* De-Leverages Balance Sheet, Provides Flexibility, and Positions for Growth
FY 2023 Final Results: Operating and Financial Highlights
Record average net daily production: 821 MMcfepd (137 MBoepd)
December exit rate of 775 MMcfepd(a) (129.2 MBoepd)
Peer-leading consolidated corporate production decline rate of ~10%(b)
Year end 2023 reserves of 3.8 Tcfe (642 MMBoe; PV10 of
Net income of
Adjusted EBITDA of
Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 52%(f)
Total Revenue, inclusive of hedges, grew2% to
Year-end liquidity of
Commenced trading on the
Recommending a final quarterly dividend of
2023 Sustainability Highlights
Achieved 2030 Scope 1 methane intensity goal (-50% from 2020) seven years ahead of schedule
33% reduction in Scope 1 methane intensity to 0.8 MT CO2e/MMcfe from 1.2 in 2022
NGSI(j) Methane Emissions Intensity 0.11% CO2e/MMcfe vs. 0.21% in 2022
Won ESG Report of the Year from ESG Awards 2023
Awarded OGMP 2.0's Gold Standard for emissions reporting for the second consecutive year
Increased
The Company anticipates issuing its 2023 Sustainability Report in
Highly Synergistic and Accretive Acquisition of Oaktree Interest
Key Acquisition Highlights
Consolidates working interest in existing DEC operated wells in the
Estimated gross purchase price of
Favorable per unit cost benefit resulting from no additional G&A Expense
Offsets natural declines with expected 122 MMcfepd in additional production (~80% Natural Gas)
Provides a ~15% increase in overall Company production
Provides robust cash flow with 2024 Adjusted EBITDA of
Represents ~3.1x 2024 Adjusted EBITDA multiple
Increases Diversified's exposure to favorable
Creates opportunity to layer additional hedges into a stronger commodity price environment
Acquisition Details
The Acquisition represents a continuation of Diversified's successful multi-year track record of strategic asset purchases, whereby the Company will acquire Oaktree's proportionate interest in the previously announced Indigo, Tanos III,
The Assets include wells currently operated by Diversified throughout the
As part of the Acquisition, Diversified will acquire certain hedging contracts from Oaktree that will provide ongoing protection despite the recent downturn in the gas market at volumes consistent with the Company's overall hedging strategy while also maintaining strong long-term cash upside potential from the Assets.
Consideration for the Acquisition gross purchase price of
Timetable and Conditionality
The Acquisition is classed as a class 1 transaction under the Listing Rules of the
The circular containing the notice convening the General Meeting will be published in due course. In addition, the Acquisition is subject to the satisfaction of other conditions including receipt of regulatory approvals. It is currently expected that completion of the Acquisition will occur in the second quarter of 2024.
The Path Forward- FOCUS FIVE
In the year ahead, the Company is taking a renewed focus on the principles on which Diversified was founded: investing in strategic, accretive acquisitions, delivering greater operational efficiencies, taking proactive steps to ensure the sustainability of assets, keeping costs low and de-leveraging the balance sheet - all while returning value to shareholders.
Diversified has set in motion its "Focus Five" in order to demonstrate meaningful expansion of free cash flow generation while growing the company in a disciplined manner. That plan consists of the following core objectives:
Optimized cash flow generation
Cost structure optimization
Financial and operational flexibility
Sustainability innovation
Scale through accretive growth
Updated Capital Allocation Framework
Since first initiated in 2017, Diversified has delivered more than
The Company has undertaken a reassessment of its capital allocation strategy to weigh the intrinsic value of the current share price level against the historical practice of returning capital through dividends. The Board and executive management team have jointly evaluated a number of potential scenarios to align the dividend level with expected future capital allocation needs, peer trends, current commodity prices, and current equity market dynamics.
The result of this assessment is the Board's realignment of capital allocation and is designed to best position the Company to create long-term shareholder value through the balanced combination of:
Systematic debt reduction
Fixed per-share dividend
Strategic share repurchases
Accretive strategic acquisitions
In conjunction with the asset acquisition and following the Company's capital allocation policy review, the Board has set the new quarterly dividend to
1 Estimated pro forma dividend yield relative to
CEO
"We finished the year with strong financial, operational, and sustainability results, which reflect the continued execution and success of our business strategy and the contributions of our teams. Despite headwinds in the natural gas market, Diversified grew annual adjusted EBITDA by approximately 8%, increased margins by approximately 6%, and generated
"The gas market is sending a clear signal today; there is too much supply in the marketplace. Producers have already started to respond with reduced activity levels and production guidance. We believe Diversified is one of the best-positioned operators to take advantage of this lower commodity price marketplace. We are highly hedged in 2024, and our production base has one of the lowest decline profiles in the gas industry.
