(Vermilion Energy, 11.May.2022) — Vermilion Energy Inc. (TSX: VET) (NYSE: VET) is pleased to report operating and condensed financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2022.
The unaudited interim financial statements and management discussion and analysis for the three months ended March 31, 2022 will be available on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (“SEDAR”) at www.sedar.com, on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml, and on Vermilion’s website at www.vermilionenergy.com.
Highlights
- Q1 2022 fund flows from operations (“FFO”)(1) was $390mn and free cash flow (“FCF”)(2) was $305mn, an increase of 21% and 73%, respectively from the prior quarter. The increases were primarily due to higher commodity prices.
- Pro forma the incremental 36.5% ownership in Corrib, Q1 2022 FFO was $575mn and FCF was $489mn or ~$3.00/share, inclusive of the acquisition hedges put in place as part of the acquisition. As a reminder, all free cash flow from the Corrib acquisition accrues to Vermilion as at January 1, 2022 and will be netted off the approximate $600mn purchase price at the time of closing which remains on track for 2H 2022.
- Cash flow from operating activities was $341mn in Q1 2022, including the impact from asset retirement obligations settled and changes in non-cash operating working capital.
- Generated net earnings of $284mn in Q1 2022 (Q4 2021 – $345mn). Q1 net earnings were supported by an increase in FFO and impairment reversals which were primarily offset by higher unrealized hedged losses, which is accounted for on a mark-to-market basis.
- Cash flow used in investing activities totaled $110mn and included exploration and development (“E&D”) capital expenditures(3) of $85mn in the first quarter.
- Long-term debt decreased by $271mn in Q1 2022 to $1.4bn and net debt(4) decreased by $280mn in Q1 2022 to $1.4bn, resulting in a net debt to trailing FFO ratio of 1.2 times(5).
- Production in Q1 2022 averaged 86,213 boe/d(6) an increase of 2% from the previous quarter. The increase was primarily due to higher production in Canada, Germany and Australia.
- Production from our North American assets averaged 56,598 boe/d(6) in Q1 2022, an increase of 2% from the prior quarter primarily as a result of new production added from our Q4 2021 Canadian drilling program.
- Production from our International assets averaged 29,616 boe/d(6) in Q1 2022, an increase of 2% from the prior quarter primarily due to higher production in Germany and Australia.
- On March 28, 2022 we announced an agreement to acquire Leucrotta Exploration Inc. for a net purchase price of $477mn. This is a strategic acquisition of fully delineated, Montney assets in Northeast British Colombia and Northwest Alberta, which is expected to add 20+ years of free cash flow generating Tier 1 drilling inventory, and positions us for sustainable long-term shareholder returns. We anticipate the closing date to be in the second half of May 2022.
- Vermilion reinstated a quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 CDN per share in Q1 2022 which was paid on April 18, 2022. In conjunction with our Q1 2022 release, we announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 CDN per share payable on July 15, 2022 to all shareholders of record on June 30, 2022. The ex-dividend date for this payment is June 29, 2022. We expect to achieve our $1.2bn net debt target in 2H 2022, at which time we will provide more details on our go forward return of capital framework.
- Subsequent to the quarter, we issued US$400mn of eight-year senior unsecured notes at a coupon of 6.875% (priced at 99.241%). We also negotiated an extension of our credit facility with our banking syndicate to May 2026. As a result of our projected liquidity requirements and the proceeds from the debt issuance, we elected to reduce our bank facility to $1.6bn from $2.1bn. These transactions increase the weighted average tenor of our debt from 2.4 years to 5.3 years.
