ROAN - Roan Resources Inc. Reports Preliminary(1) Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2018 Results

Roan Resources, Inc. (NYSE: ROAN) (“Roan” or the “Company”) today announced preliminary fourth quarter and full-year 2018 operating and financial results.

Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2018 Highlights

• Fourth quarter production of 54.1 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (MBoe/d) (27% oil, 31% NGLs, 42% gas), with a 25% increase in oil production as compared to the third quarter 2018;
• Full-year production of 43.7 MBoe/d (27% oil, 29% NGLs, 44% gas), a 170% increase in total production and 200% increase in oil production as compared to the full-year 2017 period;
• Fourth quarter net income was $148.2 million, or $0.97 per diluted share; fourth quarter adjusted EBITDAX (non-GAAP) was $87.8 million;
• Fourth quarter capital expenditures totaled $217.2 million, an 11% decrease from third quarter 2018; and
• 2018 proved reserves increased approximately 32% to 306 MMBoe and $2.1 billion of PV-10 value at year-end 2018 SEC prices.

“2018 was a transformative year for Roan,” said Tony Maranto, Roan’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We achieved several corporate and operational milestones throughout the year and are an entirely different company from where we started last January. We grew both oil and total production substantially over 2017 and are now well positioned to implement our 2019 plan to increase production by 30% over the 2018 period and generate free cash flow by the fourth quarter of the year.”

¹ Our audit relating to the financial information included in this earnings release is not yet complete. Accordingly, the information herein is subject to change as we complete our annual audit process.

Operational Update

Roan’s fourth quarter 2018 average daily production was approximately 54.1 MBoe/d (27% oil, 31% natural gas liquids (NGLs), 42% gas), up 16% over third quarter 2018 with oil production up approximately 25% over third quarter 2018. Full-year 2018 production averaged 43.7 MBoe/d (27% oil, 29% NGLs, 44% gas).

The Company drilled 26 gross (19.1 net) operated wells (48.7 gross lateral miles) during the fourth quarter, bringing the total drilled wells for 2018 to 92 gross (70.1 net) operated wells (143.7 gross lateral miles). The Company also brought online 20 gross (15.3 net) operated wells during the quarter, resulting in the 2018 total of wells turned online to 78 gross (61.0 net) operated wells. In December the Company began reducing completion activity and ended the year with 33 drilled and uncompleted wells (DUCs).

Average 30-day initial production (IP) rates for the 20 wells turned online during the fourth quarter was approximately 1,082 Boe/d (52% oil, 20% NGLs, 28% gas), normalized to a 10,000-foot lateral, with an average lateral length of approximately 7,500-feet. At 90 days, the average IP for these wells was approximately 906 Boe/d (50% oil, 21% NGLs, 29% gas), normalized to a 10,000-foot lateral. After removing wells for improper co-development of Mayes and Woodford completions, average 30-day IP rates for the 16 wells turned online during the quarter was approximately 1,265 Boe/d (51% oil, 21% NGLs, 28% gas), normalized to a 10,000-foot lateral, with an average lateral length of 7,500-feet. At 90 days, the average IP for these 16 wells was approximately 1,055 Boe/d (50% oil, 21% NGLs, 29% gas). Several of these wells were brought online using specific pressure management techniques to maximize oil production over the life of the well.

“During the fourth quarter we began testing pressure management techniques designed to maximize oil production by managing bottom hole pressure drawdown rates. While this practice results in muted initial production rates, the benefits are evident in increased oil recoveries, stabilized GOR trends and ultimately improved well economics. At 90 days, the cumulative oil production on the fourth quarter completions was 15% higher compared to the average results from the previous three quarters. This is very encouraging heading into 2019 where we plan to utilize pressure management for the entire year.”

Drill times trended lower throughout the year as the Company made numerous performance-driven adjustments. Average drill times for two-mile Mayes wells during 2018 were 15.5 days, an improvement of over 43% compared to wells drilled in 2017. Average drill times for two-mile Woodford wells during the year were 19 days, an improvement of over 36% compared to wells drilled in 2017.

