HOUSTON, Aug. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE: MRO) today reported a second quarter 2020 net loss of $750 million, or $0.95 per diluted share, which includes the impact of certain items not typically represented in analysts' earnings estimates and that would otherwise affect comparability of results. The adjusted net loss was $477 million, or $0.60 per diluted share. Net operating cash flow was $9 million, or $86 million before changes in working capital.

Highlights

• Second quarter capital expenditures of $137 million on successful and efficient pause in drilling and completion activity; reducing full year capital expenditure guidance to $1.2 billion on strong execution and capital efficiency
• Second quarter total Company oil production of 197,000 net bopd, inclusive of approximately 11,000 net bopd of curtailments
• Raising full year 2020 total Company oil production outlook to 190,000 net bopd at the midpoint of guidance, inclusive of year-to-date curtailments; prior guidance excluded production curtailments
• Second quarter U.S. unit production cost of $4.09 per boe; lowest level since becoming an independent exploration and production company
• $3.0 billion undrawn revolving credit facility and $522 million of cash and cash equivalents at end of second quarter; July 3rd pro-forma cash balance of $611 million with receipt of Alternative Minimum Tax refund
• Positioned for free cash flow generation at commodity prices well below current forward curve with second half 2020 free cash flow breakeven in low $30/bbl WTI range

"Amid tremendous commodity volatility, our ongoing response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, and a challenging year for our industry, we have remained focused on the factors we can control: how we allocate capital, how we manage our cost structure, and how we execute," said Chairman, President, and CEO Lee Tillman. "Second quarter results are a testament to that focus, highlighted by safety and operational excellence, lower than expected capital spending and cash costs, and capital efficiency outperformance. On the back of this strong execution, we are both lowering capital spending guidance and raising oil production guidance for the full year."

"We believe the Company is successfully positioned to generate free cash flow at commodity prices well below the current forward curve, while protecting operational momentum into 2021," Tillman continued. "Though premature to provide a specific business plan, our differentiated capital efficiency is illustrated by a 2021 benchmark maintenance scenario that we believe could deliver total Company oil production in-line with 4Q20 at a free cash flow breakeven of approximately $35/bbl."

United States (U.S.)

U.S. production averaged 307,000 net barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) for second quarter 2020. Oil production averaged 182,000 net barrels of oil per day (bopd) inclusive of approximately 11,000 net bopd of curtailments. U.S. unit production costs were $4.09 per boe, a decline of approximately 20% in comparison to the 2019 average and the lowest quarterly average since Marathon Oil became an independent exploration and production company.

In the Eagle Ford, Marathon Oil's second quarter 2020 production averaged 108,000 net boed. Oil production averaged 66,000 net bopd on 20 gross Company-operated wells to sales. In the Bakken, production averaged 103,000 net boed in the second quarter 2020, including oil production of 80,000 net bopd. Marathon Oil brought 8 gross Company-operated wells to sales during second quarter in the Bakken. Marathon Oil's Oklahoma production averaged 60,000 net boed in the second quarter 2020, including oil production of 15,000 net bopd. The Company did not bring any gross Company-operated wells to sales during second quarter in Oklahoma. Marathon Oil's Northern Delaware production averaged 30,000 net boed in the second quarter 2020. Oil production averaged 16,000 net bopd on 6 gross Company-operated wells to sales.

In total, Marathon Oil brought 34 gross Company-operated wells to sales during second quarter, with 32 of those wells coming online in April. Following the pause in drilling and completion activity during second quarter, the Company has resumed activity in both the Eagle Ford and Bakken, currently running 3 rigs and 2 frac crews across the two plays. Consistent with previous disclosure, gross Company-operated wells to sales over the second half of 2020 will be weighted to the fourth quarter.

Marathon Oil has completed its 2020 Resource Play Exploration (REx) drilling program, which was primarily focused on continued delineation of the Company's contiguous 60,000 net acreage position in the Texas Delaware Oil Play. In the Texas Delaware, the Company has now successfully brought online four Woodford wells and two Meramec wells since entering the play. These wells have confirmed reservoir productivity and gas/oil ratio expectations while exhibiting high oil cut, shallow decline profiles, and low water/oil ratios.

International

Equatorial Guinea production averaged 83,000 net boed for second quarter 2020, including 15,000 net bopd of oil. Unit production costs averaged $1.88 per boe.

Guidance

Due to strong execution and capital efficiency improvement, Marathon Oil has reduced its full year 2020 capital spending guidance to $1.2 billion and raised its full year 2020 oil production guidance. The midpoint of revised, full year 2020 total Company oil production guidance is now 190,000 net bopd, inclusive of year-to-date curtailments. As a reminder, previously provided production guidance was on an underlying basis and excluded the impact from production curtailments. Revised full year guidance accounts for a sequential reduction in expected third quarter Equatorial Guinea production due to the impact of higher forward prices on net interest under the production sharing contract (PSC) and natural decline.

