Evolution Petroleum Posts Record Recurring Results for Fiscal 2013

HOUSTON, Sept. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Evolution Petroleum Corporation (NYSE MKT: EPM) today reported operating highlights for the fiscal year ("FY13") and quarter ("Q4-13") ended June 30, 2013.

Highlights include:

• Earned $6.0 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, a 32% increase in total and a 36% increase in earnings per share for the year
• Increased annual revenues in FY13 by 19% to record $21.3 million
• Delhi sales volumes increased 33% for the year to 495 net barrels of oil ("BO") per day (6,684 gross), while fourth quarter Delhi volumes declined 6% from the prior quarter to 532 net BO per day (7,188 gross)
• Q4-13 earnings declined sequentially to $0.9 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, on 10% lower revenues of $5.4 million
• Proved Reserves increased 2.4% overall to 13.8 million barrels of oil equivalent ("BOE"), with Delhi reserves increasing 23% to 13.5 million BOE, more than offsetting a reduction of 2.3 million BOE from the sale of noncore assets in other fields
• Successfully installed GARP® technology on two additional wells with substantial production gains in both wells

Delhi production continued to perform well during the year and into Q4-13, and its contribution to revenue more than offset the sale of our Giddings Field production. Fourth quarter Delhi production, however, was reduced by scheduled plant work, infill drilling and the previously disclosed June release of fluids and subsequent remediation work. The reduction in sales volumes at Delhi that is due to the ongoing remediation of the fluid release is expected to continue into the second quarter of fiscal 2014, which is the fourth calendar quarter of 2013, when CO₂ injection is expected to be restored in the area of the Delhi Field affected by the fluids release. Oil production in the affected area is expected to return to pre-spill rates following renewal of CO₂ injection. We anticipate that our 24% back-in working interest should begin contributing significantly to financial results by the third quarter of fiscal 2014, which is the first calendar quarter of 2014.

The GARP® business continued to move forward during the quarter with the installation of the technology in two wells, including one that had been previously abandoned. Both wells have responded positively as expected in re-establishing material commercial production, and we are moving forward in other commercialization efforts. 

Subsequent to fiscal yearend, the operator plugged back one well in our Mississippian Lime project to perforate and hydraulically fracture high in the formation. Production testing is underway, but previous results that did not meet our expectations led us to reduce our interest in April.  

Robert Herlin, President and CEO, stated "With these overall results, we are evaluating methods for rewarding our shareholders in ways that efficiently transfer the value that we have created. As part of that process, during fiscal 2013 we concentrated staff and capital on core assets and projects that offer substantial near term potential impact on share value and cash flow."

Financial Results for the Quarter Ended June 30, 2013

Revenues for Q4-13 were $5.4 million, a 10% sequential decrease from Q3-13. Quarterly net income to common shareholders was $0.9 million, or $0.03 per share diluted, a 58% decrease from Q3-13's $2.2 million, or $0.07 per share diluted. The decline in revenue is primarily due to a 5% decrease in Delhi volumes due to scheduled maintenance, infill drilling, remediation of the June fluids release and a 6% decline in Delhi oil price. Total quarterly sales volumes were 583 BOE per day, a 7% decrease that included the Delhi decline and reduced volumes in Giddings due to property divestments.

Lease operating expense during Q4-13 declined 14% from the previous quarter due to reduced workovers in Giddings and Lopez Fields and the sale of the remaining nonGARP® producing properties in the Giddings Field.

Earnings were further impacted by higher, generally nonrecurring general and administrative costs including significant legal expenses related to updating and renewing our shelf registration and ongoing litigation, and costs related to an engineering study commissioned to evaluate recovery of natural gas liquids at Delhi that led to recognition of substantial added proved, probable and possible reserves there. Also very significant was the recognition during the quarter of a much higher income tax rate resulting primarily from property divestments that effectively unwound statutory depletion that was applied in the prior three quarters.

Financial Results for the Year Ended June 30, 2013

For fiscal 2013, net income to common shareholders increased 32% to $6.0 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, compared to $4.5 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, in fiscal 2012. Revenues increased 19% to $21.3 million compared to fiscal 2012 due to a 9% increase in volumes to 621 BOE per day and a 9% increase in blended product price to $94 per BOE from $86 per BOE in fiscal 2012. The increase in volumes over 2012 was due primarily to a 33% increase in Delhi volumes, primarily offset by a 43% decrease in Giddings volumes due to normal production declines and the sale of all of our noncore, nonGARP® assets during the year.

