Topaz Energy Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

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Provided by Quartr
April 30, 2024

There are 6 speakers on the call.

Operator

Good morning. My name is Joanna, and I will be your conference operator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the Topaz Energy Corp. 1st Quarter 2024 Results Conference Call. Thank you.

Operator

Mr. Koker, you may begin your conference.

Speaker 1

Thank you, operator, and welcome everyone to our discussion of Topaz Energy Corp. Results as of March 31, 2024 and for the 3 months ended March 31, 20242023. My name is Scott Kerger, and I'm the General Counsel for Topaz. Before we get started, I refer you to the advisories on forward looking statements contained in the news release as well as the advisories contained in the Topaz annual information form and the Topaz MD and A available on SEDAR and on our website. I also draw your attention to the material factors and assumptions in those advisories.

Speaker 1

I'm here with Marty Staples, Topaz's President and Chief Executive Officer and Sheree Stevenson, Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer. I'll start by speaking to some of the highlights of the last quarter and the year so far and after their remarks, we'll be open for questions. Marty, Sheri, go ahead please.

Speaker 2

Thank you, Scott. Good day, everyone. Topaz had a strong Q1 marked by royalty production that achieved the midpoint of our 2024 guidance range and infrastructure revenue that is on track to achieve the high end of our 2024 guidance range. The value of our royalty portfolio continues to be demonstrated through the strong, reliable level of operator development drilling across our acreage. During the Q1, 145 gross wells were drilled on our undeveloped royalty lands, which represents 12% of total wells drilled across the WCSB.

Speaker 2

During Q1 of last year, our royalty acreage saw the same level of activity, 12% of wells spud across WCSB. The total wells drilled across Topaz's royalty acreage from Q1 2021 to Q1 2024 represents 13% of total drilling activity across the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. Over that same time through operator funded development and strategic diversification, Topaz's heavy oil royalty production has increased significantly from 50 barrels a day to 28.77 barrels a day, predominantly through our Clearwater royalty assets. And Topaz's total oil and liquids royalty production has increased 6 fold from 955 barrels a day to 5,780 barrels per day. Based on operator drilling plans, 9 to 11 rigs will remain active across the royalty acreage through spring breakup, a record level for Topaz as spring conditions typically limit development activity.

Speaker 2

25 to 29 drilling rigs are expected to be active across the royalty acreage following spring breakout. From a financial perspective, Topaz generated 1st quarter revenue and other income of 78,200,000 In Q1, 54% of our revenue was from oil and liquids royalty revenue, 23% from natural gas royalty revenue and 23% from Topaz's infrastructure asset. 1st quarter cash flow was $67,900,000 or $0.47 per basic and diluted share. We distributed 68% of cash flow to shareholders through our dividend, which represented a 6.4% trailing yield to the average share price during the Q1. Our first quarter dividend was 3% higher than the prior quarter and represents the company's 7th dividend increase or 60% dividend growth to date.

Speaker 2

For Q1, we generated $19,900,000 of excess free cash flow and reduced debt by 6%. We remain disciplined on our investment strategy and continue to evaluate a number of opportunities. The operator of our Clearwater natural gas gathering infrastructure has completed approximately half of the construction. Topaz will fund the project once the infrastructure is commissioned, which is targeted for late 2024. This infrastructure is expected to gather natural gas on our existing royalty acreage in addition to generate long term fixed processing fees.

Speaker 2

Topaz's 1st quarter average royalty production of 19,200 BOE per day was 30% oil and liquids and increased 2% from Q1 2023. Operator spud 145 gross wells and reactivated 6 gross wells on our acreage during the Q1. Drilling was diversified across the portfolio as follows: 53 Clearwater, 35 Northeast BC Montney, 25 Deep Basin, 15 Peace River, 6 Central Alberta and 11 Southeast SaskatchewanMatatoba. We estimate that our operators spent between $500,000,000 $600,000,000 in development capital across our acreage during this quarter. First quarter royalty revenue of $60,300,000 represented 77% of Q1 total revenue and generated a 99% operating margin.

Speaker 2

1st quarter infrastructure revenue of $17,900,000 represented 23% of Q1 revenue. Our infrastructure assets realized 99% capacity utilization and generated an 89% operating margin. During Q1, 2024, Topaz's total realized relative production price was $34.55 per BOE. For Q1 twenty twenty four, Topaz realized natural gas price represents 100% of the AECO 5A benchmark and Topaz realized heavy crude oil price represents 97% of the WCS crude oil benchmark price. Topaz's 2024 dividend is supported by Topaz's infrastructure revenue and hedging strategy and is sustainable to quantity prices of $0.01 per Mcf natural gas and $50 per barrel crude oil.

Speaker 2

For 2024, 18 percent of natural gas is hedged at a weighted average price of CAD3.17 per Mcf and 40 percent of oil and liquid is hedged at a weighted average floor price of CAD102.54 per barrel using collar structures to maintain upside participation. We reconfirm our 20.24 guidance ranges of 18.8 19.6000 BOE per day of royalty production and 69,000,000 to 71,000,000 of infrastructure processing revenue and other income. Based on current commodity pricing and before acquisitions, Topaz expects to end 2024 with net debt of 0.8 times, net debt to EBITDA. The 2024 dividend represents a 64% payout ratio based on recent commodity price forecast, which maintains financial flexibility to allocate excess free cash flow growth or further dividend increases. We're pleased to answer any questions at this time.

Speaker 2

Back to you, operator.

Operator

Thank ATB Capital Markets. Please go ahead.

Speaker 3

Hi, guys. Good morning and thank you for taking my question. I guess it's sort of a more of a broad capital allocation philosophical question here. But just wondering, your debt is below one turn here. Your payout ratio ticked down a notch in the quarter to 64%.

Speaker 3

Wondering how you're thinking about the capital allocation decision today between the opportunity set for M and A, further debt reduction and potential for increased dividends going forward here?

Speaker 2

Yes. Good morning, Patrick. Thanks for the question. We've been pretty, I think, active paying down debt over the last 18 months in excess of over $100,000,000 We'll continue to pay down debt. We do continue to see opportunity inside the M and A space, but obviously are being very disciplined in our approach go forward on what we want to acquire and what price we want to acquire.

Speaker 2

Our dividend policy has always been an output of the business. So as we grow, the dividend will continue to grow. I think we've been achieved that over 7 dividend raises since inception and you've seen that kind of step up as we see growth inside the system. So allocation wise, number 1, it's going to be paid down some debt. Number 2, it's going to use any excess free cash flow for M and A that we can source.

Speaker 2

And then if we achieve that M and A, we will step up the dividend, but it's always going to be a function of growth.

Speaker 3

Okay. And then maybe just kind of switching gears a little bit here. You guys are obviously a meaningful part of your business is in Clearwater. Wondering if you can provide maybe just a little bit of insight, color, context with respect to Clearwater activity, trends in terms of spuds and spend that you're seeing and maybe trends within sort of IP rates and the production profile there?

Speaker 2

Yes, for sure. I think we did highlight that we saw increased activity this quarter. We were up 26% on the drilling front, which was impactful to Topaz. We have seen some shift to injector wells for waterflood, and I think you've seen through some of our operators public disclosure, both Headwater and Tamarac Valley are having some pretty significant impacts to that from a positive standpoint. I think what we saw headwater release last quarter was 2,600 barrels of sustainable production through their waterflood.

Speaker 2

And right now, we think there's anywhere from 27 to 29 pilots in place through Nipissing Martin Hills and we have a big chunk of that. So when you can take recovery factor and double it, Martin Hills is kind of that 4% to 5% recovery factor and Nipissimartin Hills around 7% to 8%. That's just added benefit from a royalty standpoint, not only do you get bigger recovery, but you get longer reserve life out of it. So big win for us. So yes, activity has been very consistent.

Speaker 2

It's in stepped up a little bit and we did talk about in the quarter going from 50 barrels to almost 3,000 barrels a day of royalty production. It's been quite impactful.

Speaker 4

Yes. So from an activity perspective, on the quarter, we did see a 26% increase in gross spuds and did see 2 private operators come into play, on some existing acreage we own and also some farm and acreage of some existing royalty acreage. So that's super positive for us to have that incremental activity. We did also see some cold weather related production impacts through January and also some production deferred from being sent down to sales. So we estimate that somewhere between 120 and 200 barrels that sort of reduced our Q1 production.

Speaker 4

So we look forward to getting all those wells on stream Q2 and forward.

Speaker 3

And sorry, those private operators, would you consider those that spud activity in the more exploratory portion of the acreage base?

Speaker 2

It's a split between the 2. So we saw some on our northern acreage up in Eby Golden. And then we did see one kind of in Nipissy proper, and those are yielding really good results. Thanks, Patrick.

Operator

Thank you. Next question comes from Jamie Kubik at CIBC. Please go ahead.

Speaker 5

I've got a couple of questions here. Can you just talk a little bit maybe about the wells that were reactivated the past couple of quarters? You talked about 6 reactivated this quarter, 10 last quarter. Just curious what the reason was for the reactivation? Was it operational or price sensitive or anything on that nature that you can talk about?

Speaker 4

Yes, for sure. They were predominantly oil wells and just increased activity from a private operator on some of the Central Alberta wells. That's the vast majority of them. We have a lower royalty rate on those, but nice to see the brought back on. And I think they are older wells, but definitely stronger WTI pricing has helped that.

Speaker 5

Got it. Okay. And then on the well spud during the quarter, but not on production, you disclosed that at 95 of the 145 wells not on or 95 wells spud but not on production out of 145 that were spud in the quarter. That does look to be a historic high for Topaz. Can you just elaborate a little bit on some of the dynamics at play there and what's going on that front and maybe the mix of wells in that 95 that are not yet on production?

Speaker 4

Yes, for sure. So there's about 25 between Clearwater and Peace River. And there the vast majority, the delta would be predominantly terminally related wells, so Deep Basin and Northeast PC Montney. And I think it's just timing spring breakup, getting wells drilled and longer drill times with a multi well pads, etcetera. So it is higher than normal, but we are looking forward to those production results coming through the balance of the year.

Speaker 5

Okay. Those were just my questions. Thanks very much.

Speaker 2

Thanks everyone and look forward to talking to you in Q2.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes your conference for today. We thank you for participating, and we ask that you please disconnect your lines.

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Key Takeaways

  • Topaz achieved the midpoint of its 2024 guidance for royalty production in Q1, with 145 gross wells spud (12% of WCSB activity) and six wells reactivated, reflecting consistent operator development across its acreage.
  • Q1 financials included C$78.2 million in revenue, C$67.9 million of cash flow (C$0.47/share), a 68% payout ratio supporting a 6.4% yield, a 3% quarterly dividend increase (60% growth since inception), and C$19.9 million of excess free cash flow used to reduce debt by 6%.
  • Construction on the Clearwater natural gas gathering infrastructure is ~50% complete, with commissioning targeted for late 2024 to enable long-term fixed processing fees and expanded gas flows on existing royalty lands.
  • Topaz realized 100% of the AECO 5A gas benchmark and 97% of WCS oil prices in Q1, with 18% of gas hedged at C$3.17/Mcf and 40% of liquids hedged via collars at a C$102.54/bbl floor, underpinning dividend sustainability to C$0.01 gas and US$50 oil.
  • The company reconfirmed its 2024 guidance of 18,800–19,600 BOE/d of royalty production and C$69–71 million of infrastructure revenue, and expects to end 2024 with net debt/EBITDA of 0.8x and a 64% payout ratio to maintain growth optionality.
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Earnings Conference Call
Topaz Energy Q1 2024
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