As we navigate the path forward in this commodity price environment, we are going on offense to be more opportunistic in our strategic approach with a strengthened balance sheet and to capitalize on any periods of near-term weakness. These times have historically provided extreme valuation disconnects where disciplined businesses have been afforded the ability to meaningfully grow production. We have initiated our Focus Five objectives, which I believe will help to further differentiate the Company from its peers in unlocking corporate value throughout 2024 and into the future.
"Upon rigorous assessment, we are recalibrating our fixed dividend payout to align with current equity market dynamics, peer trends, prevailing commodity prices, and expected future capital allocations. We understand the importance of this decision to our shareholders and do not take the decision lightly. By focusing our capital allocation on a fixed dividend level that is competitive with the industry and the market at large, we are prioritizing the acceleration of our balance sheet de-leveraging, with over
"Diversified's differentiated stewardship business model will thrive amid the backdrop of rising global energy demand, consolidation in the
Termination of Previously Announced Tender Offer
Further to the Company's announcement on
Posting of 2023 Annual Report
Diversified has published to the Company's website its 2023 Annual Report. These documents can be viewed or downloaded from Diversified's website at https://ir.div.energy/financial-info.
Presentation and Webcast
DEC will host a conference call today at
A corporate presentation will be posted to the Company's website before the conference call. The presentation can be found at https://ir.div.energy/presentations.
Footnotes:
(a)
As previously announced via RNS on
(b)
Corporate decline rate of ~10% calculated as the change in production from Q4 2022 to Q4 2023; excluding any intraperiod acquisitions or divestitures. Q4 2022 reported production of ~134 Mboepd vs. Adjusted Q4 2023 production of ~122 Mboepd (reported Q4 2023 production of 129.5 Mboepd less ~10 Mboepd of production for Tanos acquisition & adding ~3 Mboepd of non-op production divested)
(c)
Based on the Company's year-end PDP reserves and using 10-year NYMEX strip, as at
(d)
Calculated as earnings before interest, taxes, depletion, depreciation and amortization, and includes adjustments for items that are not comparable period-over-period, non-cash items such as gains on the sale of assets, acquisition related expenses and integration costs, mark-to-market adjustments related to our hedge portfolio, non-cash equity compensation charges and items of a similar nature.
(e)
Calculated as net cash provided by operating activities less expenditures on natural gas and oil properties and equipment and cash paid for interest.
(f)
Calculated as Adjusted EBITDA (defined within footnote (c)), as a percentage of Total Revenue, Inclusive of Hedges. Adjusted EBITDA Margin includes the direct operating cost and the portion of general and administrative cost it takes to produce each Boe.
(g)
Calculated as total revenue recorded for the period, inclusive of the impact of derivatives settled in cash.
(h)
Calculated as the availability on the Company's Revolving Credit Facility ("SLL") and inclusive of cash on hand and letters of credit as of
(i)
Net Debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA, or "Leverage" or "Leverage Ratio," is measured as Net Debt divided by Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA; Pro forma adjusted EBITDA includes adjustments for the year ended
(j)
Using the Natural Gas Sustainability Initiative ("NGSI") protocol, calculates methane intensity using methane emissions from production assets only (therefore, excluding gathering & boosting facilities) divided by total gross production.
(k)
Reserves values calculated using effective date of
(l)
Based on engineering reserves assumptions for the Assets using historical cost assumptions and NYMEX strip as of
(m)
Deferred cash payments of approximately
For Company-specific items, refer also to the Glossary of Terms and/or Alternative Performance Measures found in Diversified's 2023 Annual Report
For further information, please contact:
About
Diversified is a leading publicly traded energy company focused on natural gas and liquids production, transport, marketing, and well retirement. Through our differentiated strategy, we acquire existing, long-life assets and invest in them to improve environmental and operational performance until retiring those assets in a safe and environmentally secure manner. Recognized by ratings agencies and organizations for our sustainability leadership, this solutions-oriented, stewardship approach makes Diversified the
Important Notices
The information contained in this announcement is inside information as stipulated under the
This announcement is an announcement and not a circular or equivalent document and prospective investors should not make any investment decision on the basis of its contents. The Circular in relation to the Acquisition will be published in due course. Nothing in this announcement constitutes an offer of securities for sale in any jurisdiction.
