Reports record total and oil production for 4Q-24 and FY-24
Updates development inventory to >11 years of oil-weighted locations
TULSA, OK, Feb. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE: VTLE) (“Vital Energy” or the “Company”) today reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 financial and operating results and provided its 2025 outlook. Supplemental slides have been posted to the Company’s website and can be found at www.vitalenergy.com. A conference call to discuss results is planned for 7:30 a.m. CT, Thursday, February 20, 2025. A webcast will be available on the Company’s website.
Fourth-Quarter 2024 Highlights
- Successfully integrated Point Energy assets; acquired production exceeding expectations and operating cost reductions in-line with expectations
- Reported a net loss of $359.4 million, Adjusted Net Income1 of $86.5 million and cash flows from operating activities of $257.2 million
- Generated Consolidated EBITDAX1 of $383.5 million and Adjusted Free Cash Flow1 of $110.8 million
- Produced Company-record 147.8 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (“MBOE/d”) and oil production of 69.8 thousand barrels of oil per day (“MBO/d”)
- Reported lease operating expense (“LOE”) of $8.89 per BOE, below guidance of $9.35 per BOE
- Reported capital investments of $226.1 million, excluding non-budgeted acquisitions and leasehold expenditures
Full-Year 2024 Highlights
- Increased oil-weighted inventory to ~925 locations, ~400 of which breakeven below $50 per barrel WTI
- Issued an aggregate $1 billion of senior unsecured notes due 2032 at 7.875% and utilized the proceeds to repurchase higher coupon notes, resulting in annualized interest expense savings of $11 million
- Reported a net loss of $173.5 million, Adjusted Net Income1 of $270.0 million and cash flows from operating activities of $1.0 billion
- Generated Consolidated EBITDAX1 of $1.3 billion and Adjusted Free Cash Flow1 of $232.8 million
- Reported year-end 2024 proved reserves of 455.3 million BOE, an increase of 12% versus prior year
1Non-GAAP financial measure; please see supplemental reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures at the end of this release.
“We strengthened our business in 2024 through enhanced scale, optimized assets and a lengthened runway of high-quality inventory,” said Jason Pigott, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We successfully integrated our largest ever asset purchase in the Delaware Basin and early results positively impacted our operating and financial performance. Vital Energy continues to show that our talented people can capture important synergies from acquisitions while expanding inventory.”
“In 2025, our primary goals are reducing costs, maximizing Adjusted Free Cash Flow generation, absolute debt reduction, and extending and enhancing our existing inventory,” continued Pigott. “Our inventory provides us with ample high-return development opportunities and a strong outlook for Adjusted Free Cash Flow generation. Recent operational achievements, like horseshoe wells, are creating new efficiencies and allowing us to develop highly productive, stranded leasehold. We will continue to focus on optimizing our asset base to achieve our cash flow and debt repayment targets.”
Fourth-Quarter 2024 Financial and Operations Summary
Financial Results. The Company reported a net loss of $359.4 million, or $(9.59) per diluted share, which included a non-cash pre-tax impairment loss on oil and gas properties of $481.3 million, and Adjusted Net Income of $86.5 million, or $2.30 per adjusted diluted share. Cash flows from operating activities were $257.2 million and Consolidated EBITDAX was $383.5 million.
Production. Vital Energy’s total and oil production exceeded the high end of guidance, averaging 147,819 BOE/d and 69,827 BO/d, respectively. Volumes were driven by better-than-expected production from the Point Energy assets.
Capital Investments. Total capital investments, excluding non-budgeted acquisitions and leasehold expenditures, were $226 million, including approximately $17 million of additional drilling and completions investments related to increased working interest and carried interest and $5 million from acceleration of activity into the fourth quarter.
Investments included $190 million for drilling and completions, $22 million in infrastructure investments, $8 million in other capitalized costs and $6 million in land, exploration and data-related costs.
Operating Expenses. LOE during the period was $8.89 per BOE, below guidance of $9.35 per BOE, as the Company integrated its Point Energy assets. Lower expenses were primarily related to reduced workover activity on the Point Energy assets during integration.
