in the amount of such issued and outstanding letters of credit.
On March 9, 2021, the Company and the Subsidiary entered into a purchase and exchange agreement with certain purchasers (each such purchaser, together with its successors and assigns, a “2023 Second Lien Notes Purchaser”) pursuant to which the Company issued to the 2023 Second Lien Notes Purchasers (A) $15.2 million aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 13.50% Convertible Second Lien Senior Secured Notes due 2023 (the “2023 Second Lien Notes”) in exchange for an equal amount of 2021/2022 Second Lien Notes and (B) $15.0 million of the 2023 Second Lien Notes in exchange for cash. Proceeds from the sale of the 2023 Second Lien Notes were used to pay down outstanding borrowings under the 2019 Senior Credit Facility. In connection with the purchase and exchange agreement, we recorded a $0.9 million loss on early extinguishment of debt related to the remaining unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs from the 2021/2022 Second Lien Notes.
The 2023 Second Lien Notes, as set forth in the indenture governing the 2023 Second Lien Notes (the “2023 Second Lien Notes Indenture”), are scheduled to mature on May 31, 2023. The 2023 Second Lien Notes bear interest at the rate of 13.50% per annum, payable quarterly in arrears on January 15, April 15, July 15 and October 15 of each year. The Company may elect to pay all or any portion of interest in-kind on the then outstanding principal amount of the 2023 Second Lien Notes by increasing the principal amount of the outstanding 2023 Second Lien Notes.
The 2023 Second Lien Notes are convertible into the Company’s common stock at the conversion rate, which is the sum of the outstanding principal amount of 2023 Second Lien Notes to be converted, including any accrued and unpaid interest, divided by the conversion price, which shall initially be $21.33, subject to certain adjustments as described in the 2023 Second Lien Notes Indenture. Upon conversion, the Company must deliver, at its option, either (1) a number of shares of its common stock determined as set forth in the 2023 Second Lien Notes Indenture, (2) cash or (3) a combination of shares of its common stock and cash; however, the Company’s ability to redeem the 2023 Second Lien Notes with cash is subject to the terms of the 2019 Senior Credit Agreement.
We exited the first quarter of 2021 with $1.2 million cash on hand and $87.4 million of outstanding borrowings with $32.6 million of availability under the 2019 Senior Credit Facility borrowing base of $120.0 million in effect as of March 31, 2021.
Outlook
Our total capital expenditures for 2021 are expected to be approximately $75 to $85 million with flexibility to increase or decrease this amount based on the movement of commodity prices. We plan to focus all of our capital on drilling and development of our Haynesville Shale Trend natural gas properties in North Louisiana, and we currently contemplate drilling and developing 17 gross (9.4 net) wells utilizing improved completion techniques during 2021.
We believe the results of the capital investments we made in prior years and the first quarter of 2021 will generate additional cash flows and additional value that will allow us to raise capital as needed to continue our capital development in the future.
We continuously monitor our leverage position and coordinate our capital program with our expected cash flows and repayment of our projected debt. We will continue to evaluate funding alternatives as needed.
Alternatives available to us include:
|
•
|
availability under the 2019 Senior Credit Facility;
|
|
•
|
issuance of debt securities;
|
|
•
|
joint ventures in our TMS and/or Haynesville Shale Trend acreage;
|
|
•
|
sale of non-core assets; and
|
|
•
|
issuance of equity securities if favorable conditions exist.
|
In addition, to support future cash flows, we entered into strategic derivative positions as of March 31, 2021 covering approximately 57% of our forecasted natural gas production hedged through the first quarter of 2022 at a weighted average price of $2.53 per Mcf. For additional information on our derivative instruments see Note 8—“Commodity Derivative Activities” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements under Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
During 2020, we initiated a company-wide cost reduction program eliminating outside services that are not core to our business, which we continue to focus on. We also reduced our general and administrative costs by reducing employee headcount over the past several months.