| (1) | Fund flows from operations (FFO) is a total of segment measures comparable to cash flows from operating activities that is comprised of sales less royalties, transportation, operating, G&A, corporate income tax, PRRT, interest expense, and realized loss on derivatives, plus realized gain on foreign exchange and realized other income. More information and a reconciliation to primary financial statement measures can be found in the “Non-GAAP and Other Specified Financial Measures” section of this document. | ||
| (2) | Free cash flow (FCF) is a non-GAAP financial measure comparable to cash flows from operating activities and is comprised of FFO less drilling and development and evaluation and exploration expenditures. More information and a reconciliation to primary financial statement measures can be found in the “Non-GAAP and Other Specified Financial Measures” section of this document. | ||
| (3) | Capital expenditures is a non-GAAP financial measure that is the measure is the sum of drilling and development costs and exploration and evaluation costs from the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. More information and a reconciliation to primary financial statement measures can be found in the “Non-GAAP and Other Specified Financial Measures” section of this document. | ||
| (4) | Net debt is a capital management measure comparable to long-term debt and is comprised of long-term debt (excluding unrealized foreign exchange on swapped USD borrowings) plus adjusted working capital (see below). More information and a reconciliation to primary financial statement measures can be found in the “Non-GAAP and Other Specified Financial Measures” section of this document. | ||
| (5) | Net debt to trailing FFO is a supplementary financial measure and is not a standardized financial measure under IFRS. It may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by other issuers and is calculated using net debt (capital management measure) and FFO (total of segment measure). The measure is used to assess the ability to repay debt. Information in this document is included by reference; refer to the “Non-GAAP and Other Specified Financial Measures” section of this document. | ||
| (6) | Please refer to Supplemental Table 4 “Production” of the accompanying Management’s Discussion and Analysis for disclosure by product type. | ||
| ($M except as indicated) | Q1 2022 | Q4 2021 | Q1 2021 |
| Financial | |||
| Petroleum and natural gas sales | 810,179 | 765,915 | 368,137 |
| Cash flows from operating activities | 341,053 | 250,352 | 119,147 |
| Fund flows from operations | 389,868 | 322,173 | 162,051 |
| Fund flows from operations ($/basic share) (1) | 2.40 | 1.99 | 1.02 |
| Fund flows from operations ($/diluted share) (1) | 2.32 | 1.93 | 1.00 |
| Net earnings | 283,954 | 344,588 | 499,964 |
| Net (loss) earnings ($/basic share) | 1.75 | 2.12 | 3.15 |
| Cash flows used in investing activities | 110,330 | 134,873 | 74,659 |
| Capital expenditures (2) | 85,344 | 145,807 | 83,363 |
| Acquisitions | 6,712 | 23,633 | 393 |
| Asset retirement obligations settled | 6,320 | 13,039 | 7,023 |
| Cash dividends ($/share) | 0.06 | — | — |
| Dividends declared | 9,767 | — | — |
| % of fund flows from operations (3) | 3 % | — % | — % |
| Payout (4) | 101,431 | 158,846 | 90,386 |
| % of fund flows from operations | 26 % | 49 % | 56 % |
| Free Cash Flow | 304,524 | 176,366 | 78,688 |
| Long-term debt | 1,380,568 | 1,651,569 | 1,911,466 |
| Net debt (7) | 1,365,014 | 1,644,786 | 1,937,891 |
| Net debt to four quarter trailing fund flows from operations | 1.2 | 1.8 | 3.9 |
| Operational | |||
| Production (8) | |||
| Crude oil and condensate (bbls/d) | 37,090 | 36,264 | 39,204 |
| NGLs (bbls/d) | 8,342 | 8,461 | 8,074 |
| Natural gas (mmcf/d) | 244.69 | 238.16 | 233.98 |
| Total (boe/d) | 86,213 | 84,417 | 86,276 |
| Average realized prices | |||
| Crude oil and condensate ($/bbl) | 120.23 | 96.88 | 71.09 |
| NGLs ($/bbl) | 46.94 | 47.27 | 29.39 |
| Natural gas ($/mcf) | 17.41 | 17.89 | 5.51 |
| Production mix (% of production) | |||
| % priced with reference to WTI | 37 % | 38 % | 38 % |
| % priced with reference to Dated Brent | 17 % | 16 % | 18 % |
| % priced with reference to AECO | 29 % | 28 % | 28 % |
| % priced with reference to TTF and NBP | 17 % | 18 % | 16 % |
| Netbacks ($/boe) | |||
| Operating netback (5) | 59.72 | 48.07 | 25.58 |
| Fund flows from operations ($/boe) (6) | 50.79 | 40.73 | 21.66 |
| Operating expenses | 14.61 | 14.24 | 12.86 |
| General and administration expenses | 1.85 | 2.20 | 1.57 |
| Average reference prices | |||
| WTI (US $/bbl) | 94.29 | 77.19 | 57.84 |
| Dated Brent (US $/bbl) | 101.40 | 79.73 | 60.90 |
| AECO ($/mcf) | 4.74 | 4.66 | 3.15 |
