RING ENERGY INC

Index to the Notes to the Financial Statements

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION, BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Organization and Nature of Operations –Ring Energy, Inc., a Nevada corporation (“Ring,” “Ring Energy,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or similar terms), is a growth oriented independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company based in The Woodlands, Texas and is engaged in oil and natural gas development, production, acquisition, and exploration activities currently focused in the Permian Basin of Texas. Our drilling operations target the oil and liquids rich producing formations in the Northwest Shelf and the Central Basin Platform, in the Permian Basin in Texas.

Liquidity and Capital Considerations– The Company strives to maintain an adequate liquidity level to address volatility and risk. Sources of liquidity include the Company’s net cash provided by operating activities, cash on hand, available borrowing capacity under its revolving credit facility, and proceeds from sales of non-strategic assets.

While changes in oil and natural gas prices affect the Company’s liquidity, the Company has put in place hedges in seeking to protect a substantial portion of its cash flows from price declines; however, if oil or natural gas prices rapidly deteriorate due to unanticipated economic conditions, this could still have a material adverse effect on the Company’s cash flows.

The Company expects ongoing oil price volatility over an indeterminate term. Extended depressed oil prices have historically had and could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s oil revenue, which is mitigated to some extent by the Company’s hedge contracts. The Company is always mindful of oil price volatility and its impact on our liquidity.

The Company believes that it has the ability to continue to fund its operations and service its debt by using cash flows from operations.

Use of Estimates – The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company's financial statements are based on a number of significant estimates, including estimates of oil and natural gas reserve quantities, which are the basis for the calculation of depletion and impairment of oil and gas properties. Reserve estimates, by their nature, are inherently imprecise. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Changes in the future estimated oil and natural gas reserves or the estimated future cash flows attributable to the reserves that are utilized for impairment analysis could have a significant impact on the Company's future results of operations.

Fair Value Measurements - Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (exit price). The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) has established a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. This hierarchy consists of three broad levels. Level 1 inputs are the highest priority and consist of unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities. Level 2 are inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 3 are unobservable inputs for an asset or liability.

Fair Values of Financial Instruments – The carrying amounts reported for our revolving line of credit approximate their fair value because the underlying instruments are at interest rates which approximate current market rates. The carrying amounts of accounts receivable and accounts payable and other current assets and liabilities approximate fair value because of the short-term maturities and/or liquid nature of these assets and liabilities.

Fair Value of Non-financial Assets and Liabilities – The Company also applies fair value accounting guidance to initially, or as events dictate, measure non-financial assets and liabilities such as those obtained through business acquisitions, property and equipment and asset retirement obligations. These assets and liabilities are subject to fair value adjustments only in certain circumstances and are not subject to recurring revaluations. Fair value may be estimated using comparable market data, a discounted cash flow method, or a combination of the two as considered appropriate based on the circumstances. Under the discounted cash flow method, estimated future cash flows are based on management’s expectations for the future and include estimates of future oil and natural gas production or other applicable sales estimates, operational costs and a risk-adjusted discount rate. The Company may use the present value of estimated future cash inflows and/or outflows or third-party offers or prices of comparable assets with consideration of current market conditions to value its non-financial assets and liabilities when circumstances dictate determining fair value is necessary. Given the significance of the unobservable nature of a number of the inputs, these are considered Level 3 on the fair value hierarchy.

Concentration of Credit Risk and Receivables – Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk consist principally of cash and receivables.

Cash and cash equivalents - The Company has cash in excess of federally insured limits of $46,384 and $3,462,526 as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The Company places its cash with a high credit quality financial institution. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts and believes it is not exposed to significant credit risk in this area.

Accounts receivable - Substantially all of the Company’s accounts receivable is from purchasers of oil and natural gas. Oil and natural gas sales are generally unsecured. Accounts receivable from purchasers outstanding longer than the contractual payment terms are considered past due. The Company has not had any significant credit losses in the past and believes its accounts receivable are fully collectable. Refer to the "Major Purchasers" section below for detail on purchaser activity for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.

Production imbalances - The Company accounts for natural gas production imbalances using the sales method, which recognizes revenue on all natural gas sold even though the natural gas volumes sold may be more or less than the Company's ownership entitles it to sell. Liabilities are recorded for imbalances greater than the Company’s proportionate share of remaining estimated natural gas reserves. The Company recorded no imbalances as of December 31, 2023 or 2022.