As a result of the steps we have taken to enhance our liquidity, we anticipate our cash on hand, cash from operations and our available borrowing capacity under our 2019 Senior Credit Facility will be sufficient to meet our investing, financing, and working capital requirements into 2022.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated (in thousands):
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2021
|
|
|
2020
|
|
Cash flow statement information:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Provided by operating activities
|
|
$
|
21,164
|
|
|
$
|
14,850
|
|
Used in investing activities
|
|
|
(27,147
|
)
|
|
|
(15,038
|
)
|
Provided by (used in) financing activities
|
|
|
5,801
|
|
|
|
(2
|
)
|
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
$
|
(182
|
)
|
|
$
|
(190
|
)
|
Operating activities: Production from our wells, the price of oil and natural gas and operating costs represent the main drivers behind our cash flow from operations for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020. Changes in working capital and net cash settlements related to our derivative contracts also impact cash flows. Net cash provided by operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was $21.2 million including operating cash flows before positive working capital changes of $19.6 million including a cash payments of $0.7 million in settlement of derivative contracts. The increase in cash provided by operating activities in the current quarter compared to the first quarter of 2020 was primarily attributable to increases in oil and natural gas revenues driven by increased realized prices.
Investing activities: Net cash used in investing activities was $27.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 which reflected cash expended on capital projects. We recorded $29.3 million in capital expenditures during the three months ended March 31, 2021. The difference in capital expenditures and cash expended on capital projects for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was attributed to a net capital accrual increase of $1.4 million and, utilization of $0.6 million in cash calls and the capitalization of $0.2 million of asset retirement and non-cash internal costs. During the three months ended March 31, 2021, we conducted drilling and completion operations on 14 gross (6.5 net) wells bringing 9 gross (3.3 net) wells on production with 5 gross (3.2 net) wells remaining in the drilling and completion process at March 31, 2021.
Financing activities: Net cash provided by financing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2021 primarily reflected net borrowings under our 2019 Senior Credit Facility of $6.0 million offset by debt issuance costs paid in connection with issuance of the 2023 Second Lien Notes and cash paid for treasury shares in connection with restricted stock vesting.
Debt consisted of the following balances as of the dates indicated (in thousands):
|
|
March 31, 2021
|
|
|
December 31, 2020
|
|
|
|
Principal
|
|
|
Carrying Amount
|
|
|
Principal
|
|
|
Carrying Amount
|
|
2019 Senior Credit Facility (1)
|
|
$
|
87,400
|
|
|
$
|
87,400
|
|
|
$
|
96,400
|
|
|
$
|
96,400
|
|
2021/2022 Second Lien Notes (2)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
14,811
|
|
|
|
13,759
|
|
2023 Second Lien Notes (3)
|
|
|
30,442
|
|
|
|
29,059
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Total debt
|
|
$
|
117,842
|
|
|
$
|
116,459
|
|
|
$
|
111,211
|
|
|
$
|
110,159
|
|
(1) The carrying amount for the 2019 Senior Credit Facility represents fair value as its variable interest rate approximates market rates.
(2) The debt discount was being amortized using the effective interest rate method based upon a maturity date of May 31, 2022. The principal included $2.8 million of paid in-kind interest as of December 31, 2020. The carrying value included $0.9 million of unamortized debt discount and $0.2 million of unamortized issuance cost as of December 31, 2020.
(3) The debt discount is being amortized using the effective interest rate method based upon a maturity date of May 31, 2023. The principal includes $0.2 million of paid in-kind interest as of March 31, 2021. The carrying value includes $1.1 million of unamortized debt discount and $0.3 million of unamortized issuance cost as of March 31, 2021.
For additional information on our financing activities, see Note 4—“Debt” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements under Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not currently have any off-balance sheet arrangements for any purpose.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on consolidated financial statements, which were prepared in accordance with US GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. We believe that certain accounting policies affect the more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 includes a discussion of our critical accounting policies, and there have been no material changes to such policies during the three months ended March 31, 2021.