| TTF ($/mcf) | 39.79 | 38.86 | 8.27 |
| Share information (‘000s) | |||
| Shares outstanding – basic | 162,784 | 162,261 | 159,349 |
| Shares outstanding – diluted (1) | 169,797 | 168,746 | 166,018 |
| Weighted average shares outstanding – basic | 162,374 | 162,247 | 158,892 |
| Weighted average shares outstanding – diluted (1) | 168,339 | 166,519 | 161,397 |
| (1) | Fund flows from operations per share (basic and diluted) are supplementary financial measures and are not a standardized financial measures under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by other issuers. They are calculated using FFO (total of segments measure) and basic/diluted shares outstanding. The measure is used to assess the contribution per share of each business unit. More information and a reconciliation to primary financial statement measures can be found in the “Non-GAAP and Other Specified Financial Measures” section of this document. |
| (2) | Capital expenditures is a non-GAAP financial measure that is the sum of drilling and development costs and exploration and evaluation costs from the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. More information and a reconciliation to primary financial statement measures can be found in the “Non-GAAP and Other Specified Financial Measures” section of this document. |
| (3) | Dividends % of FFO is a supplementary financial measure that is not standardized under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by other issuers, calculated as dividends divided by FFO. The ratio is used by management as a metric to assess the cash distributed to shareholders. Reconciliation to primary financial statement measures can be found in the “Non-GAAP and Other Specified Financial Measures” section of this document. |
| (4) | Payout and payout % of FFO are a non-GAAP financial measure and a non-GAAP ratio respectively that are not standardized under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by other issuers. Payout is comparable to dividends declared and is comprised of dividends declared plus drilling and development costs, exploration and evaluation costs, and asset retirement obligations settled, while the ratio is calculated as payout divided by FFO. More information and a reconciliation to primary financial statement measures can be found in the “Non-GAAP and Other Specified Financial Measures” section of this document. |
| (5) | Operating netback is a non-GAAP financial measure comparable to net earnings and is comprised of sales less royalties, operating expense, transportation costs, PRRT, and realized hedging gains and losses. More information and a reconciliation to primary financial statement measures can be found in the “Non-GAAP and Other Specified Financial Measures” section of this document. |
| (6) | Fund flows from operations per boe is a supplementary financial measure that is not standardized under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by other issuers, calculated as FFO by boe production. Fund flows from operations per boe is used by management to assess the profitability of our business units and Vermilion as a whole. More information and a reconciliation to primary financial statement measures can be found in the “Non-GAAP and Other Specified Financial Measures” section of this document. |
| (7) | Net debt is defined as long-term debt (excluding unrealized foreign exchange on swapped USD borrowings) plus adjusted working capital (defined as current assets less current liabilities, excluding current derivatives and current lease liabilities). |
| (8) | Please refer to Supplemental Table 4 “Production” of the accompanying Management’s Discussion and Analysis for disclosure by product type. |
Message to Shareholders
We are off to a strong start in 2022 as we continue to make progress on our debt reduction targets while also announcing a strategic acquisition that enhances our long-term inventory and underpins our longer term return of capital strategy. Our Q1 2022 results benefited from strong operational performance across our portfolio along with robust commodity prices that persisted through the quarter. European natural gas prices remained at record levels during the first quarter, averaging near $40 per mmbtu, while global oil prices increased over 20% compared to the previous quarter due to geopolitical tension and concern over future supply constraints. In fact, not only did Q1 2022 commodity prices strengthen, but we have seen the forward curve strengthen across all commodities. Relative to the beginning of the year, the 2023 forward strip price(1) has increased by approximately 28% for oil to US$85/bbl (WTI), 90% for European gas to $32/mmbtu (TTF) and 65% for North American gas to $5.01/mmbtu (AECO).
