US ENERGY CORP
For the period ended Mar 31, 2025. Filed May 12, 2025.
View on SEC.govAbout this filing
A company's report for each of its first three quarters. The financial statements are not audited. It shows how the business has moved since the last annual report, and what management says changed.
Mar 31, 2025 · Filed May 12, 2025
Extracted filing text, with the paragraph anchors used by the comparison.
See the whole filing, with its images and exhibitsContents
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
1. ORGANIZATION, OPERATIONS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Organization and Operations
U.S. Energy Corp. (collectively with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Energy One LLC (“Energy One”), New Horizon Resources LLC (“New Horizon Resources”) and Coyote Resources LLC ("Coyote Resources"), which was formed on* August 6, 2024,*are referred to as the “Company” in these notes to unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements) is incorporated in the State of Delaware. The Company’s principal business activities are focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of helium, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and hydrocarbons (collectively, "industrial gas" or "industrial gases"), and oil and natural gas properties (collectively referred to as "commodities" or "industrial gas and oil and natural gas") in the United States.
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and have been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) regarding interim financial reporting. Accordingly, certain information and footnote disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements have been condensed or omitted in accordance with such rules and regulations. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation of the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been included.
For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form10-K for the year ended* December 31, 2024,as filed with the SEC on March 13, 2025.Our financial condition as of March 31, 2025,and operating results for thethree* months ended* March 31, 2025,arenot* necessarily indicative of the financial condition and results of operations that* maybe expected for any future interim period or for the year ending December 31, 2025.*
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates include oil and natural gas reserves that are used in the calculation of depreciation, depletion, amortization ("DD&A") and impairment of the carrying value of proved oil and natural gas properties, and the cost and timing of future asset retirement obligations. The Company evaluates its estimates on an on-going basis and bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions the Company believes to be reasonable. Due to inherent uncertainties, including the future prices of oil and natural gas, these estimates could change in the near term and such changes could be material.
Principles of Consolidation
The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in conformity with GAAP and include the accounts of U.S. Energy Corp. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Energy One, New Horizon Resources and Coyote Resources. U.S. Energy Corp. accounts for its share of oil and natural gas exploration and production activities, and industrial gas activities in which it has a direct working interest, by reporting its proportionate share of assets, liabilities, revenues, costs, and cash flows within the relevant lines on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, Statements of Operations, and Statements of Cash Flows. All inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Industry Segment and Geographic Information
The Company currently operates in the exploration and production segment of the oil and natural gas industry, onshore in the United States. The Company’s operations are all related to oil and natural gas from which the Company derives all its revenues. The Company manages its business as a single reportable segment, as its operations are focused on assets with similar economic characteristics, production processes, types of purchasers, regulatory environment and customers which are consistent across the Company. Therefore, the Company aggregates its operating regions intoone reportable segment. Our principal properties and operations are currently in the Rockies region (Montana, and Wyoming), the Mid-Continent region (Oklahoma, Kansas, and North and East Texas), and West Texas, South Texas and Gulf Coast region. Our Chief Executive Officer is our chief operating decision maker (CODM). The CODM utilizes operating income or loss as the primary operating measure to evaluate the performance of properties, which is revenues less lease operating expenses. Other segment items primarily consist of total assets, DD&A, general and administrative expense, gain or loss on derivative activity, interest expense and income tax expense or benefit. Our significant segment expenses and other segment items are derived from and can be found within the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
8
Industrial Gas Properties
The Company capitalizes all costs associated with the acquisition, exploration and development of industrial gas properties. The acquisition of leases, cost of acquiring drilling permits, drilling, development and asset retirement costs are capitalized as exploration and unevaluated properties. When commercially viable quantities of industrial gas reserves are discovered, the associated costs are reclassified to evaluated assets. The Company will periodically assess exploration and unevaluated properties on a property by property basis to determine whether they have been impaired. The assessment would include a review of capital plans including drilling or construction of production infrastructure on the property and assessment of expected cash flows for recoverability. Any additional costs to develop the properties or to construct infrastructure to produce and process industrial gases, including processing plant construction costs, will be capitalized as evaluated. Interest expense, if any, is capitalized on qualifying expenditures. Evaluated industrial gas properties are subject to DD&A once production commences utilizing the units of production method. Evaluated industrial gas properties are stated at cost, less accumulated depletion, depreciation and amortization.