General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses totaled $1.95 per BOE for fourth-quarter 2024, in line with guidance. General and administrative expenses, excluding long-term incentive plan (“LTIP”) and transaction expenses were $1.71 per BOE. Cash LTIP expenses were $0.02 per BOE and reflected the decrease in Vital Energy’s common stock price during the third quarter. Non-cash LTIP expenses were $0.22 per BOE.
Liquidity. At December 31, 2024, the Company had $880 million drawn on its $1.5 billion senior secured credit facility and cash and cash equivalents of $40 million.
2025 Outlook
Vital Energy’s 2025 development plan is designed to maximize cash flow to facilitate debt repayment, supported by its robust hedge position. In comparison to the Company’s earlier projections, the finalized 2025 outlook has lower capital investment levels and slightly lower oil production. In 2025, the Company expects to generate approximately $330 million of Adjusted Free Cash Flow at $70 per barrel WTI.
Capital Investments. Vital Energy plans to invest $825 – $925 million in 2025, excluding non-budgeted acquisitions and leasehold expenditures. Efficiencies and lower costs are driving capital investments approximately 3% lower than earlier projections while expecting to complete approximately the same net lateral feet as in 2024.
Production. The Company expects total production of 134.0 – 140.0 MBOE/d and oil production of 62.5 – 66.5 MBO/d. Production is approximately 3% lower than earlier projections. The shortfall is related to operational delays and the underperformance of a seven-well development package in Upton County.
Operating Expenses. The Company has made significant progress reducing operating expenses through integration of its Point Energy assets. Some workover expense was deferred from fourth-quarter 2024 into the first quarter of 2025. Average LOE for the two quarters is expected to be around $9.20 per BOE, putting the Company on pace to achieve LOE below $9.00 per BOE by the end of 2025.
Oil-Weighted Inventory
The Company has continued to extend and enhance its inventory of high-return development locations. At year-end 2024, Vital Energy had approximately 925 locations with an average breakeven WTI oil price of around $50 WTI. Approximately 400 of these locations breakeven below $50 per barrel WTI. Additionally, there are an additional approximately 250 locations that can be added to inventory pending successful delineation.
2024 Proved Reserves
Vital Energy’s total proved reserves at year-end 2024 were 455.3 MMBOE (40% oil, 70% developed). The standardized measure of discounted net cash flows was $4.22 billion and the PV-10 value was $4.51 billion utilizing SEC benchmark pricing of $75.48 per barrel WTI for oil ($76.76 per barrel average realized price) and $2.13 per MMBtu Henry Hub for natural gas ($0.85 per Mcf average realized price).
First-Quarter 2025 Guidance
The table below reflects the Company’s guidance for production and capital investments.
| 1Q-25E | ||
| Total production (MBOE/d) | 135.0 – 141.0 | |
| Oil production (MBO/d) | 62.0 – 66.0 | |
| Capital investments, excluding non-budgeted acquisitions ($ MM) | $230 – $260 | |
The table below reflects the Company’s guidance for select revenue and expense items.
| 1Q-25E | ||
| Average sales price realizations (excluding derivatives): | ||
| Oil (% of WTI) | 101% | |
| NGL (% of WTI) | 26% | |
| Natural gas (% of Henry Hub) | 50% | |
| Net settlements received (paid) for matured commodity derivatives ($ MM): | ||
| Oil | $14 | |
| NGL | ($2) | |
| Natural gas | $0 | |
| Selected average costs & expenses: | ||
| Lease operating expenses ($ MM) | $115 – $120 | |
| Production and ad valorem taxes (% of oil, NGL and natural gas sales revenues) | 6.30% | |
| Oil transportation and marketing expenses ($ MM) | $11.5 – $12.5 | |
| Gas gathering, processing and transportation expenses ($ MM) | $7.0 – $8.0 | |
| General and administrative expenses (excluding LTIP and transaction expenses, $ MM) | $21.5 – $23.0 | |
| General and administrative expenses (LTIP cash, $ MM) | $0.5 – $0.6 | |
| General and administrative expenses (LTIP non-cash, $ MM) | $3.0 – $3.5 | |
| Depletion, depreciation and amortization ($ MM) | $180 – $190 | |
Conference Call Details
Vital Energy plans to host a conference call at 7:30 a.m. CT on Thursday, February 20, 2025, to discuss its fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 financial and operating results and its 2025 outlook. Supplemental slides will be posted to the Company’s website. Interested parties are invited to listen to the call via the Company’s website at www.vitalenergy.com, under the tab for “Investor Relations | News & Presentations | Upcoming Events.”
