DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Matador Resources Company (NYSE: MTDR) (“Matador” or the “Company”) today reported financial and operating results for the second quarter of 2022. A short slide presentation summarizing the highlights of Matador’s second quarter 2022 earnings release is also included on the Company’s website at www.matadorresources.com on the Events and Presentations page under the Investor Relations tab.

Management Summary Comments

Joseph Wm. Foran, Matador’s Founder, Chairman and CEO, commented, “On both our website and the webcast planned for tomorrow’s earnings conference call is a set of five slides identified as ‘Chairman’s Remarks’ (Slides A through E) to add color and detail to my remarks. We invite you to review these slides in conjunction with my comments below, which are intended to provide context for the second quarter 2022 results. Matador is celebrating its ten year anniversary as a public company.

Record Results in Second Quarter 2022

“The first quarter of 2022 was a record quarter—the best quarter in Matador’s history. The second quarter of 2022 was even better, operationally and financially. Matador set new financial records across the board, including all-time quarterly highs for oil and natural gas revenues of $893 million, net income of $416 million, Adjusted EBITDA of $664 million and adjusted free cash flow of $454 million (see Slide A), and we expect the next two quarters to be strong as well.

“Matador’s production has reached an important inflection point. In March 2022, Matador averaged production of over 100,000 barrels of oil and natural gas equivalent (“BOE”) per day. During the second quarter of 2022, Matador increased its average oil and natural gas equivalent production 18% sequentially to over 110,000 BOE per day (see Slide B).

“San Mateo Midstream also delivered a record quarter, including all-time high throughput volumes for natural gas gathering and processing, oil gathering and transportation and water handling, as well as record quarterly net income for San Mateo of $42 million and record Adjusted EBITDA for San Mateo of $53 million (see Slide C).

Revolver Repaid, Bonds Repurchased and Quarterly Dividend Doubled

“During the second quarter, Matador used a portion of its free cash flow to pay down the remaining $50 million in borrowings outstanding under its reserves-based revolving credit facility. In addition, during the second quarter and through July 25, 2022, Matador repurchased $158 million of its outstanding senior notes in a series of open market transactions, reducing its outstanding bonds from $1.05 billion to $892 million today. Over the past seven quarters, beginning in the fourth quarter of 2020, Matador has reduced its outstanding debt by $633 million or approximately 42% of our then total revolving debt and senior notes outstanding. This pay down of debt was an important achievement and safety goal for Matador and its shareholders given the recent volatility in global energy markets and increasing fears of a recession by the market. Matador’s leverage ratio has now declined from 2.9x at year-end 2020 to 0.5x at the end of the second quarter of 2022, marking Matador’s lowest leverage ratio since the quarter Matador became a publicly-traded company in early 2012 (see Slide D). This pay down provides Matador a number of additional strategic options going forward.

“Given our strong results to-date and our continued confidence in Matador’s growing operational and financial strength, we were very pleased to announce at our Annual Meeting of Shareholders in June the doubling of our cash dividend from $0.20 per share to $0.40 per share on an annualized basis.

Looking Ahead and Adjusting Full Year 2022 Guidance

“Matador recently contracted a seventh drilling rig to accelerate the timing of the next phase of drilling on its Rodney Robinson leasehold in the western portion of the Antelope Ridge asset area. The seventh rig will begin drilling operations there in the third quarter of 2022. We continue to be very pleased with the well performance and strong economic results across multiple completion intervals throughout the Rodney Robinson leasehold. As a result, we have elected to accelerate the drilling of eight wells there into the second half of 2022. These wells, originally scheduled for drilling in late 2023, are anticipated to be turned to sales late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter of 2023. Presently, there are 19 producing wells on this lease. These next eight wells will increase the well count to 27.

“Despite the better-than-expected well performances across all of our asset areas, we are only increasing the midpoints of our 2022 total oil and natural gas production guidance modestly at this time from 21.5 million barrels to 21.7 million barrels for oil and from 95.0 billion cubic feet to 95.5 billion cubic feet for natural gas (see Slide E). This production growth is adversely affected at the moment by divestitures of non-core producing properties in the Eagle Ford and Haynesville, the uncertainty of the number and timing of non-operating well proposals and offset operator activity across our asset areas requiring shut-ins during completion activities. In addition, the Rodney Robinson completions in the second half of 2022 will also require shut-ins of various producing wells during completion activities there. Similar to our decision last year to accelerate the Voni completions, enabling the Voni wells to be turned to sales earlier than originally planned, the early completion of the eight Rodney Robinson wells should give us positive momentum when they are turned on late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter of next year.