The carrying value of evaluated properties is reviewed for impairment when there are indications that it* may**not* be recoverable due to significant and prolonged declines in prices, significant reductions in estimated resources, changes in the Company’s plans or other significant events that indicate that an impairment* may*exist. If any such indication of impairment exists and the sum of the undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying value of the evaluated property, the carrying value is reduced to estimated fair value and reported as an impairment charge in the period with a reduction in the associated carrying cost. Individual evaluated properties are grouped for impairment purposes at the lowest level for which there are identifiable cash flows. The fair value of impaired property is typically determined based on the present value of expected future cash flows using discount rates believed to be consistent with market participants. The impairment test incorporates several assumptions involving expectations of future cash flows which can change significantly over time. These assumptions include estimates of future production, future contracted industrial gas prices, estimates of future operating and development costs.
Proceeds from partial dispositions of unevaluated property are offset against the acquisition cost withno gain or loss recognized and the remaining unevaluated property will be subject to impairment assessment. In the event we dispose of all interest in a significant, unevaluated property, gain or loss will be recognized. Gain or loss will be recognized on dispositions of evaluated properties.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards
In* December 2023,the FASB issued ASU2023*-09 "Income Taxes (Topic740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures," which is effective for annual periods beginning after* December 15, 2024.*
The amendments from this update provide transparency about income tax information through improvements primarily related to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid information. Among other disclosures, public business entities are required to disclose a tabular reconciliation, using both percentages and reporting currency amounts, showing detail fromeight specific categories: (a) state and local income tax net of federal (national) income tax effect, (b) foreign tax effects, (c) effect of changes in tax laws or rates enacted in the current period, (d) effect of cross-border tax laws, (e) tax credits, (f) changes in valuation allowances, (g) nontaxable or nondeductible items, and (h) changes in unrecognized tax benefits. In addition, public business entities are required to separately disclose any reconciling item, disaggregated by nature and/or jurisdiction, in which the effect of the reconciling item is equal to or greater thanfive percent of the amount computed by multiplying the income (or loss) from continuing operations before income taxes by the applicable statutory income tax rate. Also, for the state and local category, a public business entity is required to provide a qualitative description of the states and local jurisdictions that make up the majority (greater than50 percent) of the category. Additional disclosures required a disaggregation of both continuing income before income taxes and taxes paid by jurisdiction. The Company is currently assessing the impact of adopting this new guidance on its financial disclosures.
New Accounting PronouncementNot Yet Adopted
In* November 2024,the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU)2024-03, “Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income—Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic220*-40),” which expands disclosures around a public entity’s costs and expenses of specific items (i.e. employee compensation, DD&A), requires the inclusion of amounts that are required to be disclosed under GAAP in the same disclosure as other disaggregation requirements, requires qualitative descriptions of amounts remaining in expense captions that arenot separately disaggregated quantitatively, and requires disclosure of total selling expenses, and in annual periods, the definition of selling expenses. The amendment doesnot change or remove existing disclosure requirements. The amendment is effective for fiscal years beginning after* December 15, 2026,and interim periods with fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2027.*Early adoption is permitted, and the amendment can be adopted prospectively or retrospectively to any or all periods presented in the financial statements. The Company is currently assessing the impact of adopting this standard.
2. ACQUISITIONS
Acquisition of industrial gas acreage
On* January 7, 2025,*the Company entered into, and simultaneously closed the related party transactions contemplated by, a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the “Synergy Purchase Agreement”), with Synergy Offshore LLC (“Synergy”). Synergy is controlled by Mr. Duane H. King, a member of the Board of Directors of the Company, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Manager of Synergy, and John A. Weinzierl, the Company’s Chairman, who is an approximate sixty percent beneficial owner of Synergy.
Pursuant to the Synergy Purchase Agreement, the Company purchased from Synergy,24,000 net operated acres located across the Kevin Dome structure in Toole County, Montana, which are highly contiguous to the assigned rights the Company acquired in the Wavetech acquisition, including all leases, wells, rights and interests in, under or derived from all communalization, unitization, or pooling agreements or pooling orders, easements, mineral interests, contracts, production, equipment, claims, receivables, indemnities, permits, seismic studies and records, associated therewith (collectively, the “Property”), subject to Synergy retaining an undivided twenty percent (20.00%) of Synergy’s right, title, and interest in the Property, and certain excluded assets (the “Synergy Reserved Interest”).