No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this announcement and, when published, the Circular and, if given or made, such information or representations must not be relied on as having been authorized by the Company. Subject to the Listing Rules and the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules of the
Completion of the Acquisition is subject to the satisfaction of a number of conditions as more fully described in this announcement. Consequently, there can be no certainty that completion of the Acquisition will be forthcoming.
This announcement may contain certain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions, with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of the Company, the Assets, and the Group following the Acquisition. These statements, which contain the words "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "seek", "continue", "aim", "target", "projected", "plan", "goal", "achieve" and words of similar meaning, reflect the Company's beliefs and expectations and are based on numerous assumptions regarding the Company's present and future business strategies and the environment the Company and the Group will operate in and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. No representation is made that any of these statements or forecasts will come to pass or that any forecast results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve inherent known and unknown risks, uncertainties and contingencies because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future and may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company or the Group to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond the Company's or the Group's ability to control or estimate precisely, such as future market conditions, currency fluctuations, the behavior of other market participants, the actions of regulators and other factors such as the Company's or the Group's ability to continue to obtain financing to meet its liquidity needs, changes in the political, social and regulatory framework in which the Company or the Group operate or in economic or technological trends or conditions. Past performance of the Company cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance. As a result, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The list above is not exhaustive and there are other factors that may cause the Company's or the Group's actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement Forward-looking statements speak only as of their date and the Company, its respective parent and subsidiary undertakings, the subsidiary undertakings of such parent undertakings, and any of such person's respective directors, officers, employees, agents, affiliates or advisers expressly disclaim any obligation to supplement, amend, update or revise any of the forward-looking statements made herein, except where it would be required to do so under applicable law. You are advised to read this announcement and, once published, the Circular in their entirety for a further discussion of the factors that could affect the Company's future performance. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the events described in the forward-looking statements in this announcement may not occur. No statement in this announcement is intended as a profit forecast or a profit estimate and no statement in this announcement should be interpreted to mean that the financial performance of the Company for the current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical published for the Company.
The contents of this announcement are not to be construed as legal, business or tax advice. Each shareholder should consult its own legal adviser, financial adviser or tax adviser for legal, financial or tax advice respectively.
Percentages in tables have been rounded and accordingly may not add up to 100 per cent. Certain financial data have also been rounded. As a result of this rounding, the totals of data presented in this announcement may vary slightly from the actual arithmetic totals of such data.
Use of Non-IFRS Measures
Certain key operating metrics that are not defined under IFRS (alternative performance measures) are included in this announcement. These non-IFRS measures are used by us to monitor the underlying business performance of the Company from period to period and to facilitate comparison with our peers. Since not all companies calculate these or other non-IFRS metrics in the same way, the manner in which we have chosen to calculate the non-IFRS metrics presented herein may not be compatible with similarly defined terms used by other companies. The non-IFRS metrics should not be considered in isolation of, or viewed as substitutes for, the financial information prepared in accordance with IFRS. Certain of the key operating metrics are based on information derived from our regularly maintained records and accounting and operating systems. We have not presented reconciliations of the non-IFRS measures included in this announcement because the comparable IFRS measures will not be accessible until the Company's audited financial results for the year ended
Non-IFRS Disclosures
