Gastar Exploration Announces Fourth Quarter, Full-Year 2016 Results and 2017 Guidance

HOUSTON, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Gastar Exploration Inc. (NYSE MKT: GST) ("Gastar" or the "Company") today reported financial and operating results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2016.  The Company also provided guidance for the first quarter and full-year 2017.

Fourth quarter 2016 highlights include:

• Average daily production was 5,900 Boe per day, exceeding mid-point guidance by 7%
• Production volumes comprised of 72% liquids, in line with mid-point guidance
• Signed agreement to jointly develop approximately 19,100 undeveloped net acres in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma
• Completed four Meramec wells during the fourth quarter

J. Russell Porter, Gastar's President and CEO, commented, "Despite the challenging oil price environment that reduced our cash flow and restricted our 2016 capital program, our high quality acreage position in the Oklahoma STACK Play allowed us to attract strong financial partners to help us meet our objectives.  The joint development agreement (the "Development Agreement") we initiated with a large private global investment fund in the fourth quarter of 2016, combined with the capital transaction we completed with affiliates of Ares Management L.P. ("Ares") in the first quarter of 2017 to provide $425 million in new financing, has positioned us to pursue a more active drilling program to de-lineate and de-risk our STACK assets."

"During the fourth quarter of 2016 and the first two months of 2017, we have completed nine operated STACK wells, all of which have been drilled under the Development Agreement. The Ares capital transaction will allow us to increase our drilling activity beyond the Development Agreement area and in early March, we added a third rig to focus on our acreage outside of the joint venture contract area.  Our drilling program will provide valuable information regarding the productivity of the Meramec and Osage formations on our acreage.  Our objectives in 2017 will be holding leases by production and delineating our acreage for both the Meramec and Osage formations.  We expect that by year end we will have de-risked a significant portion of our net acreage position in Oklahoma as related to these two formations," concluded Porter.

Financial Review

Net loss attributable to Gastar's common stockholders for the fourth quarter of 2016 was $8.2 million, or a loss of $0.06 per share, compared to a fourth quarter 2015 net loss of $161.1 million, or a loss of $2.07 per share.  Adjusted net loss attributable to common stockholders (non-GAAP), which excludes non-cash and unusual items, for the fourth quarter of 2016 was $7.5 million, or a loss of $0.06 per share, as compared to adjusted net loss attributable to common stockholders, which excludes non-cash and unusual items, of $12.6 million, or a loss of $0.16 per share, for the fourth quarter 2015. (See the accompanying reconciliation of non-GAAP adjusted net loss at the end of this news release.)

Adjusted earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, depletion and amortization ("adjusted EBITDA") (non-GAAP) for the fourth quarter of 2016 was $10.6 million compared to adjusted EBITDA of $17.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2015 and $7.2 million for the third quarter of 2016. (See the accompanying reconciliation of non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA at the end of this news release.)

Total Company revenues were $18.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2016, a 19% decline from $22.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2015 and a 41% increase from $13.0 million in the third quarter of 2016. 

Revenues of oil, condensate, natural gas and natural gas liquids ("NGLs"), before the effects of commodity derivatives contracts, were $17.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2016, a 3% decline from $17.8 million in the third quarter of 2015 and an 18% increase from $14.5 million in the third quarter of 2016.  The reduction from fourth quarter of 2015 in oil, condensate, natural gas and NGLs revenues primarily resulted from a 58% decrease in equivalent volumes produced primarily related to the sale of the Company's Appalachian Basin assets in April 2016 offset by a 128% increase in equivalent product pricing.  The increase from third quarter 2016 revenues was due to a 17% increase in equivalent product pricing and a 1% increase in equivalent production volumes.

Commodity hedges were in place for approximately 69% of our oil and condensate production, 61% of our natural gas production and 64% of our NGLs production for the fourth quarter of 2016.  Commodity derivative contracts settled during the period resulted in a $1.8 million increase in revenue.  For details on Gastar's current hedging position, please see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). 

Average daily production for the fourth quarter of 2016 was 5,900 barrels of oil equivalent ("Boe") per day ("Boe/d") as compared to 14,000 Boe/d in the fourth quarter of 2015 and basically flat when compared to the third quarter 2016 production. Fourth quarter 2015 included average daily production of 7,800 Boe/d attributable to our properties sold in the Appalachian Basin in April 2016. Oil, condensate and NGLs as a percentage of production volumes were 72% in the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to 56% in the fourth quarter of 2015 and 69% in the third quarter of 2016.