The Property was acquired in consideration for (a) $2.0 million in cash, subject to customary adjustments; (b)1,400,000 shares of the Company’s common stock (representing 4.76% of the Company’s outstanding common stock at the time of the entry into the Purchase Agreement) (the “Closing Shares”); (c) a carried working interest whereby the Company agreed to cover and pay for 100% of Synergy’s costs attributable to the Synergy Reserved Interest, until the earlier of (i)78 months from the closing date; or (ii) the date the total costs associated therewith total $20 million; (d) the Company's agreement to pay Synergy18% of the cash amounts it actually realizes following the closing in, so much as they result from, are generated by, or are credited to the Company, pursuant to any law or regulation allowing for benefits resulting from our sequestration of carbon oxides or similar substances derived directly from the area of mutual interest (“AMI”) surrounding the Property; and (e) the Company's agreement to pay Synergy 18% of the gain we* may*receive in connection with the sale of the future, first, gas processing plant located on the Property (which includes any expansions connected to the initial installation that processes production from within the AMI in which the Company has a financial interest), in the same form as the consideration we receive upon such sale. Total consideration was $4.7 million. The transaction was accounted for as an asset acquisition and recorded as an unevaluated industrial gas asset upon closing.
9
3. REVENUE RECOGNITION
The Company disaggregates revenues from its share of revenue from the sale of oil and natural gas and liquids by region. The Company’s revenues in the Rockies region, West Texas, South Texas, and Gulf Coast region, and Mid-Continent region for thethree months ended* March 31, 2025and2024*, are presented in the following table:
| Three Months Ended March 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| (in thousands) | ||
| Revenue: | ||
| Rockies | ||
| Oil | $1,357 | $1,721 |
| Natural gas and liquids | 69 | 41 |
| Total | $1,426 | $1,762 |
| West Texas, South Texas, and Gulf Coast | ||
| Oil | $233 | $1,599 |
| Natural gas and liquids | 10 | 46 |
| Total | $243 | $1,645 |
| Mid-Continent | ||
| Oil | $180 | $1,407 |
| Natural gas and liquids | 344 | 577 |
| Total | $524 | $1,984 |
| Combined Total | $2,193 | $5,391 |
Significant concentrations of credit risk
The Company has exposure to credit risk in the event of non-payment of oil and natural gas receivables by purchasers of its operated oil and natural gas properties. The following table presents the purchasers that accounted for10% or more of the Company’s total oil and natural gas revenue for at leastone of the periods presented:
| Three Months Ended | ||
|---|---|---|
| March 31, | ||
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| Purchaser A | 46% | 28% |
| Purchaser B | 16% | 23% |
| Purchaser C | 8% | 11% |
4. LEASES
The Company’s operating lease right-of-use asset and lease obligation are recognized at their discounted present value under the following captions in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of* March 31, 2025* and* December 31, 2024*:
| March 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | ||
| Right-of-use asset | $486 | $528 |
| Lease liability | ||
| Current lease obligation | $199 | $196 |
| Long-term lease obligation | 365 | 415 |
| Total lease liabilities | $564 | $611 |
The Company recognizes lease expense on a straight-line basis excluding short-term and variable lease payments, which are recognized as incurred. Short-term lease cost represents payments for oilfield equipment with original lease terms less thanone year. The following are the amounts recognized as components of lease cost for thethree months ended* March 31, 2025and2024*:
| Three Months Ended March 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| (in thousands) | ||
| Operating lease cost | $49 | $49 |
| Short-term lease cost | 25 | 212 |
| Total lease costs | $74 | $261 |
10
The Company’s Houston office operating lease doesnot contain implicit interest rates that can be readily determined; therefore, the Company used the incremental borrowing rates in effect at the time the Company entered into the leases.
| As of March 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| (in thousands) | ||
| Weighted average lease term (years) | 2.7 | 3.7 |
| Weighted average discount rate | 4.25% | 4.25% |
Maturity of operating lease liabilities with terms ofone year or more as of* March 31, 2025* are presented in the following table:
| (in thousands) | |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $165 |
| 2026 | 224 |
| 2027 | 210 |
| 2028 | - |
| Total lease payments | $599 |
| Less: imputed interest | (35) |
| Total lease liability | $564 |
5. OIL AND NATURAL GAS PRODUCING ACTIVITIES
Full Cost Method Ceiling Test and Impairment
The reserves used in the ceiling test incorporate assumptions regarding pricing and discount rates over which management hasno influence in the determination of present value. In the calculation of the ceiling test as of* March 31, 2025*, the Company used $74.52 per barrel for oil and $2.44 perone million British Thermal Units (MMbtu) for natural gas (as further adjusted for property, specific gravity, quality, local markets and distance from markets) to compute the future cash flows of the Company’s producing properties. The discount factor used was 10%. No ceiling test write down was recorded for thethree months ended* March 31, 2025*.