The tragic events in Ukraine and the resulting impact they have had on commodity markets has increased global awareness and concern around energy security, especially in Europe. Vermilion’s operations in Europe have not been directly impacted by these events; however, we have had increased dialogue with the local governments and regulators in the countries where we operate to discuss how Vermilion can contribute to Europe’s future energy security. We are encouraged by the more constructive conversations around energy security and in particular the role of natural gas in the energy transition. We remain committed to growing our European business over time through organic development and strategic acquisition opportunities as they arise.
We delivered average production of 86,213 boe/d(2) in Q1 2022 which represents a 2% increase over the previous quarter. Strong commodity prices during the quarter, including premium European gas, resulted in an operating netback of $59.72/boe(3), including the impact from hedging. Fund flows from operations (“FFO”) was $390mn (cash flows from operating activities of $341mn), representing a 21% increase over the prior quarter. Exploration and development (“E&D”) capital expenditures were $85mn (cash flow used in investing activities totaled $110mn) in Q1 2022, resulting in record quarterly free cash flow (“FCF”) of $305mn. The vast majority of this free cash flow was allocated to debt reduction while the remainder was used to fund acquisitions, asset retirement obligations and our recently reinstated quarterly dividend. Net debt decreased $280mn from year-end 2021 to $1.365bn (long-term debt of $1.381bn) at the end of Q1 2022, reflecting a net debt to trailing FFO ratio of approximately 1.2 times. This represents a significant improvement over the previous quarter (1.8 times) and the prior year (3.9 times), and is now within our long-term target range of 0.8 to 1.2 times.
Our pro forma Q1 results incorporating the incremental 36.5% ownership in Corrib provide another data point to reinforce our strong position to further augment shareholder return of capital later this year. We continue to make progress on the Corrib closing and expect to close the acquisition in the second half of this year while noting that the economic benefits of the acquisition accrue to Vermilion as of January 1, 2022. The Q1 2022 pro forma results illustrate the FFO and FCF generating capability of Vermilion, highlighted with FFO and FCF results of $575mn and $489mn respectively. This pro forma Q1 2022 FCF generation positions us uniquely and allows us to take a balanced approach in the near-term balancing net debt reduction with high grading and increasing the depth of the portfolio for the coming decades.
At the end of the quarter, we announced the strategic acquisition of Leucrotta Exploration Inc., a transaction that will significantly enhance our North American portfolio by adding a fully delineated, multi-decade free cash flow generating, Montney asset. This acquisition, combined with our previously announced Corrib acquisition, will significantly strengthen our free cash flow profile over the near-and-long term. We are now forecasting a 16% increase in our 2022 exit production per share versus our base budget plans. Our objective, as we augment our return of capital plans, is to create more value per Vermilion share over the long-term, which the combination of the Corrib and Leucrotta acquisitions puts us on strong footing to achieve.
Both acquisitions are expected to be funded with internally generated pro forma FCF in 2022, currently estimated at $1.8bn based on forward commodity prices(4). Inclusive of funding for these two acquisitions, we remain on track to achieve our $1.2bn debt target in 2H 2022 and currently estimate year-end net debt of $1.1bn(4), representing a pro forma net debt to trailing FFO ratio of 0.5 times. As we continue to execute our 2022 plan and move closer to achieving our $1.2bn debt target, we expect to be in a position to increase the return of capital to our shareholders during the second half of 2022.