About Vital Energy
Vital Energy, Inc. is an independent energy company with headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Vital Energy’s business strategy is focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin of West Texas.
Additional information about Vital Energy may be found on its website at www.vitalenergy.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release and any oral statements made regarding the contents of this release, including in the conference call referenced herein, contain forward-looking statements as defined under Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that address activities that Vital Energy assumes, plans, expects, believes, intends, projects, indicates, enables, transforms, estimates or anticipates (and other similar expressions) will, should or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based on management’s current belief, based on currently available information, as to the outcome and timing of future events. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties. General risks relating to Vital Energy include, but are not limited to, continuing and worsening inflationary pressures and associated changes in monetary policy that may cause costs to rise; changes in domestic and global production, supply and demand for commodities, including as a result of actions by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producing countries (“OPEC+”) and the Russian-Ukrainian or Israeli-Hamas military conflicts, the decline in prices of oil, natural gas liquids and natural gas and the related impact to financial statements as a result of asset impairments and revisions to reserve estimates, reduced demand due to shifting market perception towards the oil and gas industry; competition in the oil and gas industry; the ability of the Company to execute its strategies, including its ability to successfully identify and consummate strategic acquisitions at purchase prices that are accretive to its financial results and to successfully integrate acquired businesses, assets and properties and its ability to successfully execute on its strategy to enhance well productivity, including by drilling long-lateral horseshoe wells, pipeline transportation and storage constraints in the Permian Basin, the effects and duration of the outbreak of disease, and any related government policies and actions, long-term performance of wells, drilling and operating risks, the possibility of production curtailment, the impact of new laws and regulations, including those regarding the use of hydraulic fracturing, and under the Inflation Reduction Act (the “IRA”), including those related to climate change, the impact of legislation or regulatory initiatives intended to address induced seismicity on our ability to conduct our operations; uncertainties in estimating reserves and production results; hedging activities, tariffs on steel, the impacts of severe weather, including the freezing of wells and pipelines in the Permian Basin due to cold weather, technological innovations and scientific developments, physical and transition risks associated with climate change, to ESG and sustainability-related matters, risks related to our public statements with respect to such matters that may be subject to heightened scrutiny from public and governmental authorities related to the risk of potential “greenwashing,” i.e., misleading information or false claims overstating potential sustainability-related benefits, risks regarding potentially conflicting anti-ESG initiatives from certain U.S. state or other governments, possible impacts of litigation and regulations, the impact of the Company’s transactions, if any, with its securities from time to time, the impact of new environmental, health and safety requirements applicable to the Company’s business activities, the possibility of the elimination of federal income tax deductions for oil and gas exploration and development and imposition of any additional taxes under the IRA or otherwise, and other factors, including those and other risks described in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the “2023 Annual Report”), subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and those set forth from time to time in other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). These documents are available through Vital Energy’s website at www.vitalenergy.com under the tab “Investor Relations” or through the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering and Analysis Retrieval System at www.sec.gov. Any of these factors could cause Vital Energy’s actual results and plans to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, Vital Energy can give no assurance that its future results will be as estimated. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. Vital Energy does not intend to, and disclaims any obligation to, correct, update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
This press release and any accompanying disclosures include financial measures that are not in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), such as Adjusted Free Cash Flow, Adjusted Net Income, Net Debt and Consolidated EBITDAX. While management believes that such measures are useful for investors, they should not be used as a replacement for financial measures that are in accordance with GAAP. For a reconciliation of such non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest comparable measure in accordance with GAAP, please see the supplemental financial information at the end of this press release.
Unless otherwise specified, references to “average sales price” refer to average sales price excluding the effects of the Company’s derivative transactions.
All amounts, dollars and percentages presented in this press release are rounded and therefore approximate.
Vital Energy, Inc.