Adjusted EBITDA
As used herein, total revenue, inclusive of settled hedges, includes the impact of derivatives settled in cash. We believe that total revenue, inclusive of settled hedges is a useful because it enables investors to discern our realized revenue after adjusting for the settlement of derivative contracts. Year Ended
Net income (loss)
Finance costs 134,166 100,799 50,628
Accretion of asset retirement obligations 26,926 27,569 24,396
Other (income) expense (385 ) (269 ) 8,812
Income tax (benefit) expense 240,643 (178,904 ) (225,694 )
Depreciation, depletion and amortization 224,546 222,257 167,644
(Gain) loss on bargain purchases - (4,447 ) (58,072 )
(Gain) loss on fair value adjustments of unsettled financial instruments (905,695 ) 861,457 652,465
(Gain) loss on natural gas and oil properties and equipment(1) 20 93 901
(Gain) loss on sale of equity interest (18,440 ) - -
Unrealized (gain) loss on investment (4,610 ) - -
Impairment of proved properties 41,616 - -
Costs associated with acquisitions 16,775 15,545 27,743
Other adjusting costs(2) 17,794 69,967 10,371
Non-cash equity compensation 6,494 8,051 7,400
(Gain) loss on foreign currency hedge 521 - 1,227
(Gain) loss on interest rate swap 2,722 1,434 530
Total adjustments
Adjusted EBITDA
Excludes
Other adjusting costs for the year ended
Total Revenue, Inclusive of Hedges and Adjusted EBITDA Margin
As used herein, total revenue, inclusive of settled hedges, includes the impact of derivatives settled in cash. We believe that total revenue, inclusive of settled hedges is a useful because it enables investors to discern our realized revenue after adjusting for the settlement of derivative contracts. Adjusted EBITDA margin is measured as adjusted EBITDA, as a percentage of total revenue, inclusive of settled hedges. adjusted EBITDA margin includes the direct operating cost and the portion of general and administrative cost it takes to produce each Mcfe. This metric includes operating expense, employees, administrative costs and professional services and recurring allowance for credit losses, which include fixed and variable costs components. We believe that adjusted EBITDA margin is a useful measure of our profitability and efficiency as well as our earnings quality because it measures the Group on a more comparable basis period-over-period, given we are often involved in transactions that are not comparable between periods Year Ended
Total revenue
Net gain (loss) on commodity derivative instruments(1) 178,064 (895,802 ) (320,656
Total revenue, inclusive of settled hedges
Adjusted EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA margin 52 % 49 % 50 %
Net gain (loss) on commodity derivative settlements represents cash (paid) or received on commodity derivative contracts. This excludes settlements on foreign currency and interest rate derivatives as well as the gain (loss) on fair value adjustments for unsettled financial instruments for each of the periods presented.
Free Cash Flow
As used herein, free cash flow represents net cash provided by operating activities less expenditures on natural gas and oil properties and equipment and cash paid for interest. We believe that free cash flow is a useful indicator of our ability to generate cash that is available for activities other than capital expenditures. The Directors believe that free cash flow provides investors with an important perspective on the cash available to service debt obligations, make strategic acquisitions and investments and pay dividends Year Ended
Net cash provided by operating activities
LESS: Expenditures on natural gas and oil properties and equipment (74,252 ) (86,079 ) (50,175 )
LESS: Cash paid for interest (116,784 ) (83,958 ) (42,673 )
Free cash flow
Net Debt and Net Debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA ("Leverage")
As used herein, net debt represents total debt as recognized on the balance sheet less cash and restricted cash. Total debt includes our borrowings under the Credit Facility and borrowings under or issuances of, as applicable, our subsidiaries' securitization facilities. We believe net debt is a useful indicator of our leverage and capital structure. Net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA, or "leverage" or "leverage ratio," is measured as net debt divided by adjusted EBITDA. We believe that this metric is a key measure of our financial liquidity and flexibility and is used in the calculation of a key metric in one of our Credit Facility financial covenants. As of
Credit Facility
ABS I Notes 100,898 125,864 155,266
ABS II Notes 125,922 147,458 169,320
ABS III Notes 274,710 319,856 -
ABS IV Notes 99,951 130,144 -
ABS V Notes 290,913 378,796 -
ABS VI Notes 159,357 212,446 -
Term Loan I 106,470 120,518 137,099
Other 7,627 7,084 9,380
Total debt
LESS: Cash 3,753 7,329 12,558
LESS: Restricted cash 36,252 55,388 19,102
Net debt
Adjusted EBITDA
Pro forma adjusted EBITDA(1)
Net debt-to-pro forma adjusted EBITDA(2) 2.3 x 2.5 x 2.1 x
1. Pro forma adjusted EBITDA includes adjustments for the year ended
2. Does not include adjustments for working capital which are often customary in the market.
SOURCE:
.
(C) 2024 M2 COMMUNICATIONS, source