Our Q2 2022 drilling program is also off to a solid start. We commenced our US drilling program in mid-March and are working closely with Leucrotta on the drilling of a 6-well Montney pad which will transition to Vermilion once the transaction closes. In addition, we are making final preparations to begin our two-well offshore drilling campaign in Australia while also planning for an active maintenance turnaround schedule in several of our other business units in Q2 2022.
Due to planned turnaround activity and limited contribution from the Leucrotta acquisition in Q2 2022, we expect Q2 production to be below Q1 levels but within our initial guidance range of 83,000 to 85,000 boe/d.
Q1 2022 Operations Review
North America
Production from our North American operations averaged 56,598 boe/d(2) in Q1 2022, an increase of 2% from the prior quarter primarily due to new production added from our Canadian drilling program. During the first quarter, we drilled eight (7.2 net) wells and brought on production 18 (15.3 net) condensate-rich Mannville natural gas wells in west-central Alberta, and continued our drilling campaign in south-east Saskatchewan, where we drilled eight (7.6 net) wells and brought on production 10 (9.6 net) wells.
In the United States, we received all necessary permits for our six (5.9 net) well operated Turner drilling program in Wyoming, which will include three (2.9 net) two-mile lateral wells which are significantly more economic than one-mile laterals. Similar to our 2021 program, we moved an experienced drilling crew from Alberta down to Wyoming and completed drilling the first (0.96 net) well prior to the end of Q1 2022, with the remaining wells to be drilled in Q2 2022. In addition, one (0.4 net) two-mile non-operated Turner well is planned for Q4 2022.
International
Production from our International assets averaged 29,616 boe/d(2) in Q1 2022, an increase of 2% from the prior quarter primarily due to higher production in Germany and Australia. In Germany, the increase in production was mainly attributable to the small European gas acquisition announced in Q4 2021 to further consolidate our interest in the region. We also drilled and completed the Vorhop 63 well (1.0 net) and the Vorhop H2a2 injection well (1.0 net). Our Australia operations benefited from the absence of turnaround activities and cyclone downtime in Q1 2022. We continued the detailed engineering and equipment preparation work for the two-well Australia drilling program scheduled for Q2 2022. The increase in Germany and Australia production was slightly offset by natural declines and unplanned downtime in the Netherlands.
Production in France and Ireland was relatively consistent with the prior quarter as we continue to experience strong operational performance from those business units. In Croatia, the SA-07 3D seismic acquisition was completed (365 sq km) and the data has been sent for processing. In SA-10, the 3D seismic acquired in 2021 (292 sq km) continues to be evaluated to high grade prospects, while the regulatory, permitting, engineering and procurement activities continue for the Croatian gas plant.
Return of Capital
Vermilion reinstated a quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 CDN per share in Q1 2022 which was paid on April 18, 2022. In conjunction with our Q1 2022 release, we announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 CDN per share payable on July 15, 2022 to all shareholders of record on June 30, 2022. The ex-dividend date for this payment is June 29, 2022. This dividend is an eligible dividend for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada). As we achieve further debt targets, it is our intention to augment our return of capital to shareholders through one or a combination of base dividend increases, special dividends or share buybacks. We expect to achieve our $1.2bn net debt target in 2H 2022 at which time we will provide more details on our go forward return of capital framework.
Commodity Hedging
Vermilion hedges to manage commodity price exposures and increase the stability of our cash flows. In aggregate, as of May 2, 2022, we have 40% of our expected net-of-royalty production hedged for the remainder of 2022. With respect to individual commodity products, we have hedged 63% of our European natural gas production, 27% of our oil production, and 42% of our North American natural gas volumes for the remainder of 2022, respectively. Please refer to the Hedging section of our website under Invest With Us for further details using the following link: https://www.vermilionenergy.com/invest-with-us/hedging.cfm.
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