“The midpoint of our 2022 capital expenditures guidance for drilling, completing and equipping wells has been increased by $125 million from $675 million to $800 million. Most of this increase is associated with the seventh rig and the accelerated drilling program at Rodney Robinson and from additional working interests obtained through acreage trades and non-operated well proposals. Only approximately $30 million of the $125 million expected increase is attributable to further service cost inflation anticipated in the second half of 2022. Our staff and field personnel have done a great job mitigating these inflationary pressures with sustainable operating efficiencies, including reduced days on well in both drilling and completions operations, simultaneous and remote fracturing operations and the use of dual-fuel fracturing operations, among other items.”

Second Quarter 2022 Financial and Operational Highlights

Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities and Adjusted Free Cash Flow

• Second quarter 2022 net cash provided by operating activities was $646.3 million (GAAP basis), leading to second quarter 2022 adjusted free cash flow (a non-GAAP financial measure) of $453.8 million.

Net Income, Earnings Per Share and Adjusted EBITDA

• Second quarter 2022 net income (GAAP basis) was $415.7 million, or $3.47 per diluted common share, a 101% sequential increase from net income of $207.1 million in the first quarter of 2022, and a 293% year-over-year increase from net income of $105.9 million in the second quarter of 2021.

• Second quarter 2022 adjusted net income (a non-GAAP financial measure) was $415.6 million, or adjusted earnings of $3.47 per diluted common share, a 50% sequential increase from adjusted net income of $277.5 million in the first quarter of 2022, and a 242% year-over-year increase from adjusted net income of $121.7 million in the second quarter of 2021.

• Second quarter 2022 adjusted earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depletion, depreciation and amortization and certain other items (“Adjusted EBITDA,” a non-GAAP financial measure) were $663.8 million, a 44% sequential increase from $461.8 million in the first quarter of 2022, and a 154% year-over-year increase from $261.0 million in the second quarter of 2021.

Oil, Natural Gas and Total Production Above Expectations

• As summarized in the table below, Matador’s second quarter 2022 average daily oil, natural gas and total production were all quarterly records and above the Company’s expectations. The majority of the higher-than-expected production resulted from better-than-expected production from the most recent 11 Voni wells and the most recent nine Rodney Robinson wells turned to sales late in the first quarter of this year. Eight more Rodney Robinson wells are expected to come online late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter of 2023.

Capital Expenditures Below Expectations

• Drilling and completion costs for the 11 gross (6.4 net) operated horizontal wells turned to sales in the second quarter of 2022 averaged $772 per completed lateral foot, an increase of 3% from average drilling and completion costs of $752 per completed lateral foot achieved in the first quarter of 2022. Additional increases in service costs are anticipated in the second half of 2022, and the Company now expects drilling and completion costs of approximately $890 per completed lateral foot for full-year 2022, an increase of approximately 5%.

Strategic Acquisition of Midstream Assets in Lea and Eddy Counties, New Mexico

• On June 30, 2022, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Matador closed its previously announced acquisition of the Lane Gathering and Processing System, which is being renamed the “Marlan Gathering and Processing System,” in Lea and Eddy Counties, New Mexico from a subsidiary of Summit Midstream Partners, LP (see Matador’s June 9, 2022 press release for additional details). The acquired midstream entity is now named Pronto Midstream, LLC (“Pronto Midstream”) and is not part of San Mateo. The Marlan Gathering and Processing System includes a 60 million cubic feet per day cryogenic natural gas processing plant, three compressor stations and approximately 45 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines. This acquisition is a further extension of Matador’s strategy to control the efficiency of midstream operations and to use its midstream assets to further enhance and assist the Company’s exploration, production and environmental operations and add third-party customers.