Completion techniques were also improved throughout the year as the Company focused on optimizing well designs and increasing operational efficiencies. The drilling and completion design enhancements coupled with declining service costs equate to cost savings of approximately $1 million per well. For 2019, the Company anticipates two-mile well costs to average approximately $7.5 million.

Financial Update

Fourth quarter 2018 net income was $148.2 million, or $0.97 per share, and full-year 2018 net loss was $140.7 million, or $0.92 per share. Fourth quarter 2018 adjusted net income (non-GAAP) was $26.2 million, or $0.17 per share, and full-year 2018 adjusted net income was $140.4 million, or $0.92 per share. Fourth quarter 2018 Adjusted EBITDAX (non-GAAP) was $87.8 million and full-year 2018 Adjusted EBITDAX was $299.3 million.

See the definitions and reconciliations of adjusted net income, adjusted net income per share, Adjusted EBITDAX and cash general and administrative (G&A) expense presented within this release to the most directly comparable U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) financial measures provided in the supporting tables or definitions at the conclusion of this press release.

Fourth quarter 2018 average realized prices were $57.27 per barrel of oil (Bo), $14.90 per barrel of NGLs and $2.18 per Mcf of natural gas, resulting in a total equivalent unhedged price of $25.73 per Boe or a total equivalent hedged price of $24.64 per Boe.

The Company’s cash operating costs for the fourth quarter were $6.99 per Boe, including production expense of $3.51 per Boe, production tax of $1.34 per Boe and cash G&A expense (non-GAAP) of $2.14 per Boe. Production expense per Boe was higher in the fourth quarter than previously guided to primarily due to increases in water disposal costs. The Company expects water disposal costs to decline in 2019 as a result of the Company’s recent agreement with Blue Mountain Midstream LLC.

Capital expenditures for fourth quarter 2018 totaled approximately $217.2 million. Full-year 2018 capital expenditures totaled $773.1 million, in-line with recent guidance.

As of the end of the fourth quarter, Roan had $6.9 million of cash on the balance sheet and $514.6 million drawn on its revolving credit facility, resulting in a net debt balance of $507.7 million. Roan currently has no other outstanding debt or letters of credit. The Company upsized its borrowing base earlier this month by $75 million to $750 million, resulting in adjusted liquidity of over $240MM at year-end 2018. The Company’s fourth quarter annualized leverage ratio remained low at 1.4x.

During the fourth quarter of 2018 and first quarter of 2019, Roan entered into additional oil and natural gas derivative contracts. A table of the Company’s derivative contracts as of March 14, 2018 is provided at the conclusion of this press release.

2018 Reserves

Year-end 2018 proved reserves were 306 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMBoe), a 32% increase compared with year-end 2017 proved reserves. At December 31, 2018, Roan had a Standardized Measure of discounted future net cash flows of $1.7 billion and proved reserves had a PV-10 of $2.1 billion. PV-10 is a non-GAAP financial measure and generally differs from Standardized Measure, the most directly comparable GAAP financial metric. A supporting table and definition of PV-10 can be found at the conclusion of this release. The Company’s forward F&D cost based on year-end 2018 reserves is $6.71 per Boe. The 2018 SEC average prices used by the Company’s third-party engineering firm was $65.66 per barrel of oil, $20.35 per barrel of natural gas liquids and $3.16 per MMBtu for natural gas.

2019 Guidance

There are no changes to the annual guidance provided on February 19, 2019. The Company has reduced its rig count to four in the first quarter and anticipates being at approximately this level for the remainder of the year. As previously noted, capital expenditures will be heavily weighted to the first half of the year with first quarter being higher than second quarter as a result of the Company operating eight drilling rigs in January and the majority of non-D&C capital being deployed in the quarter. First quarter 2019 production is projected to be lower than fourth quarter 2018 due to the temporary suspension of operated completion activity in December and January, which allowed for the reset of service costs and optimization of completion techniques deployed by the Company, which is anticipated to save approximately $1 million per well. The deferred completion activity resulted in minimal wells coming online until mid-March.

