Cabot Oil & Gas Slips To Loss In Q3; Cuts 2015 Capital Program Guidance

(RTTNews) - Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. (COG) reported that its net loss for the third quarter of 2015 was $15.5 million or $0.04 per share, compared to net income of $100.8 million or $0.24 per share in the third quarter of 2014. Cabot reduced its 2015 capital program guidance to $850 million.

"Even in the face of persistent headwinds resulting from lower commodity prices, Cabot continues to deliver positive operating results while lowering our cost structure through an improvement in operating efficiencies and a strict focus on capital discipline," said Dan O. Dinges, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Excluding the effect of selected items including a $17.6 million after-tax non-cash mark-to-market loss on natural gas derivatives, net loss was $2.2 million, or $0.01 per share, in the third quarter of 2015, compared to net income of $85.0 million, or $0.20 per share, in the third quarter of 2014. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to break even per share. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

EBITDAX in the third quarter of 2015 was $167.6 million, compared to $325.9 million in the third quarter of 2014. Significant reductions in realized prices for both natural gas and oil were the primary drivers for the lower results in the quarter, partially offset by higher equivalent production and lower overall operating expenses.

Operating revenues for the quarter dropped to $305.30 million from $512.02 million in the prior year. Wall Street expected revenues of $354.36 million.

Equivalent production in the third quarter of 2015 was 142.1 billion cubic feet equivalent (Bcfe), consisting of 133.0 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas and 1.5 million barrels (Mmbbls) of liquids (crude oil/condensate/natural gas liquids). These figures represent increases of 7 percent, 5 percent, and 57 percent, respectively, compared to the third quarter of 2014.

The Company has provided fourth quarter net production guidance of 1,475 to 1,600 million cubic feet (Mmcf) per day for natural gas, as it continues to curtail a portion of its Marcellus production, and 14,000 to 15,500 Bbls per day for liquids. The Company expects its natural gas price realizations before the impact of hedges to average between $0.90 and $1.00 below NYMEX settlement prices for the fourth quarter.

Based on the fourth quarter production guidance, the Company has adjusted its full-year 2015 equivalent production growth guidance range to 12 to 14 percent. Additionally, Cabot is reducing its 2015 capital program guidance to $850 million.

"The reduction in investment dollars for 2015 is a result of continued improvements in operating efficiencies, further reductions in service costs, and our decision to defer the completion of a portion of our stages in both the Marcellus and Eagle Ford," said Dinges.

The Company has initiated its preliminary 2016 production growth guidance range at 2 to 10 percent, for which the low-end takes into account potential price-related production curtailments throughout the year based on current market price expectations and the high-end reflects an uncurtailed program predicated on an improvement in price realizations. This production growth range is based on a capital budget of $615 million.