The Company recorded a $5.4 million ceiling test write-down of its oil and natural gas properties during thethree months ended* March 31, 2024*, due to a reduction in the value of proved oil and natural gas reserves primarily as a result of a decrease in crude oil and natural gas prices, as well as reserves revisions related to wells shut-in during thefirst quarter of2024 and updates to the decline curves for certain wells.
6. DEBT
On* January 5, 2022,the Company entered into afour-year credit agreement (“Credit Agreement”) with FirstBank Southwest (“FirstBank”) as administrative agent forone* or more lenders (the “Lenders”), which provided for a revolving line of credit with an initial borrowing base of $15 million, and a maximum credit amount of $100 million. Borrowings under the Credit Agreement are collateralized by afirst priority, perfected lien and security interests on substantially all assets of the Company (subject to permitted liens and other customary exceptions). On* July 26, 2022,the Company entered into a letter agreement with FirstBank whereby it increased the borrowing base under the Credit Agreement from $15 million to $20 million. Under the Credit Agreement, revolving loans maybe borrowed, repaid and re-borrowed until January 5, 2026,*when all outstanding amounts must be repaid. The Company is currently renegotiating its Credit Agreement with FirstBank.
Under the Credit Agreement, revolving loans* maybe borrowed, repaid and re-borrowed until January 5, 2026,when all outstanding amounts must be repaid. Interest on the outstanding amounts under the Credit Agreement will accrue at an interest rate equal to the greater of (i) the prime rate in effect on such day, and (ii) the Federal Funds rate in effect on such day (as determined in the Credit Agreement) plus 0.50%, and an applicable margin that ranges between 0.25% to 1.25% depending on utilization of the amount of the borrowing base (the “Applicable Margin”). Interest expense from drawn balances recognized on the Credit Agreement and the weighted average interest rates for thethree* months ended* March 31, 2025and2024* are presented in the following table:
| Three Months Ended March 31, | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 · 2024 | |||
| (in thousands) | |||
| Interest expense | $ | - | $111 |
| Weighted average interest rate | 0.0% | 9.1% | |
The Credit Agreement contains various restrictive covenants and compliance requirements, which include: (i) maintenance of certain financial ratios, as defined in the Credit Agreement tested quarterly, that limit the Company’s ratio of total debt to EBITDAX (as defined in the Credit Agreement) to 3:1 and require its ratio of consolidated current assets to consolidated current liabilities (as each is described in the Credit Agreement) to remain at 1:1 or higher; (ii) restrictions on making restricted payments as defined in the Credit Agreement, including the payment of cash dividends and repurchases of equity interests (subject to certain limited rights to make restricted payments as long asno event of default has occurred, or would result from the restricted payment, certain financial ratios are met and the borrowing availability after giving pro forma effect to any borrowing to be made on the date of the restricted payment is greater than, or equal to,20% of the then existing borrowing base); (iii) limits on the incurrence of additional indebtedness; (iv) a prohibition on the entry into commodity swap contracts exceeding a specified percentage of our expected production; and (v) restrictions on the disposition of assets. As of* March 31, 2025*, the borrowing base was $20 million.
On* September 10, 2024,with the proceeds of $1.8 million from the settlement of the derivative contracts and cash on hand, the Company repaid the then remaining balance of $2.0 million borrowed under the Credit Agreement. Therefore, there wereno amounts outstanding on the Credit Agreement as of March 31, 2025* and* December 31, 2024*.
11
7. COMMODITY DERIVATIVES
The Company’s results of operations and cash flows are affected by changes in market prices for crude oil and natural gas. To manage a portion of its exposure to price volatility from producing crude oil and natural gas, the Company* mayenter into commodity derivative contracts to protect against price declines in future periods. The Company doesnot* enter into derivative contracts for speculative purposes. The Company doesnot apply hedge accounting. Accordingly, changes in the fair value of the derivative contracts are recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and are included as a non-cash adjustment to net loss in the operating activities section in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
As of* March 31, 2025* and* December 31, 2024*, the Companyno longer has any commodity derivative contracts outstanding.
