A weekly update on issues important to the oil and gas industry
Companies in the energy sector and the broader market experienced an interesting year showing steady and strong growth in Q1-Q3 and met volatility in Q4, which effectively erased gains on the year and even resulted in negative returns. The oilfield services (OFS) sector, in particular, was impacted heavily during last quarter’s downturn driven primarily by fears of oversupply in the market and E&P companies cutting back and looking for discounts.
Q4 2018 was truly a dramatic quarter for the industry. It marked the end of the two and a half-year oil price recovery that began in 2016, while natural gas prices reached their highest point since 2014. With ongoing oversupply concerns, stabilizing geopolitical tensions, and lower forecasts for global oil demand, it appears in 2019 oil prices have a long way to recover to its previous high in 2018.
As the calendar turns to 2019, we turn our attention to the Appalachia region, and not by coincidence. Cooler temperatures in the winter months tend to lead to increased natural gas prices and consumption, and the Appalachia region is the largest natural gas producer in the country. Fourth quarter energy prices have moved in opposite directions, with crude prices declining steadily over the period while natural gas prices increased from about $3.0 to $3.5 per Mcf, peaking at over $4.8 in mid-November.
Falling oil prices have a downward pull on operator and mineral values, but they are not the only contributor. There are a host of potential operational issues that can reign in production, cash flow, investor expectations and, ultimately, valuations.
The domestic natural gas market has benefitted from large expansion in recent years, and this can be largely attributed to the growth experienced in Appalachia. Despite the continued growth, transaction activity in the Marcellus-Utica in 2018 was slower than in 2017. Some companies have been moving in to capitalize on the increased demand for natural gas while others are restructuring their balance sheets in order to focus primarily on higher margin assets, such as oil.
There are many reasons that you may want to sell your oil and gas royalty interest, but a lack of knowledge regarding the worth of your royalty interest could be very costly. Whether an inflow of cash would help you make ends meet or finance a large purchase; you no longer want to deal with the administrative paperwork or accounting cost of reconciling monthly revenue payments; or you would prefer to diversify your portfolio or move your investments to a less volatile industry, understanding how royalty interests are valued will ensure that you maximize the value.
One of the most complex aspects of oil and gas valuation is accounting for the risk associated with PDNP reserves, PUD reserves, and the less certain probables and possibles (P2 and P3 Reserves). Generally, there are three ways to account for this additional risk: (1) Using a risk-adjusted discount rate, (2) applying a reserve adjustment factor (RAF), or (3) utilizing a modified option pricing model.
Executing a successful joint venture requires a number of items working in harmony such as solid due diligence, good location, cooperation between both firms, and a degree of luck on the bet they are making.
It seems a bit contradictory that a large amount of projects are structured as joint ventures if they have such a high failure rate. This begs the question, does the success of the JV hinge on the quality of the oilfield or the technical ability of the operator? The answer, we think, lies somewhere in the middle.
Where many producers are struggling to transport their product to market, companies operating in the Haynesville Shale are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the Gulf Coast LNG export resurgence.
Improvements in technology have driven the shale revolution. Among these improvements are both cost cutting by oilfield service providers and longer laterals from E&P companies. While capacity constraints from a lack of infrastructure has led to pricing differentials (particularly in the Permian Basin), a lack of inventory in the global oil market is expected to support higher prices, while also increasing price volatility.
As we plan to do every quarter, we take a look at some of the earnings commentary of large players in the oil and gas space to gain further insight into the challenges and opportunities developing in the industry.
