Home / Oil & Energy / Oil & Companies News / Marathon Oil Reports Second Quarter 2020 Results

Marathon Oil Reports Second Quarter 2020 Results

Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE:MRO) today reported a second quarter 2020 net loss of $750 million, or $0.95 per diluted share, which includes the impact of certain items not typically represented in analysts’ earnings estimates and that would otherwise affect comparability of results. The adjusted net loss was $477 million, or $0.60 per diluted share. Net operating cash flow was $9 million, or $86 million before changes in working capital.

Highlights

Second quarter capital expenditures of $137 million on successful and efficient pause in drilling and completion activity; reducing full year capital expenditure guidance to $1.2 billion on strong execution and capital efficiency
Second quarter total Company oil production of 197,000 net bopd, inclusive of approximately 11,000 net bopd of curtailments
Raising full year 2020 total Company oil production outlook to 190,000 net bopd at the midpoint of guidance, inclusive of year-to-date curtailments; prior guidance excluded production curtailments
Second quarter U.S. unit production cost of $4.09 per boe; lowest level since becoming an independent exploration and production company
$3.0 billion undrawn revolving credit facility and $522 million of cash and cash equivalents at end of second quarter; July 3rd pro-forma cash balance of $611 million with receipt of Alternative Minimum Tax refund
Positioned for free cash flow generation at commodity prices well below current forward curve with second half 2020 free cash flow breakeven in low $30/bbl WTI range

“Amid tremendous commodity volatility, our ongoing response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, and a challenging year for our industry, we have remained focused on the factors we can control: how we allocate capital, how we manage our cost structure, and how we execute,” said Chairman, President, and CEO Lee Tillman. “Second quarter results are a testament to that focus, highlighted by safety and operational excellence, lower than expected capital spending and cash costs, and capital efficiency outperformance. On the back of this strong execution, we are both lowering capital spending guidance and raising oil production guidance for the full year.”

“We believe the Company is successfully positioned to generate free cash flow at commodity prices well below the current forward curve, while protecting operational momentum into 2021,” Tillman continued. “Though premature to provide a specific business plan, our differentiated capital efficiency is illustrated by a 2021 benchmark maintenance scenario that we believe could deliver total Company oil production in-line with 4Q20 at a free cash flow breakeven of approximately $35/bbl.”

United States (U.S.)

U.S. production averaged 307,000 net barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) for second quarter 2020. Oil production averaged 182,000 net barrels of oil per day (bopd) inclusive of approximately 11,000 net bopd of curtailments. U.S. unit production costs were $4.09 per boe, a decline of approximately 20% in comparison to the 2019 average and the lowest quarterly average since Marathon Oil became an independent exploration and production company.

In the Eagle Ford, Marathon Oil’s second quarter 2020 production averaged 108,000 net boed. Oil production averaged 66,000 net bopd on 20 gross Company-operated wells to sales. In the Bakken, production averaged 103,000 net boed in the second quarter 2020, including oil production of 80,000 net bopd. Marathon Oil brought 8 gross Company-operated wells to sales during second quarter in the Bakken. Marathon Oil’s Oklahoma production averaged 60,000 net boed in the second quarter 2020, including oil production of 15,000 net bopd. The Company did not bring any gross Company-operated wells to sales during second quarter in Oklahoma. Marathon Oil’s Northern Delaware production averaged 30,000 net boed in the second quarter 2020. Oil production averaged 16,000 net bopd on 6 gross Company-operated wells to sales.

In total, Marathon Oil brought 34 gross Company-operated wells to sales during second quarter, with 32 of those wells coming online in April. Following the pause in drilling and completion activity during second quarter, the Company has resumed activity in both the Eagle Ford and Bakken, currently running 3 rigs and 2 frac crews across the two plays. Consistent with previous disclosure, gross Company-operated wells to sales over the second half of 2020 will be weighted to the fourth quarter.

Marathon Oil has completed its 2020 Resource Play Exploration (REx) drilling program, which was primarily focused on continued delineation of the Company’s contiguous 60,000 net acreage position in the Texas Delaware Oil Play. In the Texas Delaware, the Company has now successfully brought online four Woodford wells and two Meramec wells since entering the play. These wells have confirmed reservoir productivity and gas/oil ratio expectations while exhibiting high oil cut, shallow decline profiles, and low water/oil ratios.

International

Equatorial Guinea production averaged 83,000 net boed for second quarter 2020, including 15,000 net bopd of oil. Unit production costs averaged $1.88 per boe.

Guidance

Due to strong execution and capital efficiency improvement, Marathon Oil has reduced its full year 2020 capital spending guidance to $1.2 billion and raised its full year 2020 oil production guidance. The midpoint of revised, full year 2020 total Company oil production guidance is now 190,000 net bopd, inclusive of year-to-date curtailments. As a reminder, previously provided production guidance was on an underlying basis and excluded the impact from production curtailments. Revised full year guidance accounts for a sequential reduction in expected third quarter Equatorial Guinea production due to the impact of higher forward prices on net interest under the production sharing contract (PSC) and natural decline.

Corporate

Net cash provided by operations was $9 million during second quarter 2020, or $86 million before changes in working capital. Second quarter capital expenditures totaled $137 million.

Total liquidity as of June 30 was approximately $3.5 billion, which consisted of an undrawn revolving credit facility of $3.0 billion and $522 million in cash and cash equivalents. June 30 cash balance was reduced by a $261 million change in working capital associated with operating and investing activities. Second quarter working capital effects were primarily driven by the substantial drop in activity levels and should normalize over the second half of the year. Shortly after quarter end, Marathon Oil received an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) refund, adjusting for which resulted in a July 3rd pro-forma cash balance of $611 million.

The adjustments to net loss for second quarter 2020 totaled $273 million before tax, primarily due to the income impact associated with an equity method investment impairment, unrealized losses on derivative instruments, and non-recurring costs associated with organizational restructuring.

A slide deck and Quarterly Investor Packet will be posted to the Company’s website following this release today, August 5. On Thursday, August 6, at 9:00 a.m. ET, the Company will conduct a question and answer webcast/call, which will include forward-looking information. The live webcast, replay and all related materials will be available at https://ir.marathonoil.com/.

Non-GAAP Measures

In analyzing and planning for its business, Marathon Oil supplements its use of GAAP financial measures with non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted net income (loss), adjusted net income (loss) per share, net cash provided by operations before changes in working capital and pro-forma cash balance.

Adjusted net income (loss) is defined as net income (loss) adjusted for gain/loss on dispositions, impairments of proved property, goodwill, and equity method investments, unrealized derivative gain/loss on commodity instruments, effects of pension settlement losses and curtailments and other items that could be considered “non-operating” or “non-core” in nature. Management believes adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted net income (loss) per share are useful to investors as additional tools to meaningfully represent the Company’s operating performance and to compare Marathon to certain competitors.

Management believes net cash provided by operations before changes in working capital is useful to investors to demonstrate the Company’s ability to generate cash quarterly or year-to-date by eliminating differences caused by the timing of certain working capital items.

Pro-forma cash balance is defined as cash and cash equivalents plus adjustments for the Alternative Minimum Tax refund we recently received. Management believes adjusting for this item provides a clearer picture of our liquidity.

These non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of the business that, when viewed with GAAP results may provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting the business and are a useful tool to help management and investors make informed decisions about Marathon Oil’s financial and operating performance. These measures should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures can be found in our investor package on our website at https://ir.marathonoil.com/ and in the tables below. Marathon Oil strongly encourages investors to review the Company’s consolidated financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety and not rely on any single financial measure.
Source: Marathon Oil

Recent Videos

Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and International Shipping