The following table summarizes the components of the commodity derivative settlement gain (loss) as well as the components of the net commodity derivative (gain) loss line-item presentation in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations:
| Three Months Ended March 31, | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 · 2024 | |||
| (in thousands) | |||
| Commodity derivative settlement gain (loss): | |||
| Oil contracts | $ | - | $404 |
| Total commodity derivative settlement gain (loss) | $ | - | $404 |
| Total net commodity derivative gain (loss): | |||
| Oil contracts | $ | - | $(1,381) |
| Total net commodity derivative gain (loss) | $ | - | $(1,381) |
8. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Contingencies
The Company is subject to litigation and claims arising in the ordinary course of business. The Company accrues for such items when a liability is both probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. In the opinion of management, the anticipated results of any pending litigation and claims arenot expected to have a material effect on the results of operations, the financial position, or the cash flows of the Company.
9. SHAREHOLDERS’** EQUITY**
Equity Issuance
On* January 22, 2025,*the Company entered into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with Roth Capital Partners, LLC (the “Representative”), as representative of the several underwriters named in the Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriters”), relating to an underwritten offering of 4,871,400 shares of common stock, at a price to the public of $2.65 per share (such offering, the “Offering”).
The sale of 4,871,400 shares of Common Stock (including the full 635,400 Option) in connection with the Offering, closed on* January 23, 2025.The Company generated approximately $11.9 million of net proceeds from the Offering, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and offering costs payable by us, and plans to use such proceeds for the development of its recent acquisition in Montana, general corporate purposes, and working capital, or for other purposes that our board of directors, in their good faith, deems to be in the best interest of the Company. Additionally, management used $1.574 million from the Option exercise to purchase shares of common stock from Sage Road Capital, LLC (a current shareholder of the Company whose co-manager is Joshua L. Batchelor, a then member of the Board of Directors of the Company) and its affiliates at a price equal to the public offering price of the Offering, less underwriting discounts, which sale took place in January 2025,*as discussed below.
Related Party Share Repurchase
On* January 27, 2025,the Company entered into a Share Repurchase Agreement with Banner Oil & Gas, LLC (“Banner”), Woodford Petroleum, LLC (“Woodford”), and Sage Road Energy II, LP, (“Sage Road”, and together with Banner and Woodford, the “Selling Stockholders”). In his capacity as co-Managing Partner of Sage Road Capital, LLC, which indirectly controls and manages certain funds which own a majority interest in Banner, Woodford and Sage Road, Joshua L. Batchelor, a then member of the Board of Directors of the Company, may*be deemed to beneficially own the shares of common stock held by the Selling Stockholders.
12
Pursuant to the Share Repurchase Agreement, the Company, in a private transaction, outside of, and separate from the Company’s previously disclosed share repurchase program, on* January 27, 2025,repurchased (a)534,020 shares of common stock held by Banner, (b)41,229 shares of common stock held by Woodford, and (c)60,151 shares of common stock held by Sage Road, for an aggregate of $1.574 million or approximately $2.48 per share, which is the net price per share of the 4,871,400 shares of Common Stock which we sold in our underwritten public offering which closed on January 23, 2025,less underwriting discounts and commissions, and which represented an 8.2% premium to the closing sales price of the Company's Common Stock on January 27, 2025.*
The share repurchase program was approved by the disinterested members of the Board of Directors of the Company, as well as the Company’s Audit Committee, comprised solely of independent directorsnot affiliated with Mr. Batchelor or the Selling Stockholders.
Stock Option Plans
From time to time, the Company* may*grant stock options under its incentive plan covering shares of common stock to employees of the Company. Stock options, when exercised, are settled through the payment of the exercise price in exchange for new shares of stock underlying the option. These awards typically expireten years from the grant date.