The following table provides a summary of Gastar's total net production volumes and overall average commodity prices for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2016 and 2015:

Lease operating expenses ("LOE") per Boe of production was $8.79 in the fourth quarter of 2016 versus $4.09 in the fourth quarter of 2015 and $9.59 in the third quarter of 2016, including workover costs.  Excluding the Appalachian Basin, LOE per Boe for the fourth quarter of 2016 was $8.67 compared to $7.50 for the fourth quarter of 2015 and $9.40 per Boe for the third quarter of 2016.  The increase in LOE per Boe in the Mid-Continent in 2016 was partially due to higher water disposal costs related to flush production of new wells. 

Depreciation, depletion and amortization ("DD&A") expense per Boe in the fourth quarter of 2016 was $9.44 compared to $13.19 for the fourth quarter of 2015 and $9.70 in the third quarter of 2016. The decrease in the fourth quarter of 2016 from the comparable period in 2015 was the result of a lower DD&A rate due to impairment charges incurred in 2015 and the first quarter of 2016 and the crediting to the full cost pool for the net proceeds from the sale of the Company's Appalachian Basin assets completed in April 2016.

General and administrative ("G&A") expense was $3.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared to $3.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2015 and $3.9 million in the third quarter of 2016. G&A expense for the fourth quarter of 2016 included $773,000 of non-cash stock-based compensation expense, versus $1.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2015 and $810,000 in the third quarter of 2016.

Operations Review and Update

The following table provides a summary of Gastar's Mid-Continent production volumes and average commodity prices for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2016 and 2015:

Fourth quarter 2016 net production from the Mid-Continent area decreased 4% compared to the fourth quarter of 2015 and was up 1% when compared to the third quarter of 2016. Fourth quarter 2016 Mid-Continent production consisted of approximately 50% oil, 28% natural gas and 22% NGLs.  

We currently have a total of three rigs operating on our Mid-Continent acreage, of which one rig is operating in the Development Agreement area and two rigs are operating outside of the Development Agreement area.  We anticipate that by July 2017, one of the two rigs will return to drilling in the Development Agreement area. 

As of March 6, 2017, we had production and drilling operations at various stages on the following operated STACK wells on our acreage:

Gastar's net capital expenditures in the fourth quarter of 2016 totaled $11.5 million, comprised of $2.4 million for drilling, completions and infrastructure costs, $8.1 million for unproved acreage extensions and renewals and $1.0 of other capitalized costs.  For all of 2016, capital expenditures, excluding divestments, totaled $58.9 million.  As previously reported, the Company has established a 2017 capital budget of approximately $84.0 million comprised of $46.0 million of drilling and completion costs, $30.8 million in leasing costs and $7.2 million for capitalized interest and administration costs.

Liquidity

At December 31, 2016, Gastar had approximately $71.5 million in available cash and cash equivalents, $84.6 million in borrowings outstanding and $370,000 in letters of credit issued under its revolving credit facility. 

Since December 31, 2016 Gastar has received an additional $9.5 million of the South STACK acreage sales proceeds bringing the total net sales proceeds received to date to $58.1 million.  Gastar anticipates receiving an additional $12.7 million of South STACK sales proceeds by July 2017.

On March 3, 2017, Gastar closed a transaction with funds managed by affiliates of Ares that provided for $425 million in new financing to the Company in the form of a $250 million first lien secured term loan, $125 million second lien secured convertible notes and a $50 million common stock issuance (collectively, the "Ares Investment").  Proceeds from the Ares Investment were used to fully repay Gastar's existing revolving credit facility, redeem its $325 million 8 5/8% senior secured notes due May 2018 (the "2018 Notes") and pay related transaction fees and expenses.  On February 22, 2017, Gastar called the 2018 Notes for redemption at a redemption price of 102.156%, plus accrued and unpaid interest, which will be redeemed on March 24, 2017.

Guidance for First Quarter 2017 and Full-Year 2017

Our guidance for the first quarter of and full-year 2017 is provided in the table below and represents the Company's best estimate of the range of likely future results. Guidance could be affected by the factors described below in "Forward Looking Statements."