For the full year, lease operating expense decreased 8% to $7.56 per BOE due primarily to the sale of Giddings producing wells. Depreciation and depletion expense increased 14% to $1.3 million, or $5.53 per BOE, due to higher volumes and elimination of projected future capital expenditures for proved drilling locations in divested Giddings properties, partly offset by higher projected future capital expenditures at Delhi associated with installation of an NGL recovery plant.   General and administrative costs increased 22% over fiscal 2012 to $7.5 million due primarily to higher legal costs, compensation expense, divestment transaction costs that are required to be charged to operating expense instead of being netted against sale proceeds and fees associated with the NGL engineering study.

Reservesas of June 30, 2013      

As previously reported, our independent reservoir engineers assigned the following reserves as of June 30, 2013:

(1) Numbers in tables may not sum due to rounding.

FY 2014 Capital Budget

The board of directors has approved a FY-14 capital budget of at least $18 million that includes $17 million for Delhi and $1 million to $3 million for additional GARP® installations.  The Delhi capital commitment is contingent upon the actual timing of our working interest reversion. Capital expenditures in our Mississippian Lime project are dependent on a successful test of the upper zone in one of our previously drilled wells.

Funding of FY-14 capital expenditures will be provided by working capital on hand as of June 30, 2013.

Conference Call

As previously announced, Evolution Petroleum will host a conference call on Thursday, September 12^th at 11:00 a.m. Eastern (10:00 a.m. Central) to discuss results. To access the call, please dial 1-800-860-2442 (U.S.), 1-412-858-4600 (International) or 1-866-605-3582 (Canada).

About Evolution Petroleum

Evolution Petroleum Corporation develops incremental petroleum reserves and shareholder value by applying conventional and specialized technology to known oil and gas resources, onshore in the United States.   Principal assets as of June 30, 2013 include 13.8 MMBOE of proved, 11.2 MMBOE of probable reserves, 3.7 MMBOE of possible reserves, and no debt.  Assets include a CO₂-EOR project with growing production in Louisiana's Delhi Field and producing wells and proved drilling locations in the Lopez Field in Texas.  Other assets include an interest in a joint venture in the Mississippian Lime play in Kay County, OK with probable reserves and a patented artificial lift technology designed to extend the life and ultimate recoveries of wells with oil or associated water production. Additional information, including the Company's annual report on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, is available on its website at (www.evolutionpetroleum.com).

Cautionary Statement

All statements contained in this press release regarding potential results and future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations include, but are not limited to, those factors that are disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our documents filed from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities. Statements regarding our ability to complete transactions, successfully apply technology applications in the re-development of oil and gas fields, realize future production volumes, realize success in our drilling and development activity and forecasts of legal claims, prices, future revenues and income and cash flows and other statements that are not historical facts contain predictions, estimates and other forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its goals will be achieved and these statements will prove to be accurate. Important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking state statements.

* PV-10 of proved reserves is a pre-tax non-GAAP measure reconciled to the after-tax Standardized Measure of Future Net Cash Flows below.  We believe that the presentation of the non-GAAP financial measure of PV-10 provides useful and relevant information to investors because of its wide use by analysts and investors in evaluating the relative monetary significance of oil and natural gas properties, and as a basis for comparison of the relative size and value of our reserves to other companies' reserves.  We also use this pre-tax measure when assessing the potential return on investment related to oil and natural gas properties and in evaluating acquisition opportunities.  Because there are many unique factors that can impact an individual company when estimating the amount of future income taxes to be paid, we believe the use of a pre-tax measure is valuable for evaluating our Company.  PV-10 is not a measure of financial or operating performance under GAAP, nor is it intended to represent the current market value of our estimated oil and natural gas reserves. PV-10 should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the Standardized Measure as defined under GAAP, and reconciled below.  Probable reserves are not recognized by GAAP, and therefore the PV-10 of probable reserves cannot be reconciled to a GAAP measure.

The following table provides a reconciliation of PV-10 of each of our proved properties to the Standardized Measure.

 - Financial Tables to Follow -

Our supplemental disclosures of cash flow information for the years ended June 30, 2013 and 2012 are as follows:

Company Contact:
Sterling McDonald, VP & CFO
(713) 935-0122
smcdonald@evolutionpetroleum.com

SOURCE Evolution Petroleum Corporation