For thethree months ended* March 31, 2025and2024*, there wasno compensation expense related to stock options. As of* March 31, 2025* and* March 31, 2024*, all stock options had vested. No stock options were granted or exercised during thethree months ended* March 31, 2025and2024*. The stock options had de minimis intrinsic values for the periods reported. Presented below is information for stock options outstanding and exercisable as of* March 31, 2025*, and* December 31, 2024*:
| March 31, 2025 · December 31, 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weighted · Weighted | ||||
| Average | Average | |||
| Number of | Exercise | Number of | Exercise | |
| Shares | Price | Shares | Price | |
| Stock options outstanding and exercisable | 16,500 | $10.00 | 22,176 | $30.48 |
The following table summarizes information for stock options outstanding and for stock options exercisable at* March 31, 2025* by the remaining contractual term:
| Options Outstanding and Exercisable | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise · Weighted · Remaining | ||||
| Price · Average · Contractual | ||||
| Number of · Range · Exercise · Term | ||||
| Shares | Low | High | Price | (years) |
| 16,500 | $7.20 | $11.60 | $10.00 | 2.5 |
Restricted Stock
The Company grants restricted stock under its incentive plans covering shares of common stock to employees and directors of the Company. Significantly all of the restricted stock awards are time-based awards and are amortized ratably over a requisite service period. Time-based awards vest ratably following the grant date, provided the grantee is employed on the vesting dates. Forfeitures of restricted stock awards are recognized as they occur. Restricted stock granted to employees is reduced by shares forfeited to pay withholding tax. Non-vested shares of restricted stock arenot included in common shares outstanding until vesting has occurred.
The following table presents the changes in non-vested restricted stock awards to all employees and directors for thethree months ended* March 31, 2025*:
| Weighted-Avg. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Grant Date | ||
| Fair Value | ||
| Shares | Per Share | |
| Non-vested restricted stock as of December 31, 2024 | 1,450,695 | $1.41 |
| Granted | 1,140,000 | $2.03 |
| Vested | (851,515) | $1.52 |
| Non-vested restricted stock as of March 31, 2025 | 1,739,180 | $1.76 |
For thethree months ended* March 31, 2025and2024*, the Company recognized $0.5 million and $0.2 million, respectively, of stock compensation expense related to restricted stock grants. Total compensation cost related to non-vested awardsnot yet recognized in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations as of* March 31, 2025*was $2.4 million. This cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.0 years.
13
Share Repurchase Program
On* January 29, 2025,the Board of Directors of the Company authorized and approved an extension of the ongoing share repurchase program for up to $5.0 million of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock originally approved by the Board of Directors on April 26, 2023and extended on March 19, 2024,and set to expire on June 30, 2025.Subject to any future extension in the discretion of the Board of Directors of the Company, the repurchase program is now scheduled to expire on June 30, 2026,*when a maximum of $5.0 million of the Company’s common stock has been repurchased, or when such program is discontinued by the Board of Directors.
Under the stock repurchase program, shares are repurchased from time to time in the open market or through negotiated transactions at prevailing market prices, or by other means in accordance with federal securities laws. Repurchases are made at management’s discretion at prices management considers to be attractive and in the best interests of both the Company and its stockholders, subject to the availability of stock, general market conditions, the trading price of the stock, alternative uses for capital, and the Company’s financial performance. The repurchase program is funded using the Company’s working capital. The repurchased shares are cancelled and therefore willnot be held in treasury or reissued.
The following table presents the activity in the share repurchase program for thethree months ended* March 31, 2025and2024*:
| Three Months Ended March 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| (in thousands) | ||
| Shares repurchased | 126 | 318 |
| Weighted average price per share | $1.865 | $1.059 |
| Value of shares repurchased | $234 | $337 |
10. ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS
The Company has asset retirement obligations (“ARO”) associated with the future plugging and abandonment of proved properties. Initially, the fair value of a liability for an ARO is recorded in the period in which the ARO is incurred with a corresponding increase in the carrying amount of the related asset. The liability is accreted to its present value each period and the capitalized cost is depleted over the life of the related asset. If the liability is settled for an amount other than the recorded amount, an adjustment to the full cost pool is recognized. The Company hadno assets that are restricted for the purpose of settling ARO.
In the fair value calculation for the ARO there are a number of assumptions and judgments, including the ultimate retirement cost, inflation factors, credit-adjusted risk-free discount rates, timing of retirement and changes in legal, regulatory, environmental, and political environments. To the extent future revisions to assumptions and judgments impact the present value of the existing ARO, a corresponding adjustment is made to the oil and natural gas property balance.