Note: All references to Matador’s net income, adjusted net income, Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted free cash flow reported throughout this earnings release are those values attributable to Matador Resources Company shareholders after giving effect to any net income, adjusted net income, Adjusted EBITDA or adjusted free cash flow, respectively, attributable to third-party non-controlling interests, including in San Mateo Midstream, LLC (“San Mateo”). Matador owns 51% of San Mateo. For a definition of adjusted net income, adjusted earnings per diluted common share, Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted free cash flow and reconciliations of such non-GAAP financial metrics to their comparable GAAP metrics, please see “Supplemental Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

Sequential and year-over-year quarterly comparisons of selected financial and operating items are shown in the following table:

Full-Year 2022 Guidance Update

As shown in the table below, effective July 26, 2022, Matador updated its full year 2022 guidance estimates for oil, natural gas and total oil equivalent production and D/C/E capital expenditures, which were originally provided on February 22, 2022. In addition, Matador affirmed its 2022 estimates for midstream capital expenditures.

The guidance estimates presented in the table above reflect the following key assumptions and modifications for anticipated drilling and completions and midstream activity for full year 2022 as provided on July 26, 2022.

• Matador now expects to turn to sales 80 gross (63.7 net) operated horizontal wells during 2022, an increase of 2.9 net wells from the Company’s prior expectations, primarily as a result of additional working interests from anticipated acreage trades. Most of the wells impacted by these acreage trades are expected to be turned to sales in the fourth quarter of 2022 and will not contribute significantly to Matador’s production in 2022. Matador expects to incur incremental D/C/E capital expenditures of approximately $40 million associated with these additional working interests.

• Matador contracted a seventh drilling rig, which is expected to begin drilling eight wells on the Company’s Rodney Robinson leasehold in western Antelope Ridge in the third quarter of 2022. These eight Rodney Robinson wells are expected to be turned to sales late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter of 2023 rather than in the fourth quarter of 2023. Matador estimates additional D/C/E capital expenditures attributable to the seventh rig and the acceleration of operations at Rodney Robinson to be approximately $55 million in 2022.

• Increases due to anticipated service cost inflation make up only $30 million of the $125 million increase in the Company’s estimates for full year 2022 D/C/E capital expenditures, primarily as a result of Matador’s cost mitigation efforts, as noted above.

• During the first half of 2022, Matador divested certain operated assets in the Eagle Ford shale in South Texas as well as a small portion of its non-operated assets in the Haynesville shale in Northwest Louisiana. The Company received approximately $35 million in proceeds from these asset sales. These divestitures of non-core producing properties are expected to result in a reduction in estimated production in the second half of 2022 of approximately 220,000 BOE, including a decrease of approximately 70,000 barrels of oil and approximately 0.9 Bcf of natural gas.

• Matador estimates that the acceleration of completion operations for the eight Rodney Robinson wells and incremental shut-ins at Stateline due to offset operator completions during the second half of 2022 should result in a reduction in estimated second half production of approximately 315,000 BOE, including a decrease of approximately 180,000 barrels of oil and 0.8 Bcf of natural gas, as compared to prior estimates. These changes in estimates have been already incorporated in the guidance provided on July 26, 2022.

Third and Fourth Quarter 2022 Completions and Production Cadence Update

Third Quarter 2022 Estimated Wells Turned to Sales

At July 26, 2022, Matador expects to turn to sales 24 gross (20.1 net) operated horizontal wells in the Delaware Basin during the third quarter of 2022, consisting of 16 gross (12.8 net) wells in the Antelope Ridge asset area, four gross (4.0 net) wells in the Stateline asset area and four gross (3.3 net) in the Rustler Breaks asset area. The Company expects the average completed lateral length of these wells to be approximately 9,600 feet.

Third Quarter 2022 Estimated Oil, Natural Gas and Total Oil Equivalent Production

The table below provides Matador’s estimates, as of July 26, 2022, for the anticipated quarterly sequential changes in the Company’s average daily total oil equivalent, oil and natural gas production for the third quarter and fourth quarters of 2022.

As noted in the table above, Matador expects its average daily total production to decrease 9% sequentially from 110,750 BOE per day in the second quarter of 2022 to approximately 101,000 BOE per day in the third quarter of 2022 but is expected to increase in the fourth quarter of 2022 to approximately 106,000 BOE per day. The third quarter sequential decrease was anticipated as part of Matador’s original guidance for 2022 and is primarily attributable to (i) fewer wells being completed and turned to sales in the second quarter of 2022 and the first half of the third quarter of 2022, as compared to prior periods, (ii) the timing of new wells anticipated to be turned to sales late in the third quarter of 2022, (iii) additional production being shut in due to accelerated offset completion activity, as compared to previous expectations and as noted above and (iv) sales of non-core properties as noted above.

Mac Schmitz
Vice President - Investor Relations
(972) 371-5225
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