Corporate

Net cash provided by operations was $9 million during second quarter 2020, or $86 million before changes in working capital. Second quarter capital expenditures totaled $137 million.

Total liquidity as of June 30 was approximately $3.5 billion, which consisted of an undrawn revolving credit facility of $3.0 billion and $522 million in cash and cash equivalents. June 30 cash balance was reduced by a $261 million change in working capital associated with operating and investing activities. Second quarter working capital effects were primarily driven by the substantial drop in activity levels and should normalize over the second half of the year. Shortly after quarter end, Marathon Oil received an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) refund, adjusting for which resulted in a July 3rd pro-forma cash balance of $611 million.

The adjustments to net loss for second quarter 2020 totaled $273 million before tax, primarily due to the income impact associated with an equity method investment impairment, unrealized losses on derivative instruments, and non-recurring costs associated with organizational restructuring.

A slide deck and Quarterly Investor Packet will be posted to the Company's website following this release today, August 5. On Thursday, August 6, at 9:00 a.m. ET, the Company will conduct a question and answer webcast/call, which will include forward-looking information. The live webcast, replay and all related materials will be available at https://ir.marathonoil.com/.

Non-GAAP Measures

In analyzing and planning for its business, Marathon Oil supplements its use of GAAP financial measures with non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted net income (loss), adjusted net income (loss) per share, net cash provided by operations before changes in working capital and pro-forma cash balance.

Adjusted net income (loss) is defined as net income (loss) adjusted for gain/loss on dispositions, impairments of proved property, goodwill, and equity method investments, unrealized derivative gain/loss on commodity instruments, effects of pension settlement losses and curtailments and other items that could be considered "non-operating" or "non-core" in nature. Management believes adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted net income (loss) per share are useful to investors as additional tools to meaningfully represent the Company's operating performance and to compare Marathon to certain competitors.

Management believes net cash provided by operations before changes in working capital is useful to investors to demonstrate the Company's ability to generate cash quarterly or year-to-date by eliminating differences caused by the timing of certain working capital items.

Pro-forma cash balance is defined as cash and cash equivalents plus adjustments for the Alternative Minimum Tax refund we recently received. Management believes adjusting for this item provides a clearer picture of our liquidity.

These non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of the business that, when viewed with GAAP results may provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting the business and are a useful tool to help management and investors make informed decisions about Marathon Oil's financial and operating performance. These measures should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures can be found in our investor package on our website at https://ir.marathonoil.com/ and in the tables below. Marathon Oil strongly encourages investors to review the Company's consolidated financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety and not rely on any single financial measure.

Forward-looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, including without limitation statements regarding the Company's future capital budgets and allocations (including development capital budget and resource play leasing and exploration spend), future performance, corporate-level cash returns on invested capital, business strategy, asset quality, drilling plans, production guidance, cash margins, asset sales and acquisitions, leasing and exploration activities, production, oil growth and other plans and objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "future," "guidance," "intend," "may," "outlook," "plan," "positioned," "project," "seek," "should," "target," "will," "would," or similar words may be used to identify forward-looking statements; however, the absence of these words does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. While the Company believes its assumptions concerning future events are reasonable, a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, including, but not limited to: conditions in the oil and gas industry, including supply/demand levels for crude oil and condensate, NGLs and natural gas and the resulting impact on price; changes in expected reserve or production levels; changes in political or economic conditions in the U.S. and Equatorial Guinea, including changes in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates, inflation rates; actions taken by the members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia affecting the production and pricing of crude oil; and other global and domestic political, economic or diplomatic developments; capital available for exploration and development; risks related to the Company's hedging activities; voluntary or involuntary curtailments, delays or cancellations of certain drilling activities; well production timing; liability resulting from litigation; drilling and operating risks; lack of, or disruption in, access to storage capacity, pipelines or other transportation methods; availability of drilling rigs, materials and labor, including the costs associated therewith; difficulty in obtaining necessary approvals and permits; non-performance by third parties of contractual obligations; unforeseen hazards such as weather conditions, a health pandemic (including COVID-19), acts of war or terrorist acts and the government or military response thereto; cyber-attacks; changes in safety, health, environmental, tax and other regulations, requirements or initiatives, including initiatives addressing the impact of global climate change, air emissions, or water management; other geological, operating and economic considerations; and the risk factors, forward-looking statements and challenges and uncertainties described in the Company's 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other public filings and press releases, available at https://ir.marathonoil.com/. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Media Relations Contact:Stephanie Gentry: 713-296-3307

Investor Relations Contacts:Guy Baber: 713-296-1892John Reid: 713-296-4380

The following table sets forth outstanding derivative contracts as of August 5, 2020, and the weighted average prices for those contracts:

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SOURCE Marathon Oil Corporation