Conference Call

Gastar has scheduled a conference call for 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time (8:00 a.m. Central Time) on Friday, March 10, 2017.  Investors may participate in the call either by phone or audio webcast.

For more information, please contact Donna Washburn at Dennard-Lascar Associates at 713-529-6600 or e-mail dwashburn@DennardLascar.com.

About Gastar Exploration

Gastar Exploration Inc. is a pure play Mid-Continent independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of oil, condensate, natural gas and natural gas liquids. Gastar's principal business activities include the identification, acquisition, and subsequent exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties with an emphasis on unconventional reserves, such as shale resource plays. Gastar holds a concentrated acreage position in what is believed to be the core of the STACK Play, an area of central Oklahoma which is home to multiple oil and natural gas-rich reservoirs including the Meramec, Oswego, Osage, Woodford and Hunton formations. For more information, visit Gastar's website at www.gastar.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This news 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.  Forward looking statements give our current expectations, opinion, belief or forecasts of future events and performance.  A statement identified by the use of forward looking words including "may," "expects," "projects," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "estimate," "will," "should," and certain of the other foregoing statements may be deemed forward-looking statements.  Although Gastar believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future activities and results to be materially different from those suggested or described in this news release.  These include risks inherent in natural gas and oil drilling and production activities, including risks with respect to continued low or further declining prices for natural gas and oil that could result in further downward revisions to the value of proved reserves or otherwise cause Gastar to further delay or suspend planned drilling and completion operations or reduce production levels which would adversely impact cash flow; risks relating to the availability of capital to fund drilling operations that can be adversely affected by adverse drilling results, production declines and continued low or further declining prices for natural gas and oil; risks of fire, explosion, blowouts, pipe failure, casing collapse, unusual or unexpected formation pressures, environmental hazards, and other operating and production risks, which may temporarily or permanently reduce production or cause initial production or test results to not be indicative of future well performance or delay the timing of sales or completion of drilling operations; delays in receipt of drilling permits; risks relating to unexpected adverse developments in the status of properties; risks relating to the absence or delay in receipt of government approvals or third-party consents; risks relating to our ability to integrate acquired assets with ours and to realize the anticipated benefits from such acquisitions; and other risks described in Gastar's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.  Our actual sales production rates can vary considerably from tested initial production rates depending upon completion and production techniques and our primary areas of operations are subject to natural steep decline rates. By issuing forward looking statements based on current expectations, opinions, views or beliefs, Gastar has no obligation and, except as required by law, is not undertaking any obligation, to update or revise these statements or provide any other information relating to such statements.

Targeted expectations and guidance for the first quarter and full year of 2017 are based upon the current 2017 planned capital expenditures budget, which may be subject to revision and reevaluation dependent upon future developments, including drilling results, our liquidity position, a further decline in commodity prices, availability of crews, supplies and production capacity, weather delays and significant changes in drilling costs.

Unless otherwise stated herein, equivalent volumes of production are based upon an energy equivalent ratio of six Mcf of natural gas to each barrel of liquids (oil, condensate and NGLs), which ratio is not reflective of relative value.  Our NGLs are sold as part of our wet gas subject to an incremental NGLs pricing formula based upon a percentage of NGLs extracted from our wet gas production.  Our reported production volumes reflect incremental post-processing NGLs volumes and residual gas volumes with which we are credited under our sales contracts.

Contacts:
Gastar Exploration Inc.
Michael A. Gerlich, Chief Financial Officer
713-739-1800 / mgerlich@gastar.com

Investor Relations Counsel:
Lisa Elliott, Dennard▪Lascar Associates:
713-529-6600 / lelliott@DennardLascar.com

- Financial Tables Follow –

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND RECONCILIATION

We use both GAAP and certain non-GAAP financial measures to assess performance.  Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company's performance, financial position or cash flows that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.  Our management believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful supplemental information to investors in order that they may evaluate our financial performance using the same measures as management.  These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.  In evaluating these measures, investors should consider that the methodology applied in calculating such measures may differ among companies and analysts.  A reconciliation is provided below outlining the differences between these non-GAAP measures and their most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP.