MIDLAND, Texas, May 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Viper Energy Partners LP (NASDAQ:VNOM) (“Viper” or the “Company”), a subsidiary of Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FANG) (“Diamondback”), today announced financial and operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023.

FIRST QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

• Q1 2023 average production of 20,111 bo/d (34,967 boe/d), an increase of 1% from Q4 2022 and 11% year over year; highest in Company history
• Received $7.5 million in lease bonus income
• Q1 2023 consolidated net income (including non-controlling interest) of $88.3 million; net income attributable to Viper Energy Partners LP of $34.0 million, or $0.47 per common unit
• Q1 2023 cash available for distribution to Viper’s common units (as defined and reconciled below) of $50.8 million, or $0.70 per common unit
• Q1 2023 base cash distribution of $0.25 per common unit; implies a 3.4% annualized yield based on the April 28, 2023 unit closing price of $29.44
• Q1 2023 variable cash distribution of $0.08 per common unit; total base-plus-variable distribution of $0.33 per common unit implies a 4.5% annualized yield based on the April 28, 2023 unit closing price of $29.44
• Repurchased 1.1 million common units in Q1 2023 for $32.7 million, excluding excise tax (average price of $29.33 per unit)
• Total Q1 2023 return of capital to LP unitholders of $38.1 million, or $0.53 per common unit, represents 75% of cash available for distribution from unit repurchases and the declared base-plus-variable distribution
• Acquired 819 net royalty acres (696 of which are operated by Diamondback) for an aggregate purchase price of $115.8 million, including a $75.1 million drop down transaction from Diamondback
• 241 total gross (6.0 net 100% royalty interest) horizontal wells turned to production on Viper’s acreage during Q1 2023 with an average lateral length of 10,384 feet
• Initiating average daily production guidance for Q2 2023 and Q3 2023 of 21,000 to 22,500 bo/d (36,250 to 38,750 boe/d), the midpoint of which implies 8.2% growth relative to Q1 2023
• Increasing full year 2023 average daily production to 20,500 to 22,500 bo/d (35,250 to 38,750 boe/d), an increase of 2.4% at the midpoint

“The first quarter was a strong start to the year for Viper as oil production set a Company record for a fourth consecutive quarter. The advantaged nature of the royalty business model was highlighted during the quarter as we maintained our strong free cash flow conversion despite the volatility in commodity prices. We took advantage of this volatility through our flexible return of capital program by opportunistically repurchasing over one million common units while still being set to pay a distribution that provides an annualized yield of over four percent,” stated Travis Stice, Chief Executive Officer of Viper’s General Partner.

Mr. Stice continued, “Viper today also announced it completed a drop down transaction of certain royalty interests from Diamondback on operated properties located in Ward County. This transaction provides high NRI exposure to Diamondback’s expected development plan in the Southern Delaware Basin over the next several years and will enhance Viper’s growth profile over that same period. As a result of this acquisition, as well as continued outperformance from our legacy asset base, we have increased production guidance for 2023 by over two percent at the midpoint.”

DROP DOWN TRANSACTION

On March 8, 2023, Viper completed the acquisition of certain royalty interests from subsidiaries of Diamondback for approximately $75.1 million in cash, subject to customary post-closing adjustments. The acquisition was funded through a combination of cash on hand and borrowings under the Company’s revolving credit facility.

DROP DOWN HIGHLIGHTS

• 660 net royalty acres, 100% of which are operated by Diamondback, in Ward County
• Acreage provides a 6.9% average NRI across ten Diamondback operated units
• Q1 2023 average daily production of approximately 300 bo/d (72% oil); contributed approximately 80 bo/d of production to Q1 2023 financials given March 8, 2023 closing date
• Full year 2023 estimated average daily production of 525 bo/d
• Full year 2024 estimated average daily production of 550 bo/d
  

FINANCIAL UPDATE

Viper’s first quarter 2023 average unhedged realized prices were $75.48 per barrel of oil, $2.13 per Mcf of natural gas and $24.45 per barrel of natural gas liquids, resulting in a total equivalent realized price of $51.19/boe.

Viper’s first quarter 2023 average hedged realized prices were $74.30 per barrel of oil, $2.11 per Mcf of natural gas and $24.45 per barrel of natural gas liquids, resulting in a total equivalent realized price of $50.48/boe.

During the first quarter of 2023, the Company recorded total operating income of $169.0 million and consolidated net income (including non-controlling interest) of $88.3 million.

As of March 31, 2023, the Company had a cash balance of $9.1 million and total long-term debt outstanding (excluding debt issuance, discounts and premiums) of $700.4 million, resulting in net debt (as defined and reconciled below) of $691.2 million. Viper’s outstanding long-term debt as of March 31, 2023 consisted of $430.4 million in aggregate principal amount of its 5.375% Senior Notes due 2027 and $270.0 million in borrowings on its revolving credit facility, leaving $230.0 million available for future borrowings and $239.1 million of total liquidity.

