USA: Chesapeake Reports Q1 Net Loss of USD 71 Million

Chesapeake Energy Corporation today announced financial and operational results for the 2012 first quarter.

For the 2012 first quarter, Chesapeake reported a net loss to common stockholders of $71 million ($0.11 per fully diluted common share), ebitda of $597 million (defined as net income (loss) before income taxes, interest expense, and depreciation, depletion and amortization) and operating cash flow of $910 million (defined as cash flow from operating activities before changes in assets and liabilities) on revenue of $2.419 billion and production of 333 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent (bcfe).

The company’s 2012 first quarter results include various items that are typically not included in published estimates of the company’s financial results by certain securities analysts. Excluding such items for the 2012 first quarter, Chesapeake reported adjusted net income to common stockholders of $94 million ($0.18 per fully diluted common share) and adjusted ebitda of $838 million. The primary excluded item from the 2012 first quarter reported results is a net unrealized noncash after-tax mark-to-market loss of $167 million resulting from the company’s natural gas, liquids and interest rate hedging programs. A reconciliation of operating cash flow, ebitda, adjusted ebitda and adjusted net income to comparable financial measures calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles is presented on pages 18 – 20 of this release.

Aubrey K. McClendon, Chesapeake’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are focused on executing our transformation to a more balanced asset base between liquids and natural gas and believe our business has strong momentum despite a challenging environment with natural gas prices at 10-year lows. This quarter continued to see strong liquids production growth as we accelerate our ongoing shift to liquids, continuing success in keeping finding costs low, and the addition of a substantial amount of new proved reserves. This year’s capital expenditures will be front-end loaded, and for the remainder of the year we expect a significant decrease from the first quarter’s peak capital expenditure levels as we further reduce drilling activity in dry natural gas plays and reduce spending on new leasehold. We will continue to implement our 25/25 Plan, including reducing overall debt to $9.5 billion by year-end 2012, monetizing the portions of our asset base where we are not a #1 or #2 producer, and continuing to increase our exposure to liquids. We believe Chesapeake has built the nation’s best collection of resource-rich E&P assets, and we remain focused on realizing their growth and value for our shareholders.”

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LNG World News Staff, May 2, 2012