The following is a reconciliation of the changes in the Company’s liabilities for asset retirement obligations as of* March 31, 2025* and* December 31, 2024*:
| March 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | ||
| Balance, beginning of year | $14,083 | $18,490 |
| Acquired or incurred | 18 | 2 |
| Cost and life revisions | - | (150) |
| Plugged | (134) | (374) |
| Sold | (114) | (5,435) |
| Accretion | 286 | 1,550 |
| Balance, end of period | $14,139 | $14,083 |
| Asset retirement obligations - current | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Asset retirement obligations - noncurrent | 13,139 | 13,083 |
| Balance, end of period | $14,139 | $14,083 |
14
11. INCOME TAXES
The Company’s tax provision or benefit from income taxes for interim periods is determined using an estimate of its annual effective tax rate, adjusted for discrete items, if any. Each quarter the Company updates its estimate of the annual effective tax rate and makes a year-to-date adjustment to the provision. The Company’s effective tax rate was approximately 0% and 0% for thethree months ended* March 31, 2025and2024*, respectively. The primary difference in the Company’s effective tax rate and the statutory rate for both periods is related to the movement in the valuation allowance against the Company’s net deferred tax assets.
Deferred taxes are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets, liabilities, net operating losses and tax credit carry-forwards. We review our deferred tax assets (“DTAs”) and valuation allowance on a quarterly basis. As part of our review, we consider positive and negative evidence, including cumulative results in recent years. An acquisition transaction which closed on* January 5, 2022triggered an Internal Revenue Code ("IRC") Section382* ownership change, and therefore placed additional limitations on the Company’s pre-transaction net operating loss ("NOL") and other tax attributes.No additional triggering ownership changes under the IRC have occurred since then.
The Company recognizes, measures, and discloses uncertain tax positions whereby tax positions must meet a “more-likely-than-not” threshold to be recognized. During thethree months ended* March 31, 2025and2024*, the Company hadno uncertain tax positions.
12. INCOME (LOSS) PER SHARE
Basic net income (loss) per common share is calculated by dividing net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the respective period. Diluted net income per common share is calculated by dividing adjusted net income by the diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding, which includes the effect of potentially dilutive securities. Potentially dilutive securities for this calculation consist of stock options and unvested shares of restricted common stock, which are measured using the treasury stock method. When the Company recognizes a net loss, all potentially dilutive shares are anti-dilutive and are consequently excluded from the calculation of dilutive net loss per common share. Unvested shares of restricted stock participate in dividend distributions; however, they donot participate in losses. Therefore, dividends, if any, attributable to participating securities arenot included as a reduction in the calculation of loss attributable to common shareholders.
15
The following table sets forth the calculation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per share for thethree months ended* March 31, 2025and2024*:
| Three Months Ended March 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| (in thousands except per share data) | ||
| Net loss attributable to common shareholders | $(3,111) | $(9,537) |
| Basic weighted average common shares outstanding | 32,725 | 25,388 |
| Dilutive effect of potentially dilutive securities | - | - |
| Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding | 32,725 | 25,388 |
| Basic and Diluted net loss per share | $(0.10) | $(0.38) |
For thethree months ended* March 31, 2025and2024*, potentially dilutive securities excluded from the calculation of weighted average shares because they were anti-dilutive were as follows:
| Three Months Ended March 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| (in thousands) | ||
| Stock options | 17 | 23 |
| Unvested shares of restricted stock | 1,739 | 1,738 |
| Total | 1,756 | 1,761 |
13. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
The Company’s fair value measurements are estimated pursuant to a fair value hierarchy that requires us to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The valuation hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability as of the measurement date, giving highest priority to quoted prices in active markets (Level1) and the lowest priority to unobservable data (Level3). In some cases, the inputs used to measure fair value might fall in different levels of the fair value hierarchy. The lowest level input that is significant to a fair value measurement in its entirety determines the applicable level in the fair value hierarchy. Assessing the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment, considering factors specific to the asset or liability, and* mayaffect the valuation of the assets and liabilities and their placement within the hierarchy level. Thethree* levels of inputs that* may*be used to measure fair value are defined as:
Level1 - Quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities traded in active markets.
Level2 - Observable inputs other than Level1 that are directly or indirectly observable for the asset or liability, including quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in active markets, or other observable inputs that can be corroborated by observable market data.
Level3 - Unobservable inputs supported by little orno market activity for financial instruments whose value is determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or similar techniques, as well as instruments for which the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation.