FIRST QUARTER 2023 CASH DISTRIBUTION & CAPITAL RETURN PROGRAM

Viper announced today that the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Viper Energy Partners General Partner declared a base distribution of $0.25 per common unit for the first quarter of 2023 payable on May 18, 2023 to eligible common unitholders of record at the close of business on May 11, 2023.

The Board also declared a variable cash distribution of $0.08 per common unit for the first quarter of 2023 payable on May 18, 2023 to eligible common unitholders of record at the close of business on May 11, 2023.

During the first quarter of 2023, Viper repurchased 1.1 million common units for an aggregate purchase price of $32.7 million, excluding excise tax, (average price of $29.33 per unit). In total, since the initiation of Viper’s common unit repurchase program through March 31, 2023, the Company repurchased 11.2 million common units for an aggregate of $253.3 million, reflecting an average price of $22.68 per unit.

OPERATIONS UPDATE

During the first quarter of 2023, Viper estimates that 241 gross (6.0 net 100% royalty interest) horizontal wells with an average royalty interest of 2.5% were turned to production on its acreage position with an average lateral length of 10,384 feet. Of these 241 gross wells, Diamondback is the operator of 50 gross wells, with an average royalty interest of 6.4%, and the remaining 191 gross wells, with an average royalty interest of 1.4%, are operated by third parties.

Additionally, during the first quarter of 2023, Viper acquired 159 net royalty acres from third party sellers for an aggregate net purchase price of $40.7 million, subject to customary post-closing adjustments. Of the acquired properties, approximately 36 net royalty acres are operated by Diamondback. Including the drop down, during the first quarter, Viper acquired a total of 819 net royalty acres for an aggregate net purchase price of $115.8 million.

As a result of these acquisitions, Viper’s footprint of mineral and royalty interests was 27,134 net royalty acres as of March 31, 2023.

The following table summarizes Viper’s gross well information:

The 488 gross wells currently in the process of active development are those wells that have been spud and are expected to be turned to production within approximately the next six to eight months. Further in regard to the active development on Viper’s asset base, there are currently 38 gross rigs operating on Viper’s acreage, nine of which are operated by Diamondback. The 453 line-of-sight wells are those that are not currently in the process of active development, but for which Viper has reason to believe that they will be turned to production within approximately the next 15 to 18 months. The expected timing of these line-of-sight wells is based primarily on permitting by third party operators or Diamondback’s current expected completion schedule. Existing permits or active development of Viper’s royalty acreage does not ensure that those wells will be turned to production.

GUIDANCE UPDATE

Below is Viper’s updated guidance for the full year 2023, as well as average production guidance for Q2 2023 and Q3 2023.

CONFERENCE CALL

Viper will host a conference call and webcast for investors and analysts to discuss its results for the first quarter of 2023 on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. CT. Access to the live audio-only webcast, and replay which will be available following the call, may be found here. The live webcast of the earnings conference call will also be available via Viper’s website at www.viperenergy.com under the “Investor Relations” section of the site.

About Viper Energy Partners LP

Viper is a limited partnership formed by Diamondback to own, acquire and exploit oil and natural gas properties in North America, with a focus on owning and acquiring mineral and royalty interests in oil-weighted basins, primarily the Permian Basin. For more information, please visit www.viperenergy.com.

About Diamondback Energy, Inc.

Diamondback is an independent oil and natural gas company headquartered in Midland, Texas focused on the acquisition, development, exploration and exploitation of unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves primarily in the Permian Basin in West Texas. For more information, please visit www.diamondbackenergy.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act, which involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding Viper’s: future performance; business strategy; future operations; estimates and projections of operating income, losses, costs and expenses, returns, cash flow, and financial position; production levels on properties in which Viper has mineral and royalty interests, developmental activity by other operators; reserve estimates and Viper’s ability to replace or increase reserves; anticipated benefits of strategic transactions (such as acquisitions or divestitures); and plans and objectives of (including Diamondback’s plans for developing Viper’s acreage and Viper’s cash distribution policy and common unit repurchase program) are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, the words “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “model,” “outlook,” “plan,” “positioned,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions (including the negative of such terms) as they relate to Viper are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Although Viper believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, they involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, in many cases, beyond its control. Accordingly, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of Viper’s future performance and the actual outcomes could differ materially from what Viper expressed in its forward-looking statements.

Factors that could cause the outcomes to differ materially include (but are not limited to) the following: changes in supply and demand levels for oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids, and the resulting impact on the price for those commodities; the impact of public health crises, including epidemic or pandemic diseases such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and any related company or government policies or actions; actions taken by the members of OPEC and Russia affecting the production and pricing of oil, as well as other domestic and global political, economic, or diplomatic developments, including any impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine on the global energy markets and geopolitical stability; instability in the financial sector; concerns over economic slowdown or potential recession; rising interest rates and their impact on the cost of capital; regional supply and demand factors, including delays, curtailment delays or interruptions of production on Viper’s mineral and royalty acreage, or governmental orders, rules or regulations that impose production limits on such acreage; federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing, including the effect of existing and future laws and governmental regulations; physical and transition risks relating to climate change and the risks and other factors disclosed in Viper’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, which can be obtained free of charge on the Securities and Exchange Commission's web site at http://www.sec.gov.

In light of these factors, the events anticipated by Viper’s forward-looking statements may not occur at the time anticipated or at all. Moreover, the new risks emerge from time to time. Viper cannot predict all risks, nor can it assess the impact of all factors on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by any forward-looking statements it may make. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements made in this news release. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release or, if earlier, as of the date they were made. Viper does not intend to, and disclaim any obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements unless required by applicable law.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

Adjusted EBITDA is a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure that is used by management and external users of our financial statements, such as industry analysts, investors, lenders and rating agencies. Viper defines Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) attributable to Viper Energy Partners LP plus net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest (“net income (loss)”) before interest expense, net, non-cash unit-based compensation expense, depletion expense, non-cash (gain) loss on derivative instruments, (gain) loss on extinguishment of debt and provision for (benefit from) income taxes, if any. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of net income as determined by United States’ generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Management believes Adjusted EBITDA is useful because it allows them to more effectively evaluate Viper’s operating performance and compare the results of its operations from period to period without regard to its financing methods or capital structure. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income, royalty income, cash flow from operating activities or any other measure of financial performance or liquidity presented as determined in accordance with GAAP. Certain items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA are significant components in understanding and assessing a company’s financial performance, such as a company’s cost of capital and tax structure, as well as the historic costs of depreciable assets, none of which are components of Adjusted EBITDA.

Viper defines cash available for distribution generally as an amount equal to its Adjusted EBITDA for the applicable quarter less cash needed for income taxes payable, debt service, contractual obligations, fixed charges and reserves for future operating or capital needs that the Board may deem appropriate, lease bonus income, distribution equivalent rights payments and preferred distributions, if any. Management believes cash available for distribution is useful because it allows them to more effectively evaluate Viper’s operating performance excluding the impact of non-cash financial items and short-term changes in working capital. Viper’s computations of Adjusted EBITDA and cash available for distribution may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies or to such measure in its credit facility or any of its other contracts. Viper further defines cash available for variable distribution as 75 percent of cash available for distribution less base distributions declared and repurchased units as part of its unit buyback program for the applicable quarter.

The following tables present a reconciliation of the GAAP financial measure of net income (loss) to the non-GAAP financial measures of Adjusted EBITDA, cash available for distribution and cash available for variable distribution:

The following table presents a reconciliation of the GAAP financial measure of income (loss) before income taxes to the non-GAAP financial measure of pre-tax income attributable to Viper Energy Partners LP. Management believes this measure is useful to investors given it provides the basis for income taxes payable by Viper Energy Partners LP, which is an adjustment to reconcile Adjusted EBITDA to cash available for distribution to Viper Energy Partners LP unitholders.

Adjusted net income (loss) is a non-GAAP financial measure equal to net income (loss) attributable to Viper Energy Partners, LP plus net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest adjusted for non-cash (gain) loss on derivative instruments, (gain) loss on extinguishment of debt, if any, and related income tax adjustments. The Company’s computation of adjusted net income may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies or to such measure in our credit facility or any of our other contracts. Management believes adjusted net income helps investors in the oil and natural gas industry to measure and compare the Company’s performance to other oil and natural gas companies by excluding from the calculation items that can vary significantly from company to company depending upon accounting methods, the book value of assets and other non-operational factors.

The following table presents a reconciliation of the GAAP financial measure of net income (loss) attributable to Viper Energy Partners LP to the non-GAAP financial measure of adjusted net income (loss):

RECONCILIATION OF LONG-TERM DEBT TO NET DEBT

The Company defines net debt as debt (excluding debt issuance costs, discounts and premiums) less cash and cash equivalents. Net debt should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, total debt, the most directly comparable GAAP measure. Management uses net debt to determine the Company's outstanding debt obligations that would not be readily satisfied by its cash and cash equivalents on hand. The Company believes this metric is useful to analysts and investors in determining the Company's leverage position because the Company has the ability to, and may decide to, use a portion of its cash and cash equivalents to reduce debt.

Derivatives

As of the filing date, the Company had the following outstanding derivative contracts. The Company’s derivative contracts are based upon reported settlement prices on commodity exchanges, with crude oil derivative settlements based on New York Mercantile Exchange West Texas Intermediate pricing and Crude Oil Brent. When aggregating multiple contracts, the weighted average contract price is disclosed.

Investor Contact:

Austen Gilfillian
+1 432.221.7420
agilfillian@viperenergy.com

Source: Viper Energy Partners LP; Diamondback Energy, Inc.

Source: Viper Energy Partners LP