News

APA Corporation Announces Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2023 Financial and Operational Results

2023 Highlights 

  • Delivered full-year net cash from operating activities of $3.1 billion, adjusted EBITDAX of $5.3 billion and $965 million of free cash flow (FCF);
  • Returned $637 million to shareholders or 66% of FCF; 
  • Increased total company oil production by 8% year-over-year;
  • U.S. oil increased 12% from fourth-quarter 2022 to fourth-quarter 2023, driven by strong Permian Basin execution and well performance; 
  • Achieved primary emissions goal of converting more than 2,000 pneumatic devices to instrument air or through-valve retrofit in the U.S.; 
  • Identified an estimated 700 million barrels of recoverable oil resource at Sapakara and Krabdagu on Block 58 offshore Suriname; initiated FEED study and progressing toward 2024 FID; and
  • Expanded exploration portfolio through the addition of onshore leases in Alaska and two offshore blocks in Uruguay.

2024 Outlook 

  • Planning upstream capital budget of $1.9 to $2.0 billion; 
  • Investing to sustain production on a year-over-year basis;
  • Forecasting strong U.S. oil growth in 2024, approximately 8% year-over-year and more than 10% from fourth-quarter 2023 to fourth-quarter 2024;
  • Pending acquisition of Callon Petroleum Company adds scale to APA’s existing Delaware Basin assets and is expected to be accretive to key financial metrics; and
  • Committing to return at least 60% of FCF to shareholders. 


HOUSTON, Feb. 21, 2024 – APA Corporation (Nasdaq: APA) today announced its financial and operational results for the fourth-quarter and full-year 2023. During the fourth-quarter 2023, APA reported net income attributable to common stock of $1.8 billion, or $5.78 per share on a fully diluted basis. When adjusted for certain items that impact the comparability of results, APA’s fourth-quarter earnings totaled $352 million or $1.15 on a diluted share basis.

Reported fourth-quarter production was 414,000 BOE per day; adjusted production, which excludes Egypt noncontrolling interest and tax barrels, was 341,000 BOE per day. Net cash provided by operating activities in the fourth quarter was $1.0 billion, and adjusted EBITDAX was $1.4 billion. 

For the full-year 2023, APA reported net income of $2.9 billion, or $9.25 per diluted common share. On an adjusted basis, APA’s 2023 earnings totaled $1.4 billion or $4.53 per diluted common share. 

Reported full-year production was 405,000 BOE per day; adjusted production was 331,000 BOE per day. Net cash provided by operating activities was $3.1 billion, and adjusted EBITDAX was $5.3 billion. 

During the year, APA generated $965 million of FCF, repurchased $329 million of common stock and paid $308 million in dividends. APA ended the year with net debt at $5.1 billion, down slightly from the end of 2022. 

“The continuation of our exceptional well performance and execution in the Permian Basin drove APA’s strong results in 2023,” said John J. Christmann IV, APA’s chief executive officer. “We generated nearly $1 billion in free cash flow and returned 66% to shareholders. On the exploration front, our successful appraisal program in Suriname identified an estimated recoverable oil resource of 700 million barrels for Sapakara and Krabdagu, and we added onshore acreage in Alaska and two offshore blocks in Uruguay, which expands and diversifies our exploration portfolio.
 
“To build scale in the Delaware Basin and to further leverage our integrated unconventional expertise, in January, we announced the acquisition of Callon Petroleum Company. Following closing, we are confident in our ability to create substantial shareholder value through our proven workflows and Permian operating model. This will drive enhanced operational performance and capital productivity in addition to planned cost synergies.”

2024 Capital Budget and Outlook 

In 2024, APA plans to invest $1.9 to $2.0 billion in upstream oil and gas capital. This investment level reflects the company’s strategy of moderating activity levels during periods of lower commodity prices. APA will invest for the long term by directing $100 million of the upstream budget toward exploration activities predominantly in Alaska and $50 million toward progressing a large scale FPSO project in Suriname.  

“Given the potential for lower year-over-year commodity prices, we will prudently manage costs and high-grade capital to our most strategic opportunities,” concluded Christmann. 

Total company adjusted oil and natural gas production is expected to be relatively flat year-over-year while NGL volumes are anticipated to be lower as the current strip prices would lead to ethane rejection in the U.S. for most of the year. 

Year-End 2023 Proved Reserves 

Worldwide estimated proved reserves totaled 807 million BOE at year-end 2023, 91% of which were classified as proved developed.

Conference Call

APA will host a conference call to discuss its fourth-quarter and full-year 2023 results at 10 a.m. Central time, Thursday, Feb. 22. The conference call will be webcast from APA’s website at www.apacorp.com and investor.apacorp.com. Following the conference call, a replay will be available for one year on the “Investors” page of the company’s website. 

About APA

APA Corporation owns consolidated subsidiaries that explore for and produce oil and natural gas in the United States, Egypt and the United Kingdom and that explore for oil and natural gas offshore Suriname. APA posts announcements, operational updates, investor information and press releases on its website, www.apacorp.com

Additional Information
Additional information follows, including reconciliations of adjusted earnings, adjusted EBITDAX, upstream capital investment, net debt, cash flows from operations before changes in operating assets and liabilities and free cash flow (non-GAAP financial measures) to GAAP measures and information regarding adjusted production. APA’s quarterly supplement is available at http://www.apacorp.com/financialdata.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

APA’s financial information includes information prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) as well as non-GAAP financial information. It is management’s intent to provide non-GAAP financial information to enhance understanding of our consolidated financial information as prepared in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted earnings, adjusted EBITDAX, upstream capital investment, net debt, cash flows from operations before changes in operating assets and liabilities and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures. This non-GAAP information should be considered by the reader in addition to, but not instead of, the financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Each non-GAAP financial measure is presented along with the corresponding GAAP measure so as not to imply that more emphasis should be placed on the non-GAAP measure.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “seeks,” “believes,” “continues,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “goals,” “guidance,” “may,” “might,” “outlook,” “possibly,” “potential,” “projects,” “prospects,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and similar references to future periods, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future plans, expectations, and objectives for operations, including statements about our capital plans, drilling plans, production expectations, asset sales, and monetizations. While forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by us that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, whether actual results and developments will meet our expectations and predictions depend on a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause our actual results, performance, and financial condition to differ materially from our expectations. See “Risk Factors” in APA’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and in APA’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 when filed, for a discussion of risk factors that affect our business. Any forward-looking statement made in this news release speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. APA and its subsidiaries undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future development or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Cautionary Note to Investors
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission permits oil and gas companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only proved, probable, and possible reserves that meet the SEC's definitions for such terms. APA may use certain terms in this news release, such as "resources," "potential resources," "resource potential," "estimated net reserves," "recoverable reserves," and other similar terms that the SEC guidelines strictly prohibit APA from including in filings with the SEC. Such terms do not take into account the certainty of resource recovery, which is contingent on exploration success, technical improvements in drilling access, commerciality, and other factors, and are therefore not indicative of expected future resource recovery and should not be relied upon. Investors are urged to consider carefully the disclosure in APA Corporation’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2022 (and APA’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2023, when filed) available from APA at www.apacorp.com or by writing APA at: 2000 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 100, Houston, TX 77056 (Attn: Corporate Secretary). You can also obtain this report from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330 or from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Contacts

Investor:    (281) 302-2286    Gary Clark
Media:    (713) 296-7276    Alexandra Franceschi            
Website:    www.apacorp.com

Click here for the full release with quarterly financial statements.