While the Company believes its valuation methods are appropriate and consistent with other market participants, the use of different methodologies or assumptions to determine the fair value of certain financial instruments could result in a different estimate of fair value at the reporting date. The following is a description of the valuation methodologies used for complex financial instruments measured at fair value:
16
Recurring Fair Value Measurements
Marketable Equity Securities
We measure the fair value of marketable equity securities based on quoted market prices obtained from independent pricing services. The Company has an investment in the marketable equity securities of Anfield Energy (“Anfield”), which it acquired as consideration for sales of certain mining operations. Anfield is traded in an active market under the trading symbol AEC:TSXV and has been classified as Level1.
| March 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Current assets: | ||
| Marketable equity securities | ||
| Number of shares owned | 2,421,180 | 2,421,180 |
| Quoted market price | $0.03491 | $0.06256 |
| Share Value | $84,526 | $151,475 |
| Estimated cost to sell shares | $(20,000) | $(20,000) |
| Fair value of marketable equity securities | $64,526 | $131,475 |
Credit Facility
The Company’s credit facility approximates fair value because the interest rate is variable and reflective of market rates.
Other Financial Instruments
The carrying value of financial instruments included in current assets and current liabilities approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of those instruments.
Nonrecurring Fair Value Measurements
Asset Retirement Obligations
The Company measures the fair value of asset retirement obligations as of the date a well is acquired, the date a well begins drilling, or the date the Company revises its ARO assumptions. The Company’s estimated AROs are based on historical experience in plugging and abandoning wells, estimated economic lives, estimated plugging and abandonment costs and federal and state regulatory requirements, all unobservable inputs, and therefore, are designated as Level3 within the valuation hierarchy. The liability is discounted using the credit-adjusted risk-free rate estimated at the time the liability is incurred or revised upwards. The credit adjusted risk-free rate used to discount the Company’s plugging and abandonment liabilities range from 7.30% to 19.00%. SeeNote10**-Asset Retirement Obligations.
14. OTHER CURRENT ASSETS AND ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED LIABILITIES
Other Current Assets
The following table presents the components of other current assets as of the dates indicated:
| March 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | ||
| Prepaid expenses | $592 | $119 |
| Joint interest billings receivable | 256 | 378 |
| Income tax receivable | 28 | 28 |
| Other | 40 | 47 |
| Total other current assets | $915 | $572 |
17
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities.
The following table presents the components of accounts payable and accrued liabilities as of the dates indicated:
| March 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | ||
| Accounts payable | $1,324 | $2,197 |
| Operating expense and oil and natural gas property accruals | 601 | 2,417 |
| Interest Payable | - | 172 |
| Production taxes payable | 444 | 653 |
| Other | 390 | 27 |
| Total accounts payable and accrued expenses | $2,759 | $5,466 |
15. SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION
| Three Months Ended March 31, | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 · 2024 | |||
| (in thousands) | |||
| Cash paid for interest | $ | - | $254 |
| Cash received for income taxes | - | (70) | |
| Investing activities: | |||
| Common stock issued for acquisition of industrial gas properties | (2,632) | - | |
| Asset retirement obligations | - | (158) | |
| Financing activities: | |||
| Accrual for repurchase of common stock | - | (59) | |
16. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
Expected Write-Down of Oil and Natural Gas Properties
Under the full-cost method of accounting, the net book value of proved oil and natural gas properties, less related deferred income taxes,* may**not* exceed a calculated “ceiling.” The ceiling limitation is the estimated after-tax future net cash flows from proved oil and natural gas reserves. Estimated future net cash flows are calculated using the unweighted arithmetic average of commodity prices in effect on thefirst day of each of the previous12 months, adjusted for location and quality differentials, held flat for the life of the production (except where prices are defined by contractual arrangements), less estimated operating costs, production taxes and future development costs, all discounted at10 percent per annum. Future cash outflows associated with settling accrued asset retirement obligations are excluded from the calculation.
For thethree months ended* March 31, 2025*, we didnot incur a ceiling test write-down of our oil and natural gas properties. We expect to record a further write-down of our oil and natural gas properties in thesecond quarter of2025 due to lower commodity prices used in the calculation of the ceiling test as highersecond quarter2024 commodity prices will be removed from the ceiling test calculation and replaced with what we expect to be lowersecond quarter2025 commodity prices. Depending on actual commodity prices, estimated price differentials, lease operating costs, revisions to reserve estimates, and the amount and timing of capital expenditures, the write-down could be approximately $7.0 million to $8.0 million in thesecond quarter of2025.
18
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.