Southwestern Energy Announces First Quarter 2024 Results

05/02/2024  Excerpt.

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SPRING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Southwestern Energy Company (NYSE: SWN) today announced financial and operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024.

• Generated $496 million net cash provided by operating activities, $1.5 billion net loss, $131 million adjusted net income (non-GAAP), and adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) of $472 million
• Reported total net production of 376 Bcfe, or 4.1 Bcfe per day, including 3.6 Bcf per day of gas and 93 MBbls per day of liquids
• Invested $538 million of capital in the quarter, consistent with the Company’s planned front-end loaded development program
• Placed 18 wells to sales, including 6 in Appalachia and 12 in Haynesville; Haynesville well cost averaged $1,816 per lateral foot, a 13% decrease from 2023 average
• For full-year 2024, the Company plans to align activity and capital investment with expected annual cash flow, resulting in an expected consistent production profile throughout the year at current strip prices

Operational Results

Total net production for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, was 376 Bcfe, of which 86% was natural gas, 12% NGLs and 2% oil. Capital investments totaled $538 million for the first quarter of 2024, consistent with the Company’s moderately front-end loaded capital program, with 29 wells drilled, 27 wells completed, and 18 wells placed to sales.

Haynesville – In the first quarter, total production was 138 Bcfe. There were 14 wells drilled, 12 wells completed, and 12 wells placed to sales in the quarter with an average lateral length of 10,458 feet and average well cost of $1,816 per lateral foot.

 For the quarter ended March 31, 2024, Southwestern Energy recorded a net loss of $1.5 billion, or ($1.39) per diluted share. Adjusting for the impact of the Company’s full cost ceiling test impairment and other one-time items, adjusted net income (non-GAAP) was $131 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, and adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) was $472 million. Net cash provided by operating activities was $496 million, net cash flow (non-GAAP) was $439 million and free cash flow (deficit) (non-GAAP) was ($99) million.

As of March 31, 2024, Southwestern Energy had total debt of $4.0 billion and net debt to adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) of 1.9x. At the end of the quarter, the Company had $270 million of borrowings under its revolving credit facility and no outstanding letters of credit.

As indicated in the table below, first quarter 2024 weighted average realized price was $2.20 per Mcfe, excluding the impact of derivatives and net of $0.27 per Mcfe of transportation expenses. Including derivatives, weighted average realized price for the first quarter was down 18% from $3.18 per Mcfe in 2023 to $2.61 per Mcfe in 2024 primarily due to lower commodity prices, including a 35% decrease in NYMEX Henry Hub.

Guidance

Due to the pending merger with Chesapeake Energy Corporation (“Chesapeake”), Southwestern Energy has discontinued providing guidance. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to rely on historical forward-looking statements as those forward-looking statements were the estimates of management only as of the date provided and were subject to the specific risks and uncertainties that accompanied such forward-looking statements.

Conference Call

Due to the pending merger with Chesapeake, Southwestern Energy will not host a conference call or webcast to discuss first quarter 2024 results.

About Southwestern Energy

Southwestern Energy Company (NYSE: SWN) is a leading U.S. producer and marketer of natural gas and natural gas liquids focused on responsibly developing large-scale energy assets in the nation’s most prolific shale gas basins. The Company’s returns-driven strategy strives to create sustainable value for its stakeholders by leveraging its scale, financial strength and operational execution. For additional information, please visit www.swn.com and www.swncrreport.com.

Forward Looking Statement

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements are based on current expectations. The words “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “estimate,” “continue,” “potential,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “will,” “objective,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “effort,” “expect,” “believe,” “predict,” “budget,” “projection,” “goal,” “forecast,” “model,” “target”, “seek”, “strive,” “would,” “approximate,” and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Statements may be forward looking even in the absence of these particular words.