Permian Resources Corporation (“Permian Resources” or the “Company”) (NYSE:PR, Financial) today announced an update to its return of capital strategy, which increases its quarterly base dividend from $0.06 per share to $0.15 per share ($0.60 per share annually). This represents a 150% increase to the Company’s prior base dividend and provides a leading base dividend yield amongst U.S. independent E&Ps.
As part of its updated shareholder return policy, the Board of Directors has also authorized a new share repurchase program of $1 billion, replacing the existing $500 million program. The Company’s approach to share buybacks will remain consistent with its historical strategy of focusing on opportunistic share repurchases.
“We have always believed that the base dividend is the most important and most efficient mechanism for returning cash to investors over time, and our updated dividend policy underscores that priority,” said James Walter, Co-CEO of Permian Resources. “Additionally, the revised return of capital strategy will provide better visibility for our shareholders to current and future dividends, while positioning Permian Resources to continue delivering strong dividend growth and leading total shareholder returns for years to come.”
“We are confident that our new base dividend is sustainable through future downcycles, which we define as being comfortably maintained for over two years at oil prices below $50 per barrel. The base dividend is supported by our leading cost structure in the Delaware Basin, deep bench of low breakeven drilling locations and strong balance sheet,” said Will Hickey, Co-CEO of Permian Resources.
Since inception, Permian Resources has been focused on maximizing value for its shareholders and has delivered best-in-class returns for the E&P sector over the last two years. During this time, Permian Resources has continued to demonstrate its low-cost leadership in the Delaware Basin, while executing accretive M&A and maintaining consistently low leverage. These actions have resulted in significant growth to the Company’s production per share and free cash flow per share, which in turn has driven peer leading total shareholder return.
The Company’s updated shareholder return policy replaces its previous formulaic variable return policy. Permian Resources expects its first quarterly base dividend of $0.15 per share under its new capital return policy to commence with its third quarter 2024 dividend.
Upcoming Conference Participation
Will Hickey and Guy Oliphint, Chief Financial Officer, are scheduled to present at the Barclays CEO Energy-Power Conference in New York City, New York on September 3, 2024 at 12:40 p.m. Eastern Time. The live webcast and presentation materials used at the conference will be available on the Company’s website at www.permianres.com under the Investor Relations tab.
About Permian Resources
Headquartered in Midland, Texas, Permian Resources is an independent oil and natural gas company focused on the responsible acquisition, optimization and development of high-return oil and natural gas properties. The Company’s assets and operations are concentrated in the core of the Delaware Basin, making it the second largest Permian Basin pure-play E&P. For more information, please visit www.permianres.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The information in this press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our financial strategy, return of capital programs, liquidity, general strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects, and other plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words “could,” “may,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “goal,” “plan,” “target” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events.
Forward-looking statements may include statements about:
- volatility of oil, natural gas and NGL prices or a prolonged period of low oil, natural gas or NGL prices and the effects of actions by, or disputes among or between, members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”), such as Saudi Arabia, and other oil and natural gas producing countries, such as Russia, with respect to production levels or other matters related to the price of oil, natural gas and NGLs;
- political and economic conditions and events in or affecting other producing regions or countries, including the Middle East, Russia, Eastern Europe, Africa and South America;
- our business strategy and future drilling plans;
- our reserves and our ability to replace the reserves we produce through drilling and property acquisitions;
- our drilling prospects, inventories, projects and programs;
- our leverage and capital required for our development program;
- the timing and amount of our future production of oil, natural gas and NGLs;
- our ability to identify, complete and effectively integrate acquisitions of properties, assets or businesses;
- our hedging strategy and results;
- our competition;
- our ability to obtain permits and governmental approvals;
- our compliance with government regulations, including those related to climate change as well as environmental, health and safety regulations and liabilities thereunder;
- our pending legal matters;
- the marketing and transportation of our oil, natural gas and NGLs;
- our leasehold or business acquisitions;
- cost of developing or operating our properties;
- our anticipated rate of return;
- general economic conditions;
- weather conditions in the areas where we operate;
- credit markets;
- our ability to make dividends, distributions and share repurchases;
- uncertainty regarding our future operating results;
- our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions contained in this press release that are not historical; and
- the other factors described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and any updates to those factors set forth in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K.
We caution you that these forward-looking statements are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control, incident to the exploration for and development, production, gathering and sale of oil, natural gas and NGLs. Factors which could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
- commodity price volatility (including regional basis differentials);
- uncertainty inherent in estimating oil, natural gas and NGL reserves, including the impact of commodity price declines on the economic producibility of such reserves, and in projecting future rates of production;
- geographic concentration of our operations;
- lack of availability of drilling and production equipment and services;
- lack of transportation and storage capacity as a result of oversupply, government regulations or other factors;
- risks relating to the merger of the Company with Earthstone Energy, Inc. and its subsidiaries;
- risks related to our recent bolt-on transactions, including the risk that we may fail to complete and integrate such acquisitions on the terms and timing currently contemplated, or at all, and/or to realize the expected benefits of such acquisitions;
- competition in the oil and natural gas industry for assets, materials, qualified personnel and capital;
- drilling and other operating risks;
- environmental and climate related risks, including seasonal weather conditions;
- regulatory changes, including those that may result from the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision overturning the Chevron deference doctrine and that may impact environmental, energy, and natural resources regulation;
- the possibility that the industry in which we operate may be subject to new or volatile local, state and federal regulatory or legislative actions (including additional taxes and changes in the environmental, health and safety regulation and regulations addressing climate change);
- restrictions on the use of water, including limits on the use of produced water and potential restrictions on the availability to water disposal facilities;
- availability to cash flow and access to capital;
- inflation;
- changes in our credit ratings or adverse changes in interest rates;
- changes in the financial strength of counterparties to our credit agreement and hedging contracts;
- the timing of development expenditures;
- political and economic conditions and events in foreign oil and natural gas producing countries, including embargoes, continued hostilities in the Middle East and other sustained military campaigns, including the conflict in Israel and its surrounding areas, the war in Ukraine and associated economic sanctions on Russia, conditions in South America, Central America, China and Russia, and acts of terrorism or sabotage;
- changes in local, regional, national, and international economic conditions;
- security threats, including evolving cybersecurity risks such as those involving unauthorized access, denial-of-service attacks, third-party service provider failures, malicious software, data privacy breaches by employees, insiders or other with authorized access, cyber or phishing-attacks, ransomware, social engineering, physical breaches or other actions; and
- other risks described in our filings with the SEC.
Reserve engineering is a process of estimating underground accumulations of oil and natural gas that cannot be measured in an exact way. The accuracy of any reserve estimate depends on the quality of available data, the interpretation of such data, and price and cost assumptions made by reserve engineers. In addition, the results of drilling, testing and production activities may justify revisions of estimates that were made previously. If significant, such revisions would change the schedule of any further production and development drilling. Accordingly, reserve estimates may differ significantly from the quantities of oil and natural gas that are ultimately recovered.
Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described in this press release occur, or should any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements, expressed or implied, included in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This cautionary statement should also be considered in connection with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that we or persons acting on our behalf may issue.
Except as otherwise required by applicable law, we disclaim any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.
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