Note: Assumes ethane recovery in the second quarter of 2019 through the fourth quarter of 2019.

Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2018 Earnings Conference Call

Roan will host a conference call to discuss fourth quarter and full-year 2018 results on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. ET (10:00 a.m. CT). Interested parties may listen to the conference call via webcast on the Company’s website at www.RoanResources.com under the “Investor Relations” section of the site or by phone. The Company plans to post a presentation to the website prior to the start of the call.

Dial-in: 866-393-4306
International dial-in: 734-385-2616
Conference ID: 4598253

A replay of the webcast will be available on the Company’s website and a replay of the call will be available for two weeks by phone:

Replay dial-in: 855-859-2056 or 404-537-3406
International replay dial-in: 800-585-8367
Conference ID: 4598253

About Roan Resources

Roan is an independent oil and natural gas company headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK focused on the development, exploration and acquisition of unconventional oil and natural gas reserves in the Merge, SCOOP and STACK plays of the Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma. For more information, please visit www.RoanResources.com, where we routinely post announcements, updates, events, investor information, presentations and recent news releases.

Cautionary Statements

This press 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. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements which contain our current expectations about future results. These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and expectations made by the Company, which reflect management’s experience, estimates and perception of historical trends, current conditions and anticipated future developments. Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied or anticipated in the forward-looking statements. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements found in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Current Report on Form 8-K, filed September 24, 2018 and any subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K.

We caution you that these forward-looking statements are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control, or incidental to the development, production, gathering and sale of oil, natural gas and NGLs. These risks include, but are not limited to, commodity price volatility, inflation, lack of availability of drilling and production equipment and services, environmental risks, drilling and other operating risks, regulatory changes, the uncertainty inherent in estimating reserves and in projecting future rates of production, cash flow and access to capital, the timing of development expenditures and the other risks.

Reserve engineering is a process of estimating underground accumulations of oil, natural gas and NGLs that cannot be measured in an exact way. The accuracy of any reserve estimate depends on the quality of available data, the interpretation of such data and price and cost assumptions made by reserve engineers. In addition, the results of drilling, testing and production activities may justify revisions of estimates that were made previously. If significant, such revisions would change the schedule of any further production and development drilling. Accordingly, reserve estimates may differ significantly from the quantities of oil, natural gas and NGLs that are ultimately recovered.

Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements.

All forward-looking statements, expressed or implied, included in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This cautionary statement should also be considered in connection with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that we or persons acting on our behalf may issue.

Except as otherwise required by applicable law, we disclaim any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

Financial Statements

The information in the following financial statements and tables reflect the results of Roan Resources LLC prior to September 24, 2018 and on and after September 24, 2018, the results of Roan Inc. For periods prior to August 31, 2017, the date oil and natural gas properties were contributed to us by Citizen Energy II, LLC and subsidiaries of Linn Energy, Inc., the following financial information reflects the results of Citizen, our accounting predecessor.

The following table represents the Company's open commodity contracts at March 14, 2019:

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

The Company adopted ASC 606 on January 1, 2018 using a modified retrospective approach, which only applies to contracts that were not completed as of the date of initial application. The adoption did not require an adjustment to opening retained earnings for the cumulative effect adjustment. The adoption does not have a material impact on the timing of the Company’s revenue recognition or its financial position, results of operations, net income, or cash flows, but does impact the Company’s presentation of revenues and expenses under the gross-versus-net presentation guidance in ASU 2016-08.

The following table shows the impact of the adoption of ASC 606 on the Company’s current period results as compared to the previous revenue recognition standard, ASC Topic 605, Revenue recognition (ASC 605):

Results of Operations

The following tables represent the Company's production and average realized prices:

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses reflect costs incurred in the development, production and sale of oil, natural gas and NGLs. The following table provides information on our operating expenses: