Murphy Oil (MUR) 10-Q2023 Q1 Quarterly report

NATURE OF BUSINESS – Murphy Oil Corporation is an international oil and natural gas exploration and production company that conducts its business through various operating subsidiaries. The Company primarily produces oil and natural gas in the United States (U.S.) and Canada and conducts oil and natural gas exploration activities worldwide.

In connection with the LLOG Exploration Offshore L.L.C. and LLOG Bluewater Holdings, L.L.C. (LLOG) acquisition, we hold a 0.5% interest in two variable interest entities (VIEs), Delta House Oil and Gas Lateral LLC and Delta House Floating Production System (FPS) LLC (collectively Delta House). These VIEs have not been consolidated as Murphy is not considered the primary beneficiary. These non-consolidated VIEs are not material to our financial position or results of operations. As of March 31, 2023, our maximum exposure to loss was $3.1 million (excluding operational impacts), which represents our net investment in Delta House. We have not provided any financial support to Delta House other than amounts previously required by our membership interest.

INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – In the opinion of Murphy’s management, the unaudited financial statements presented herein include all accruals necessary to present fairly the Company’s financial position at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, and the results of operations, statements of operations, cash flows and changes in stockholders’ equity for the interim periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, in conformity with U.S generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). In preparing the financial statements of the Company in conformity with GAAP, management has made a number of estimates and assumptions that affect the reporting of amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results may differ from the estimates.

Consolidated financial statements and notes to consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-Q report should be read in conjunction with the Company’s 2022 Form 10-K report, as certain notes and other pertinent information have been abbreviated or omitted in this report. Financial results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of future results.

The Company explores for and produces crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (collectively oil and natural gas) in select basins around the globe. The Company’s revenue from sales of oil and natural gas production activities are primarily subdivided into two key geographic segments: the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, revenue from sales to customers is generated from three primary revenue streams: crude oil and condensate, natural gas liquids, and natural gas.

For operated oil and natural gas production where the non-operated working interest owner does not take in kind its proportionate interest in the produced commodity, the Company acts as an agent for the working interest owner and recognizes revenue only for its own share of the commingled production. The exception to this is the reporting of the noncontrolling interest in MP Gulf of Mexico, LLC (MP GOM) as prescribed by ASC 810-10-45.

of vessel load, based on the volumes on the bill of lading and point of custody transfer. The Company also purchases natural gas in Canada to meet certain sales commitments.

The Company reviews performance based on two key geographical segments and between onshore and offshore sources of revenue within these geographies.

For the three-month periods ended March 31, 2023, and 2022, the Company recognized $840.0 million and $871.4 million, respectively, from total revenue from sales to customers, from sales of oil, natural gas liquids and natural gas.

As of March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, receivables from contracts with customers, net of royalties and associated payables, on the balance sheets from continuing operations, were $205.2 million and $201.1 million, respectively. Payment terms for the Company’s sales vary across contracts and geographical regions, with the majority of the cash receipts required within 30 days of billing. Based on a forward-looking expected loss model in accordance with ASU 2016-13, the Company did not recognize any impairment losses on receivables or contract assets arising from customer contracts during the reporting periods.

The Company has not entered into any revenue contracts that have financing components as of March 31, 2023.

The Company does not employ sales incentive strategies such as commissions or bonuses for obtaining sales contracts. For the periods presented, the Company did not identify any assets to be recognized associated with the costs to obtain a contract with a customer.

The Company recognizes oil and natural gas revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control over a commodity to a customer. Judgment is required to determine whether some customers simultaneously receive and consume the benefit of commodities. As a result of this assessment for the Company, each unit of measure of the specified commodity is considered to represent a distinct performance obligation that is satisfied at a point in time upon the transfer of control of the commodity.

For contracts with market or index-based pricing, which represent the majority of sales contracts, the Company has elected the allocation exception and allocates the variable consideration to each single performance obligation in the contract. As a result, there is no price allocation to unsatisfied remaining performance obligations for delivery of commodity product in subsequent periods.

The Company has entered into several long-term, fixed-price contracts in Canada. The underlying reason for entering a fixed price contract is generally unrelated to anticipated future prices or other observable data and serves a particular purpose in the Company’s long-term strategy.

As of March 31, 2023, the Company had the following sales contracts in place which are expected to generate revenue from sales to customers for a period of more than 12 months starting at the inception of the contract:

Fixed price contracts are accounted for as normal sales and purchases for accounting purposes.

Under Financial Accounting Standards Board guidance, exploratory well costs should continue to be capitalized when the well has found a sufficient quantity of reserves to justify its completion as a producing well and the Company is making sufficient progress assessing the reserves and the economic and operating viability of the project.

As of March 31, 2023, the Company had total capitalized exploratory well costs for continuing operations pending the determination of proved reserves of $196.5 million. The following table reflects the net changes in capitalized exploratory well costs during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.

Capital well additions of $24.7 million are primarily related to Oso-1 well (Atwater Valley 138) in the Gulf of Mexico. In the first quarter of 2023, drilling of the Oso-1 well was temporarily suspended prior to reaching the objective. The Company plans to return to the well in the third quarter of 2023. There were no capitalized well costs charged to expense for the three months ended March 31, 2023.

The following table provides an aging of capitalized exploratory well costs based on the date the drilling was completed for each individual well and the number of projects for which exploratory well costs have been capitalized. The projects are aged based on the last well drilled in the project.

Of the $156.3 million of exploratory well costs capitalized more than one year at March 31, 2023, $97.2 million was in Vietnam, $37.0 million was in the U.S., $14.7 million was in Mexico, $4.7 million was in Canada, and $2.7 million was in Brunei. In all geographical areas, either further appraisal or development drilling is planned and/or development studies/plans are in various stages of completion. 

There were no impairments in the three months ended March 31, 2023 or 2022.

As of March 31, 2023, the Company had an $800 million revolving credit facility (RCF). The RCF is a senior unsecured guaranteed facility which expires on November 17, 2027, unless the outstanding principal amount of the

The Company also has a shelf registration statement on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that permits the offer and sale of debt and/or equity securities through October 15, 2024.

Additional disclosures regarding cash flow activities are provided below.

The Company has defined benefit pension plans that are noncontributory and cover most full-time employees. All pension plans are funded except for the U.S. and Canadian nonqualified supplemental plan and the U.S. director’s plan. All U.S. tax qualified plans meet the funding requirements of federal laws and regulations. Contributions to foreign plans meet the requirements of local laws and tax regulations. The Company also sponsors health care and life insurance benefit plans, which are not funded, that cover most retired U.S. employees. The health care benefits are contributory; the life insurance benefits are noncontributory.

The table that follows provides the components of net periodic benefit expense for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.

The components of net periodic benefit expense, other than the service cost, are recorded in “Other expenses” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

During the three-month period ended March 31, 2023, the Company made contributions of $9.5 million to its defined benefit pension and postretirement benefit plans. Remaining funding in 2023 for the Company’s defined benefit pension and postretirement plans is anticipated to be $27.6 million.

The costs resulting from all share-based and cash-based incentive plans are recognized as an expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations using a fair value-based measurement method over the periods that the awards vest.

The Annual Incentive Plan (AIP) authorizes the Compensation Committee (the Committee) to establish specific performance goals associated with annual cash awards that may be earned by officers, executives and certain other employees. Cash awards under the AIP are determined based on the Company’s actual financial and operating results as measured against the performance goals established by the Committee.

The 2020 Long-Term Incentive Plan (2020 Long-Term Plan) authorizes the Committee to make grants of the Company’s Common Stock to employees. These grants may be in the form of stock options (nonqualified or incentive), stock appreciation rights (SAR), restricted stock, restricted stock units (RSU), performance units, performance shares, dividend equivalents and other stock-based incentives. The 2020 Long-Term Plan expires in 2030. A total of five million shares are issuable during the life of the 2020 Long-Term Plan. Shares issued pursuant to awards granted under the Plan may be shares that are authorized and unissued or shares that were reacquired by the Company, including shares purchased in the open market. Share awards that have been canceled, expired, forfeited or otherwise not issued under an award shall not count as shares issued under the Plan.

During the three months ended March 31, 2023, the Committee granted the following awards from the 2020 Long-Term Plan:

The Company also has a Stock Plan for Non-Employee Directors that permits the issuance of restricted stock, restricted stock units and stock options or a combination thereof to the Company’s Non-Employee Directors.

The Company currently has outstanding incentive awards issued to Directors under the 2021 Stock Plan for Non-Employee Directors (2021 NED Plan) and the 2018 Stock Plan for Non-Employee Directors. All awards on or after May 12, 2021, were made under the 2021 NED Plan.

During the three months ended March 31, 2023, the Committee granted the following awards to Non-Employee Directors:

All stock option exercises are non-cash transactions for the Company. The employee receives net shares, after applicable withholding obligations, upon each stock option exercise. The actual income tax benefit realized from the tax deductions related to stock option exercises of the share-based payment arrangements were immaterial for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023.

Amounts recognized in the financial statements with respect to share-based plans are shown in the following table:

Certain incentive compensation granted to the Company’s named executive officers, to the extent their total compensation exceeds $1.0 million per executive per year, is not eligible for a U.S. income tax deduction under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (2017 Tax Act).

Net income (loss) attributable to Murphy was used as the numerator in computing both basic and diluted income per Common share for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022. The following table reports the weighted-average shares outstanding used for these computations.

The Company’s effective income tax rate is calculated as the amount of income tax expense (benefit) divided by income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes. For the three-month periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company’s effective income tax rates were as follows:

The effective tax rate for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023, was below the U.S. statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to no tax applied to the pre-tax income of the noncontrolling interest in MP GOM, offset by the effects of income generated in foreign tax jurisdictions, certain of which have income tax rates higher than the U.S. Federal rate and certain expenses, including exploration and other expenses in certain foreign jurisdictions, for which no income tax benefits are currently available.

The effective tax rate for the three-month period ended March 31, 2022, was below the statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to exploration expenses in certain foreign jurisdictions in which no income tax benefit is currently available, offset by no tax applied to the pre-tax income of the noncontrolling interest in MP GOM.

The Company’s tax returns in multiple jurisdictions are subject to audit by taxing authorities. These audits often take years to complete and settle. Although the Company believes that recorded liabilities for unsettled issues are adequate, additional gains or losses could occur in future years from resolution of outstanding unsettled matters. Additionally, the Company has paid amounts into escrow, and may from time to time pay more amounts into escrow, in order to continue tax disputes with the relevant taxing authorities. As of March 31, 2023, the earliest years remaining open for audit and/or settlement in our major taxing jurisdictions are as follows: U.S. – 2016; Canada – 2016; and Malaysia – 2016. Following the sale in 2019, the Company has retained certain possible liabilities and rights to income tax receivables relating to the divested Malaysia business for the years prior to 2019. The Company believes current recorded liabilities are adequate.

Murphy, at times, uses derivative instruments, to manage certain risks related to commodity prices, foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates. The use of derivative instruments for risk management is covered by operating policies and is closely monitored by the Company’s senior management. The Company does not hold any derivatives for speculative purposes, and it does not use derivatives with leveraged or complex features. Derivative instruments are traded with creditworthy major financial institutions or over national exchanges such as the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). The Company has a risk management control system to monitor commodity price risks and any derivatives obtained to manage a portion of such risks. For accounting purposes, the Company has not designated commodity and foreign currency derivative contracts as

The components of “Accumulated other comprehensive loss” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2022 and March 31, 2023 and the changes during the three-month period ended March 31, 2023, are presented net of taxes in the following table.

The Company’s operations and earnings have been and may be affected by various forms of governmental action both in the United States and throughout the world. Examples of such governmental action include, but are by no means limited to: tax legislation changes, including tax rate changes, and retroactive tax claims; royalty and revenue sharing increases; import and export controls; price controls; currency controls; allocation of supplies of crude oil and petroleum products and other goods; expropriation of property; restrictions and preferences affecting the issuance of oil and natural gas or mineral leases; restrictions on drilling and/or production; laws, regulations and government action intended for the promotion of safety and the protection and/or remediation of the environment including in connection with the purported causes or potential impacts of climate change; governmental support for other forms of energy; and laws and regulations affecting the Company’s relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, stockholders and others. Given the factors involved in various government actions, including political considerations, it is difficult to predict their likelihood, the form they may take, or the effect they may have on the Company.

ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS – Murphy and other companies in the oil and natural gas industry are subject to numerous federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations dealing with the environment and protection of health and safety. The principal environmental, health and safety laws and regulations to which Murphy is subject address such matters as the generation, storage, handling, use, disposal and remediation of petroleum products, wastewater and hazardous materials; the emission and discharge of such materials to the environment, including GHG emissions; wildlife, habitat and water protection; the placement, operation and decommissioning of production equipment; and the health and safety of our employees, contractors and communities where our operations are located. These laws and regulations also generally require permits for existing operations, as well as the construction or development of new operations and the decommissioning facilities once production has ceased.

Violation of federal or state environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and permits can result in the imposition of significant civil and criminal penalties, injunctions and construction bans or delays. A discharge of hazardous substances into the environment could, to the extent such event is not adequately insured, subject the Company to substantial expense, including both the cost to comply with applicable regulations and claims by neighboring landowners and other third parties for any personal injury and property damage that might result. In addition, Item 103 of SEC Regulation S-K requires disclosure of certain environmental matters when a governmental authority is a party to the proceedings and such proceedings involve potential monetary sanctions that the Company reasonably believes will exceed a specified threshold. Pursuant to this item, the Company will be using a threshold of $1.0 million for such proceedings and the Company is not aware of environment legal proceedings likely to exceed this $1.0 million threshold.

There continues to be an increase in regulatory oversight of the oil and gas industry at the federal level, with a focus on climate change and GHG emissions (including methane emissions). For example, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 contains provisions that impose fees for excess methane emissions from petroleum and natural gas facilities. In addition, there have been a number of executive orders issued that address climate change, including creation of climate-related task forces, directives to federal agencies to procure carbon-free electricity, and a goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and a net-zero emissions U.S. economy by 2050. Executive orders have also been issued related to oil and gas activities on federal lands, infrastructure and environmental justice. In addition, an international climate agreement (the Paris Agreement) was agreed to at the 2015 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris, France. The Paris Agreement entered into force in November 2016. Although the U.S. officially withdrew from the Paris Agreement on November 4, 2020, the U.S. has since rejoined the Paris Agreement, which became effective for the U.S. on February 19, 2021.

The Company currently owns or leases, and has in the past owned or leased, properties at which hazardous substances have been or are being handled. Hazardous substances may have been disposed of or released on or under the properties owned or leased by the Company or on or under other locations where these wastes have been taken for disposal. In addition, many of these properties have been operated by third parties whose treatment and disposal or release of hydrocarbons or other wastes were not under Murphy’s control. Under existing laws, the Company could be required to investigate, remove or remediate previously disposed wastes (including wastes disposed of or released by prior owners or operators), to investigate and clean up contaminated property (including contaminated groundwater) or to perform remedial plugging operations to prevent future contamination. Certain of these historical properties are in various stages of negotiation, investigation, and/or cleanup, and the Company is investigating the extent of any such liability and the availability of applicable defenses. The Company has retained certain liabilities related to environmental matters at formerly owned U.S. refineries that were sold in 2011. The Company also obtained insurance covering certain levels of environmental exposures related to past operations of these refineries. Murphy USA Inc. has retained any environmental exposure associated with Murphy’s former U.S. marketing operations that were spun-off in August 2013. The Company believes costs related to these sites will not have a material adverse effect on Murphy’s net income, financial condition or liquidity in a future period.

There is the possibility that environmental expenditures could be required at currently unidentified sites, and additional expenditures could be required at known sites. However, based on information currently available to the Company, the amount of future investigation and remediation costs incurred at known or currently unidentified sites is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s future net income, cash flows or liquidity.

LEGAL MATTERS – Murphy and its subsidiaries are engaged in a number of other legal proceedings (including litigation related to climate change), all of which Murphy considers routine and incidental to its business. Based on information currently available to the Company, the ultimate resolution of environmental and legal matters referred to in this note is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s net income, financial condition or liquidity in a future period.

Information about business segments and geographic operations is reported in the following table. For geographic purposes, revenues are attributed to the country in which the sale occurs. Corporate, including interest income, other gains and losses (including foreign exchange gains/losses and realized and unrealized gains/losses on commodity price derivatives), interest expense and unallocated overhead, is shown in the table to reconcile the business segments to consolidated totals. The Company has accounted for its former United Kingdom (U.K.) and U.S. refining and marketing operations as discontinued operations for all periods presented.

In the first quarter of 2023, crude oil and natural gas benchmark prices decreased compared to the same period of 2022. Prices were lower in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022 principally due to concerns on the economy and potential recession, as well as short-term downward demand pressure related to global refinery outages resulting from maintenance activities in the first quarter of 2023.

Similar to the overall inflation in the wider economy, the oil and natural gas industry, and hence the Company, is observing higher costs for goods and services used in exploration and production operations. Murphy continues to manage input costs through its dedicated procurement department focused on managing supply chain and other costs.

For the three months ended March 31, 2023, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices averaged approximately $76.13 per barrel (compared to $94.29 in the first quarter of 2022 and $82.65 in the fourth quarter of 2022). The average price for WTI in March of 2023 was approximately $73.37 per barrel, reflecting a 32% reduction from March of 2022 and a 4% reduction from the average price from December of 2022. The average price in April 2023 was $79.44 per barrel. As of close on May 1, 2023, the NYMEX WTI forward curve prices for the remainder of 2023 and 2024 were $74.52 and $70.76 per barrel, respectively.

For the three months ended March 31, 2023, the Company produced 179.7 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (including noncontrolling interest) from continuing operations and invested $336.0 million in capital expenditures (on a value of work done basis). The Company reported net income from continuing operations of $214.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023; this amount includes income attributable to noncontrolling interest of $22.7 million and after-tax losses for the contingent consideration adjustments of $3.1 million.

For the three months ended March 31, 2022, the Company produced 149.9 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (including noncontrolling interest) from continuing operations. The Company invested $304.7 million in capital expenditures (on a value of work done basis) in the three months ended March 31, 2022. The Company reported a net loss from continuing operations of $64.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This amount included income attributable to noncontrolling interest of $47.9 million and after-tax losses on unrealized mark to market revaluations on commodity price derivative positions and contingent consideration adjustments of $148.9 million and $77.2 million, respectively.

Murphy’s income (loss) by type of business is presented below.

Results of E&P continuing operations are presented by geographic segment below.

The Company uses other operational performance and income metrics to review operational performance. The table below presents Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and Adjusted EBITDA. Management uses EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA internally to evaluate the Company’s operational performance and trends between periods and relative to its industry competitors. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures and should not be considered a substitute for Net income (loss) or Cash provided by operating activities as determined in accordance with GAAP. Also presented below is Adjusted EBITDA per barrel of oil equivalent sold. Management uses Adjusted EBITDA per barrel of oil equivalent sold to evaluate the Company’s profitability of one barrel of oil equivalent sold in the period. Adjusted EBITDA per barrel of oil equivalent sold is a non-GAAP financial metric.