Selected operating data
| Three months ended December 31, | Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||||||
| (unaudited) | (unaudited) | ||||||||||||
| Sales volumes: | |||||||||||||
| Oil (MBbl) | 6,424 | 4,881 | 22,585 | 16,894 | |||||||||
| NGL (MBbl) | 3,703 | 2,808 | 13,270 | 9,128 | |||||||||
| Natural gas (MMcf) | 20,836 | 16,644 | 78,794 | 55,404 | |||||||||
| Oil equivalent (MBOE)(1) | 13,599 | 10,465 | 48,987 | 35,256 | |||||||||
| Average daily oil equivalent sales volumes (BOE/d)(1) | 147,819 | 113,747 | 133,845 | 96,591 | |||||||||
| Average daily oil sales volumes (Bbl/d)(1) | 69,827 | 53,070 | 61,708 | 46,284 | |||||||||
| Average sales prices(1): | |||||||||||||
| Oil ($/Bbl)(2) | $ | 70.80 | $ | 79.37 | $ | 76.55 | $ | 78.64 | |||||
| NGL ($/Bbl)(2) | $ | 16.75 | $ | 14.14 | $ | 14.38 | $ | 15.00 | |||||
| Natural gas ($/Mcf)(2) | $ | 0.59 | $ | 0.90 | $ | 0.20 | $ | 1.14 | |||||
| Average sales price ($/BOE)(2) | $ | 38.92 | $ | 42.26 | $ | 39.51 | $ | 43.36 | |||||
| Oil, with commodity derivatives ($/Bbl)(3) | $ | 76.08 | $ | 77.73 | $ | 76.56 | $ | 76.99 | |||||
| NGL, with commodity derivatives ($/Bbl)(3) | $ | 16.75 | $ | 14.14 | $ | 14.29 | $ | 15.00 | |||||
| Natural gas, with commodity derivatives ($/Mcf)(3) | $ | 1.25 | $ | 1.18 | $ | 0.95 | $ | 1.34 | |||||
| Average sales price, with commodity derivatives ($/BOE)(3) | $ | 42.42 | $ | 41.94 | $ | 40.70 | $ | 42.87 | |||||
| Selected average costs and expenses per BOE sold(1): | |||||||||||||
| Lease operating expenses | $ | 8.89 | $ | 8.33 | $ | 9.15 | $ | 7.41 | |||||
| Production and ad valorem taxes | 2.43 | 2.27 | 2.41 | 2.64 | |||||||||
| Oil transportation and marketing expenses | 0.76 | 0.85 | 0.92 | 1.17 | |||||||||
| Gas gathering, processing and transportation expenses | 0.42 | 0.16 | 0.36 | 0.06 | |||||||||
| General and administrative (excluding LTIP and transaction expenses) | 1.71 | 2.12 | 1.75 | 2.26 | |||||||||
| Total selected operating expenses | $ | 14.21 | $ | 13.73 | $ | 14.59 | $ | 13.54 | |||||
| General and administrative (LTIP): | |||||||||||||
| LTIP cash | $ | 0.02 | $ | (0.09 | ) | $ | 0.05 | $ | 0.11 | ||||
| LTIP non-cash | $ | 0.22 | $ | 0.22 | $ | 0.27 | $ | 0.28 | |||||
| General and administrative (transaction expenses) | $ | – | $ | 0.79 | $ | 0.01 | $ | 0.32 | |||||
| Depletion, depreciation and amortization | $ | 15.77 | $ | 14.58 | $ | 15.15 | $ | 13.14 | |||||
_______________________________________________________________________________
| (1) | The numbers presented are calculated based on actual amounts and may not recalculate using the rounded numbers presented in the table above. |
| (2) | Price reflects the average of actual sales prices received when control passes to the purchaser/customer adjusted for quality, certain transportation fees, geographical differentials, marketing bonuses or deductions and other factors affecting the price received at the delivery point. |
| (3) | Price reflects the after-effects of the Company’s commodity derivative transactions on its average sales prices. The Company’s calculation of such after-effects includes settlements of matured commodity derivatives during the respective periods. |
Vital Energy, Inc.
Consolidated balance sheets
| (in thousands, except share data) | December 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | ||||||
| (unaudited) | ||||||||
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