Key Takeaways

• Reported production of 389,000 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day; adjusted production, which excludes Egypt noncontrolling interest and tax barrels, was 336,000 BOE per day; 
• Generated net cash from operating activities of $771 million and adjusted EBITDAX of $1.16 billion;
• Committing to return a minimum of 60% of Free Cash Flow to shareholders through dividends and stock repurchases;
• Increasing annualized dividend from $0.25 to $0.50 per share; repurchased 14.7 million shares in October;
• Completed $1.7 billion bond tender in August, significantly strengthening the balance sheet; and
• Ended routine flaring onshore U.S., achieving goal three months ahead of schedule.

HOUSTON, Nov. 3, 2021 – APA Corporation (Nasdaq: APA) today announced its financial and operational results for the third-quarter 2021. 

APA reported a loss of $113 million, or $0.30 per diluted common share. When adjusted for items that impact the comparability of results, predominately a $446 million undiscounted net contingency recognized for asset retirement obligations associated with previously divested Gulf of Mexico properties, APA’s third-quarter earnings were $372 million, or $0.98 per diluted share. Net cash provided by operating activities was $771 million, and adjusted EBITDAX was $1.16 billion, making it the strongest quarterly performance of the year. The company anticipates the fourth quarter will be even stronger. 

“APA delivered another excellent quarter, driven by strong U.S. well performance, continued capital and cost discipline, and better-than-expected commodity prices,” said John J. Christmann IV, APA’s CEO and president. “We generated $1.3 billion of Free Cash Flow in the first three quarters of 2021, and, at current strip pricing, we anticipate approximately $2 billion for the full-year. With the substantial strengthening of our balance sheet, a streamlined and more profitable enterprise and a planned capital program that will sustain or slightly grow production for the long term, we are committing to returning a minimum of 60% of our Free Cash Flow to shareholders. This began with the repurchase of 14.7 million shares in the month of October and today’s announced increase in our annual dividend to $0.50 per share, and we intend to continue these returns of capital to shareholders this quarter and into 2022.”

Third-Quarter Summary

Third-quarter reported production was 389,000 BOE per day, and adjusted production, which excludes Egypt noncontrolling interest and tax barrels, was 336,000 BOE per day. U.S. production was 237,000 BOE per day and international adjusted volumes were 99,000 BOE per day. APA’s third-quarter upstream capital investment was $228 million.

Production in the Southern Midland Basin and in Alpine High exceeded expectations during the quarter and the company recently added a third U.S. rig in its Austin Chalk play. Gross volumes in Egypt and the North Sea bottomed in the third quarter and have begun to move higher in the fourth quarter. In Egypt, the company has increased its rig count to 11 in anticipation of final approvals on modernized PSC terms before year end. In Block 58 Offshore Suriname, flow testing at Sapakara South and exploration work at Bonboni are continuing. Data collected from these operations will inform next steps in the exploration and appraisal program for the block. 

Balance Sheet Progress and Share Repurchase Program

In August, the company significantly reduced its outstanding term debt through a $1.7 billion upsized bond tender, which was funded by cash on hand and borrowings from its revolving credit facility. At the end of the third quarter, APA’s total debt, excluding Altus Midstream, was $6.75 billion, and cash and cash equivalents were $268 million.

APA repurchased approximately 14.7 million shares in October under an existing authorization of 40 million shares. The company’s board of directors increased that authorization by an additional 40 million shares, bringing the total to 80 million shares, with approximately 65 million remaining at the end of October. In the fourth quarter, the company expects to return more than 60% of Free Cash Flow to shareholders.

ESG Progress

On Sept. 30, the company ended routine flaring in onshore U.S. operations. Through the end of the third quarter, flaring intensity in the U.S. onshore was 0.38%, significantly below the 2021 target of less than 1%. 

The company published its 2021 Sustainability Report in October, which has a more in-depth look at ESG philosophy, performance, initiatives and success stories.  

Conference Call

APA will host a conference call to discuss its third-quarter 2021 results at 10 a.m. Central time, Thursday, Nov. 4. The conference call will be webcast from APA’s website at www.apacorp.com and investor.apacorp.com, and the webcast replay will be archived there as well. The conference call will also be available for playback by telephone for one week beginning at approximately 4 p.m. Central time Nov. 4. The number for the replay is 855-859-2056 or 404-537-3406 for international calls. The conference access code is 7990266. Sign up for email alerts to be reminded of the webcast at investor.apacorp.com/alerts/email-alerts-subscription.

About APA

APA Corporation owns consolidated subsidiaries that explore for and produce oil and gas in the United States, Egypt and the United Kingdom and that explore for oil and gas offshore Suriname. APA posts announcements, operational updates, investor information and press releases on its website, www.apacorp.com. Specific information concerning Suriname, ESG performance and other investor-related topics are posted at investor.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,” “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 Apache Corporation’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 25, 2021, and in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q 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 Apache Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2020 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    Phil West                
Website:    www.apacorp.com

Click here for the full release with quarterly financial statements.

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