Joint interest billing receivables, net - The Company also has a joint interest billing receivable. Joint interest billing receivables are collateralized by the pro rata revenue attributable to the joint interest holders and further by the interest itself. Receivables from joint interest owners outstanding longer than the contractual payment terms are considered past due. The following table indicates the Company's provisions for bad debt expense associated with its joint interest billing receivables during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.

The following table reflects the Company's joint interest billing receivables and allowance for credit losses as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.

The reduction of $183,678 in the allowance for credit losses during the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily due to a clearing of $105,620 in allowances that were associated with the Delaware Basin asset sale.

Cash and Cash Equivalents – The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. At December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had no such investments.

Inventory - The full balance of the Company's inventory consists of materials and supplies for its operations, with no work in process or finished goods inventory balances. Inventory is added to the books upon the purchase of supplies (inclusive of freight and sales tax costs) to use on well sites, and inventory is reduced by material transfers for inventory usage based on the initial invoiced value. The Company reports the balance of its inventory at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Inventory balances are excluded from the Company's calculation of depletion.

Oil and Natural Gas Properties – The Company uses the full cost method of accounting for oil and natural gas properties. Under this method, all costs (direct and indirect) associated with acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and natural gas properties are capitalized. Costs capitalized include acquisition costs, geological and geophysical expenditures, lease rentals on undeveloped properties and costs of drilling and equipping productive and non-productive wells. Drilling costs include directly related overhead costs. Capitalized costs are categorized either as being subject to amortization or not subject to amortization. All of the Company’s capitalized costs, excluding inventory, are subject to amortization.

The Company records a liability in the period in which an asset retirement obligation (“ARO”) is incurred, in an amount equal to the discounted estimated fair value of the obligation that is capitalized. Thereafter this liability is accreted up to the final retirement cost. An ARO is a future expenditure related to the disposal or other retirement of certain assets. The Company’s ARO relates to future plugging and abandonment expenses of its oil and natural gas properties and related facilities disposal. Dispositions of oil and natural gas properties are accounted for as adjustments to capitalized costs.

All capitalized costs of oil and natural gas properties, including the estimated future costs to develop proved reserves and estimated future costs to plug and abandon wells and costs of site restoration, less the estimated salvage value of equipment associated with the oil and natural gas properties, are amortized on the unit-of-production method using estimates of proved reserves as determined by independent petroleum engineers. If the results of an assessment indicate that the properties are impaired, the amount of the impairment is offset to the capitalized costs to be amortized. The following table shows total depletion and the depletion per barrel-of-oil-equivalent rate, for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.

In addition, capitalized costs less accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization and related deferred income taxes are not allowed to exceed an amount (the full cost ceiling) equal to the sum of:

1)the present value of estimated future net revenues discounted at ten percent computed in compliance with SEC guidelines;

2)plus the cost of properties not being amortized;

3)plus the lower of cost or estimated fair value of unproven properties included in the costs being amortized;

4)less income tax effects related to differences between the book and tax basis of the properties.

No impairments on oil and natural gas properties as a result of the ceiling test were recorded for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 or 2021.

Land, Buildings, Equipment, Software, Leasehold Improvements, Automobiles, Buildings and Structures – Land, buildings, equipment, software, leasehold improvements, automobiles, buildings and structures are carried at historical cost, adjusted for impairment loss and accumulated depreciation (except for land). Historical costs include all direct costs associated with the acquisition of land, buildings, equipment, software, leasehold improvements, automobiles, buildings and structures and placing them in service. Upon sale or abandonment, the cost of the fixed asset(s) and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is recognized.

Depreciation of buildings, equipment, software, leasehold improvements, automobiles, buildings and structures is calculated using the straight-line method based upon the following estimated useful lives:

The following table provides information on the Company's depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company sold some of its automobiles, and recognized a loss on disposal of $87,128.

Accounts Payable

The following table summarizes the Company's components of its current accounts payable balance presented in its Balance Sheets at December 31, 2023 and 2022:

Trade accounts payable – The following table summarizes the Company's current trade accounts payable at December 31, 2023 and 2022:

Revenues payable – The following table summarizes the Company's current revenues and royalties payable at December 31, 2023 and 2022:

Accrued expenses– The following table summarizes the Company's current accrued expenses at December 31, 2023 and 2022:

Notes Payable – At the end of May 2023, the Company renewed its control of well, general liability, pollution, umbrella, property, workers' compensation, auto, and D&O (directors and officers) insurance policies, and funded the premiums with a promissory note with a total face value after down payments of $1,565,071. In November 2023, the Company renewed its cybersecurity insurance policy, and funded the premium with a promissory note with a total face value after down payments of $72,442. The annual percentage rate (APR) for both notes is 7.08%. As of December 31, 2023, the notes payable balance included within current liabilities on the balance sheet is $533,734. The weighted average notes payable balance during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were $687,456 and $593,766, respectively. The average interest on the weighted average notes payable balance during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were 7.23% and 4.31%, respectively. The following table shows interest paid related to notes payable for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021. This interest is included within "Interest (expense)" in the Statements of Operations.

Revenue Recognition – In January 2018, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09 Revenues from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)(“ASU 2014-09”). The timing of recognizing revenue from the sale of produced crude oil and natural gas was not changed as a result of adopting ASU 2014-09. The Company predominantly derives its revenue from the sale of produced crude oil and natural gas. The contractual performance obligation is satisfied when the product is delivered to the purchaser. Revenue is recorded in the month the product is delivered to the purchaser. The Company receives payment from one to three months after delivery. The transaction price includes variable consideration as product pricing is based on published market prices and reduced for contract specified differentials (quality, transportation and other variables from benchmark prices). The guidance regarding ASU 2014-09 does not require that the transaction price be fixed or stated in the contract. Estimating the variable consideration does not require significant judgment and Ring engages third party sources to validate the estimates. Revenue is recognized net of royalties due to third parties in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those products. See "Note 2 — REVENUE RECOGNITION" for additional information.

Income Taxes – Provisions for income taxes are based on taxes payable or refundable for the current year and deferred taxes. Deferred income taxes are provided on differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their carrying amounts in the financial statements, and tax carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are included in the financial statements at currently enacted income tax rates applicable to the period in which the deferred tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. As changes in tax laws or rates are enacted, deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted through the provision for income taxes.

Since December 31, 2020, the Company determined that a full valuation allowance was necessary due to the Company's assessment that it was more likely than not that it would be unable to obtain the benefits of its deferred tax assets due to the Company’s history of taxable losses. The Company determined that certain existing deferred tax assets would not be offset by existing deferred tax liabilities as a result of the 80% limitation on the utilization of net operating losses incurred after 2017. Since 2021, commodity prices increased and the Company continues to project positive pre-tax book income. As of June 30, 2023, the Company was no longer in a cumulative loss position. As a result, future forecasted pre-tax book income was considered as positive evidence in assessing the valuation allowance. Based on the change in judgment on the realizability of the related federal deferred tax assets in future years, the Company released $24.2 million of valuation allowance as a benefit during the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company recorded the following federal and state income tax benefits (provisions) for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.

The Company’s overall effective tax rates (calculated as Provision for Income Taxes divided by Income Before Provision for Income Taxes) for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 were as follows.

These rates were primarily impacted by the release of valuation allowance on the Company's federal net deferred tax asset. A tax benefit of $24.2 million was recorded in the year ended December 31, 2023.

Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes – In accordance with GAAP, the Company has analyzed its filing positions in all jurisdictions where it is required to file income tax returns for the open tax years. The Company has identified its federal income tax return and its franchise tax return in Texas in which it operates as a “major” tax jurisdiction. The Company’s federal income tax returns for the years ended December 31, 2019 and after remain subject to examination. The Company’s federal income tax returns for the years ended December 31, 2007 and after remain subject to examination to the extent of the net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards. The Company’s franchise tax returns in Texas remain subject to examination for 2018 and after. The Company currently believes that all significant filing positions are highly certain and that all of its significant income tax filing positions and deductions would be sustained upon audit. Therefore, the Company has no significant reserves for uncertain tax positions and no adjustments to such reserves were required by GAAP. No interest or penalties have been levied against the Company and none are anticipated; therefore, no interest or penalty has been included in our provision for income taxes in the Statements of Operations.

Three-Stream Reporting - Beginning July 1, 2022, the Company began reporting volumes and revenues on a three-stream basis, separately reporting crude oil, natural gas, and NGL sales. For periods prior to July 1, 2022, sales and reserve volumes, prices, and revenues for NGLs were presented with natural gas. This represents a change in our accounting and reporting presentation necessitated by a change in the underlying facts and circumstances surrounding the Stronghold Acquisition, as Stronghold has historically reported its revenues on a three-stream basis. As clarified in the interpretive guidance of ASC 250, such changes should not be applied on a retrospective basis. Accordingly, we began reporting on a three-stream basis prospectively, beginning July 1, 2022. See Note 5 — ACQUISITIONS & DIVESTITURES for a discussion of the Stronghold Acquisition.

Leases - The Company accounts for its leases in accordance with ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), effective January 1, 2019. The Company made accounting policy elections to not capitalize leases with a lease term of twelve months or less (i.e. short-term leases) and to not separate lease and non-lease components for all asset classes. The Company also elected to adopt the package of practical expedients within ASU 2016-02 that allows an entity to not reassess prior to the effective date (i) whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, (ii) the lease classification for any expired or existing leases, or (iii) initial direct costs for any existing leases and the practical expedient regarding land easements that exist prior to the adoption of ASU 2016-02. The Company did not elect the practical expedient of hindsight when determining the lease term of existing contracts at the effective date.

Earnings (Loss) Per Share– Basic earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the year. Diluted earnings (loss) per share are calculated to give effect to potentially issuable dilutive common shares.

Major Purchasers – During the year ended December 31, 2023, sales to three purchasers represented 66%,12%, and 10%, respectively, of total oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids sales. As of December 31, 2023, sales outstanding from these three purchasers represented 65%,11%, and 8%, respectively, of accounts receivable. During the year ended December 31, 2022, sales to three purchasers represented 68%,13%, and 5%, respectively, of total oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids sales. As of December 31, 2022, sales outstanding from these three purchasers represented 69%,7%, and 10%, respectively, of accounts receivable. During the year ended December 31, 2021, sales to three purchasers represented 76%,7%, and 6%, respectively, of total oil and natural gas sales. As of December 31, 2021, sales outstanding from these three purchasers represented 75%,8%, and 4%, respectively, of accounts receivable.

Share-Based Employee Compensation –The Company has outstanding stock option grants and restricted stock unit awards to directors, officers and employees, which are described more fully below in "Note 12 — EMPLOYEE STOCK OPTIONS, RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD PLAN, AND 401(K)". The Company recognizes the cost of employee services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the grant-date fair value of the award and recognizes the related compensation expense over the period during which an employee is required to provide service in exchange for the award, which is generally the vesting period.

Share-Based Compensation to Non-Employees –The Company accounts for share-based compensation issued to non-employees as either the fair value of the consideration received or the fair value of the equity instruments issued, whichever is more reliably measurable. The measurement date for these issuances is the earlier of (i) the date at which a commitment for performance by the recipient to earn the equity instruments is reached or (ii) the date at which the recipient’s performance is complete.

Share-Based Compensation -The following table summarizes the Company's share-based compensation, included with General and administrative expense within our Statements of Operations, incurred for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities – The Company periodically enters into derivative contracts to manage its exposure to commodity price risk. These derivative contracts, which are generally placed with major financial institutions, may take the form of forward contracts, futures contracts, swaps or options. The oil and gas reference prices upon which the commodity derivative contracts are based reflect various market indices that have a high degree of historical correlation with actual prices received by the Company for its oil and natural gas production.

As the Company has not designated its derivative instruments as hedges for accounting purposes, any gains or losses resulting from changes in fair value of outstanding derivative financial instruments and from the settlement of derivative financial instruments are recognized in earnings and included as a component of other income (expense) in the Statements of Operations.

When applicable, the Company records all derivative instruments, other than those that meet the normal purchases and sales exception, on the balance sheet as either an asset or liability measured at fair value. Changes in fair value are recognized currently in earnings unless specific hedge accounting criteria are met. Refer to "Note 7 — DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS" for additional information.

The Company uses the indirect method of reporting operating cash flows within the Statements of Cash Flows. Accordingly, the non-cash, unrealized gains and losses from derivative contracts are reflected as an adjustment to arrive at Net cash provided by operating activities. The total Gain (loss) on derivative contracts less the Cash received (paid) for derivative settlements, net represents the unrealized (mark to market) gain or loss on derivative contracts.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements – In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement (“ASU 2018-13”). ASU

2018-13 eliminates, adds and modifies certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurement. ASU 2018-13 became effective for annual and interim periods beginning January 1, 2020. ASU 2018-13 requires that the additional disclosure requirements be adopted using a retrospective approach. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, followed by other related ASUs that provided targeted improvements (collectively “ASU 2016-13”). ASU 2016-13 provides financial statement users with more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments and other commitments to extend credit held by a reporting entity at each reporting date. The guidance is to be applied using a modified retrospective method and became effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 on January 1, 2020. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 did not have a material impact to the Company’s financial statements or disclosures.

In December 2019, the FASB released ASU No. 2019-12 (“ASU 2019-12”), Income Taxes (Topic 740) – Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, which removes certain exceptions for recognizing deferred taxes for investments, performing intraperiod allocation and calculating income taxes in interim periods. The ASU also adds guidance to reduce complexity in certain areas, including recognizing deferred taxes for tax goodwill and allocating taxes to members of a consolidated group. The amended standard became effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. The adoption of ASU 2019-12 did not have a material impact to the Company’s financial statements or disclosures.

In October 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-10, Codification Improvements("ASU 2020-10"), which clarifies or improves disclosure requirements for various topics to align with SEC regulations. This update was effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of 2021 and was applied retrospectively. The adoption and implementation of this ASU did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, “Debt - Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging - Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40)” (“ASU 2020-06”). ASU 2020-06 was issued to reduce the complexity associated with accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity. ASU 2020-06 became effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021. The Company adopted ASU 2020-06 effective January 1, 2022. The adoption and implementation of this ASU did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-08, "Business Combinations (Topic 805) – Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers”("ASU 2021-08"). This update requires the acquirer in a business combination to record contract asset and liabilities following Topic 606 – “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” at acquisition as if it had originated the contract, rather than at fair value. This update became effective for public business entities beginning after December 15, 2022. The Company adopted ASU 2021-08 effective January 1, 2023. The adoption and implementation of this ASU did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements, as its revenue is recognized when control transfers to the purchaser at the point of delivery, and no contract liabilities or assets are recognized in accordance with ASC 606.

In July 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-03, Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205), Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220), Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480), Equity (Topic 505), and Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 120, SEC Staff Announcement at the March 24, 2022 EITF Meeting, and Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 6.B, Accounting Series Release 280 - General Revision of Regulation S-X: Income or Loss Applicable to Common Stock. The ASU provided updated views from the SEC Staff on employee and non-employee share-based payment accounting, including guidance related to spring-loaded awards. As the ASU did not provide any new ASC guidance, and there was no transition or effective date provided, the Company adopted this standard upon issuance, and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company's financial statements.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements –In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting (“ASU 2020-04”), which provided optional expedients and exceptions for applying GAAP to contract modifications and hedging relationships, subject to meeting certain criteria, that referenced LIBOR ("London Inter-Bank Offered Rate") or another rate. ASU 2020-04 was in effect through December 31, 2022. In January 2021, the FASB issued ASU No. 2021-01, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Scope (“ASU 2021-01”), to provide clarifying guidance regarding the scope of Topic 848. ASU 2020-04 was issued to provide optional guidance for a limited period of time to ease the potential burden in accounting for (or recognizing the effects of) reference rate reform on financial reporting. In December 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-06, "Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848"("ASU 2022-06"), which defers the sunset date of Topic 848 from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2024. Beginning August 31, 2022, under the Company's Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, the Company's interest rates were transitioned from the LIBOR to the SOFR reference rate. At this time, the Company does not plan to enter into additional contracts using LIBOR as a reference rate.

In October 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-06, "Disclosure Improvements: Codification Amendments in Response to the SEC's Disclosure Update and Simplification Initiative." This update modifies the disclosure or presentation requirements of a variety of Topics in the Codification, which should be applied prospectively. For instance, within ASC 230-10 Statement of Cash Flows - Overall, the amendment requires an accounting policy disclosure in annual periods of where cash flows associated with their derivative instruments and their related gains and losses are presented in the statement of cash flows. Additionally, within ASC 260-10 Earnings Per Share - Overall, the amendment requires disclosure of the methods used in the diluted earnings-per-share computation for each dilutive security and clarifies that certain disclosures should be made during interim periods. The Company is currently assessing the impact of this update on its financial statements and related notes. If by June 30, 2027, the SEC has not removed the applicable requirement from Regulation S-X or Regulation S-K, the pending content of the related amendment will be removed from the Codification and will not become effective for any entity.

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07 "Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures." This update requires that a public entity with multiple reportable segments disclose significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker ("CODM"), as well as other segment items that are included in the calculation of segment profit or loss. A public entity will also be required to disclose all annual disclosures about a reportable segment's profit or loss currently required by Topic 280 in interim periods. Although a public entity is permitted to disclose multiple measures of a segment's profit or loss, at least one of the reported segment profit or loss measures should be consistent with the measurement principles used in measuring the corresponding amounts of the public entity's consolidated financial statements. Further, a public entity must disclose the title and position of the CODM as well as how the CODM uses the reported measure(s) of segment profit or loss in assessing segment performance and deciding how to allocate resources. Finally, the update requires that a public entity that has a single reportable segment provide all the disclosures required by the amendments in this update and all existing segment disclosures in Topic 280. The Company is currently assessing the impact of adopting this new guidance on its financial disclosures. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09 "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures." The amendments from this update provide for more transparency about income tax information through improvements to income tax disclosures primarily related to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid information. Specifically, public business entities are required to disclose a tabular reconciliation, using both percentages and reporting currency amounts, showing detail from eight 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 than five 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 than 50 percent) of the category. Further, the amount of income taxes paid (net of refunds received) are required to be disaggregated by (i) federal (national), state, and foreign taxes, and (ii) by individual jurisdictions in which income taxes paid (net of refunds received) is equal to or greater than five percent of total income taxes paid (net of refunds received). Finally, the amendments from this update require that all entities disclose (i) income (or loss) from continuing operations before income tax expense (or benefit) disaggregated between domestic and foreign and (ii) income tax expense (or benefit) from continuing operations disaggregated by federal, state, and foreign. The Company is currently assessing the impact of adopting this new guidance on its financial disclosures. For public business entities, the amendments in this update are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024.

NOTE 2 — REVENUE RECOGNITION

The Company predominantly derives its revenue from the sale of produced crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs. The contractual performance obligation is satisfied when the product is delivered to the purchaser. Revenue is recorded in the month the product is delivered to the purchaser. The Company receives payment from one to three months after delivery. The Company has utilized the practical expedient in Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 606-10-50-14, which states an entity is not required to disclose the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations if the variable consideration is allocated entirely to a wholly unsatisfied performance obligation. Under the Company’s sales contracts, each unit of production delivered to a purchaser represents a separate performance obligation, therefore, future volumes to be delivered are wholly unsatisfied and disclosure of transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligation is not required. The transaction price includes variable consideration as product pricing is based on published market prices and adjusted for contract specified differentials such as quality, energy content, and transportation. The guidance does not require that the transaction price be fixed or stated in the contract. Estimating the variable consideration does not require significant judgment and the Company engages third party sources to validate the estimates. Revenue is recognized net of royalties due to third parties in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those products.

Oil sales

Under the Company’s oil sales contracts, the Company sells oil production at the point of delivery and collects an agreed upon index price, net of pricing differentials. The Company recognizes revenue at the net price received when control transfers to the purchaser at the point of delivery and it is probable the Company will collect the consideration it is entitled to receive.

Natural gas and NGL sales

Under the Company’s natural gas sales processing contracts for its Central Basin Platform properties and a portion of its Northwest Shelf assets, the Company delivers unprocessed natural gas to a midstream processing entity at the wellhead. The midstream processing entity obtains control of the natural gas and NGLs at the wellhead. The midstream processing entity gathers and processes the natural gas and NGLs and remits proceeds to the Company for the resulting sale of natural gas and NGLs. Under these processing agreements, the Company recognizes revenue when control transfers to the purchaser at the point of delivery and it is probable the Company will collect the consideration it is entitled to receive. As such, the Company accounts for any fees and deductions as a reduction of the transaction price.

Until April 30, 2022, under the Company's natural gas sales processing contracts for the bulk of our Northwest Shelf assets, the Company delivered unprocessed natural gas to a midstream processing entity at the wellhead. However, the Company maintained ownership of the gas through processing and received proceeds from the marketing of the resulting products. Under this processing agreement, the Company recognized the fees associated with the processing as an expense rather than netting these costs against Oil and Natural Gas Revenues in the Statements of Operations. Beginning May 1, 2022, these contracts were combined into one contract, and it was modified so that the Company no longer maintained ownership of the gas through processing. Accordingly, the Company from that point on accounts for any such fees and deductions as a reduction of the transaction price. There remains only one contract with a natural gas processing entity in place where point of control of gas dictates requiring the fees be recorded as an expense.

Disaggregation of Revenue. The following table presents revenues disaggregated by product:

(1) Beginning on July 1, 2022, the Company began reporting volumes and revenues on a three-stream basis, separately reporting crude oil, natural gas, and NGL sales. For periods prior to July 1, 2022, sales revenues for NGLs were presented with natural gas.

NOTE 3 — LEASES

The Company has operating leases for its offices in Midland, Texas and The Woodlands, Texas. The Midland office is under afive-year lease which began January 1, 2021. The Midland office lease was amended effective October 1, 2022, with the revised five-year lease ending September 30, 2027. Beginning January 15, 2021, the Company entered into a five-and-a-half-year sub-lease for office space in The Woodlands, Texas; however, effective as of May 31, 2023, The Woodlands office sub-lease was terminated. On May 9, 2023, the Company entered into a 71-month (five years and 11-month) new lease for a larger amount of office space in The Woodlands, Texas. At the time of the new lease commencement, the additional office space that was added was under construction and until completed, the rental obligation for this space had not yet commenced, because the Company did not have control of the additional office space in accordance with ASC 842-40-55-5. On September 27, 2023, the Company provided a certificate of acceptance of premises to the lessor of the additional office space, and accordingly, the future payments for this space are included along with the other operating leases, reflected in the future lease payments schedule below.

During the first quarter of 2021, the Company had an operating lease with Arenaco, LLC for its Tulsa, Oklahoma office. The Tulsa lease was terminated as of March 31, 2021, with payments made until the end of February 2021. Refer to "Note 13 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS" for further details.

The Company has month to month leases for office equipment and compressors used in its operations on which the Company has elected to apply ASU 2016-02 (i.e. to not capitalize). The office equipment and compressors are not subject to ASU 2016-02 based on the agreement and nature of use. These leases are for terms that are less than 12 months and the Company does not intend to continue to lease this equipment for more than 12 months. The lease costs associated with these leases is reflected in the short-term lease costs within Lease operating expenses, shown below.

The Company has financing leases for vehicles. These leases have a term of 36 months at the end of which the Company owns the vehicles. These vehicles are generally sold at the end of their term and the proceeds applied to a new vehicle.

Future lease payments associated with these operating and financing leases as of December 31, 2023 are as follows:

(1)The weighted average annual discount rate as of December 31, 2023 for operating leases was 4.50%. Based on this rate, the future lease payments above include imputed interest of $277,833. The weighted average remaining term of operating leases was 4.32 years.

(2)The weighted average annual discount rate as of December 31, 2023 for financing leases was 6.69%. Based on this rate, the future lease payments above include imputed interest of $143,869. The weighted average remaining term of financing leases was 2.00 years.

The following table represents a reconciliation between the undiscounted future cash flows in the table above and the operating and financing lease liabilities disclosed in the Balance Sheets:

The following table provides supplemental information regarding lease costs in the Statements of Operations:

(1)Amount included in Lease operating expenses

(2)Amount included in Depreciation, depletion and amortization

(3)Amount included in Interest (expense)

NOTE 4 — EARNINGS PER SHARE INFORMATION

The following table presents the calculation of the Company's basic and diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021. For all dilutive securities, the treasury stock method of calculating the incremental shares is applied.

The following table presents the securities which were excluded from the Company's computation of diluted earnings (loss) per share for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, as their effect would have been anti-dilutive.

NOTE 5 — ACQUISITIONS & DIVESTITURES

Andrews County Sale and Exchange

The Company entered into a Purchase, Sale and Exchange Agreement effective January 1, 2021, with an unrelated party, covering the sale and exchange of certain oil and gas interests in Andrews County, Texas. Upon closing, the Company received cash consideration of $2,000,000 and reduced the Company’s asset retirement obligations by $2,934,126 for the properties sold and added $662,705 of asset retirement obligations for the wells acquired.

Stronghold Acquisition

On July 1, 2022, Ring, as buyer, and Stronghold Energy II Operating, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Stronghold OpCo”) and Stronghold Energy II Royalties, LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Stronghold RoyaltyCo”, together with Stronghold OpCo, collectively, “Stronghold”), as seller, entered into a purchase and sale agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”). Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, Ring acquired (the “Stronghold Acquisition”) interests in oil and gas leases and related property of Stronghold consisting of approximately 37,000 net acres located in the Central Basin Platform of the Texas Permian Basin. On August 31, 2022, Ring completed the Stronghold Acquisition.

The fair value of consideration paid to Stronghold was approximately $394.0 million, of which $165.9 million, net of customary purchase price adjustments, was paid in cash at closing, $15.0 million was payable in cash after thesix-month anniversary of the closing date of the Stronghold Acquisition. Shortly after closing, approximately $4.5 million was paid for inventory and vehicles and approximately $1.8 million was paid for August oil derivative settlements for certain novated hedges. The cash portion of the consideration was funded primarily from borrowings under a new fully committed revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) underwritten by Truist Securities, Citizens Bank, N.A., KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., and Mizuho Bank, Ltd. The borrowing base of the $1.0 billion Credit Facility was increased from $350.0 million to $600 million at the closing of the Stronghold Acquisition. The remaining consideration consisted of 21,339,986 shares of Ring common stock and 153,176 shares of newly created Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 (“Preferred Stock”) which was converted into 42,548,892 shares of common stock on October 27, 2022. Please see "Note 11 — STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY" for further discussion. In addition, Ring assumed $24.8 million of derivative liabilities, $1.7 million of items in suspense and $14.5 million in asset retirement obligations.

The Stronghold Acquisition was accounted for as an asset acquisition in accordance with ASC Topic 805 - Business Combinations. The fair value of the consideration paid by Ring and allocation of that amount to the underlying assets acquired, on a relative fair value basis, was recorded on Ring’s books as of the date of the closing of the Stronghold Acquisition. Additionally, costs directly related to the Stronghold Acquisition were capitalized as a component of the purchase price. Determining the fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired required judgment and certain assumptions to be made, the most significant of these being related to the valuation of Stronghold’s oil and gas properties. The inputs and assumptions related to the oil and gas properties were categorized as level 3 in the fair value hierarchy.

The following table represents the final allocation of the total cost of the Stronghold Acquisition to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the Stronghold Acquisition date:

Approximately $40.4 million of revenues and $13.6 million of direct operating expenses attributed to the Stronghold Acquisition were included in the Company’s Statements of Operations for the period from September 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022.

Delaware Basin Divestiture

On May 11, 2023, the Company completed the divestiture of its Delaware Basin assets to an unaffiliated party for $8.3 million. The sale had an effective date of March 1, 2023. The final cash consideration was approximately $7.6 million. As part of the divestiture, the buyer assumed an asset retirement obligation balance of approximately $2.3 million.

Founders Acquisition

On July 10, 2023, the Company, as buyer, and Founders Oil & Gas IV, LLC (“Founders”), as seller, entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Founders Purchase Agreement”). Pursuant to the closing of the Purchase Agreement, on August 15, 2023 the Company acquired (the “Founders Acquisition”) interests in oil and gas leases and related property of Founders located in the Central Basin Platform of the Texas Permian Basin in Ector County, Texas, for a purchase price (the “Purchase Price”) of (i) a cash deposit of $7.5 million paid on July 11, 2023 into a third-party escrow account as a deposit pursuant to the Founders Purchase Agreement, (ii) approximately $42.5 million in cash paid on the closing date, net of approximately $10 million of preliminary and customary purchase price adjustments with an effective date of April 1, 2023, and (iii) a deferred cash payment of approximately $11.9 million paid on December 18, 2023, net of customary purchase price adjustments.

The Founders Acquisition has been accounted for as an asset acquisition in accordance with ASC 805. The fair value of the consideration paid by Ring and allocation of that amount to the underlying assets acquired, on a relative fair value basis, was recorded on Ring’s books as of the date of the closing of the Founders Acquisition. Additionally, costs directly related to the Founders Acquisition were capitalized as a component of the purchase price. Determining the fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired required judgment and certain assumptions to be made, the most significant of these being related to the valuation of Founder’s oil and gas properties. The inputs and assumptions related to the oil and gas properties are categorized as level 3 in the fair value hierarchy.

The following table represents the final allocation of the total cost of the Founders Acquisition to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the Founders Acquisition date:

Approximately $18.0 million of revenues and $5.0 million of direct operating expenses attributed to the Founders Acquisition are included in the Company’s Statements of Operations for the period from August 16, 2023 through December 31, 2023.

New Mexico Divestiture

On September 27, 2023, the Company completed the divestiture of its operated New Mexico assets to an unaffiliated party for $4.5 million, resulting in preliminary cash consideration of approximately $3.7 million, subject to customary final purchase price adjustments. The sale had an effective date of June 1, 2023. As part of the divestiture, the buyer assumed an asset retirement obligation balance of approximately $2.4 million.

Gaines County Texas Sale

On December 29, 2023, the Company completed the sale of specified oil and gas properties within Gaines County, Texas to an unaffiliated party for $1.5 million, which resulted in cash proceeds of $1.4 million, net of $0.1 million in commission fees. The sale had an effective date of December 1, 2023. As part of the sale, the buyer assumed an asset retirement obligation balance of approximately $0.5 million.

NOTE 6 — OIL AND NATURAL GAS PRODUCING ACTIVITIES

Set forth below is certain information regarding the aggregate capitalized costs of oil and natural gas properties and costs incurred by the Company for its oil and natural gas property acquisitions, development and exploration activities:

Capitalized Costs

Costs Incurred in Oil and Gas Producing Activities

NOTE 7 — DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The Company is exposed to fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas prices on its production. It utilizes derivative strategies that consist of either a single derivative instrument or a combination of instruments to manage the variability in cash flows associated with the forecasted sale of our future domestic oil and natural gas production. While the use of derivative instruments may limit or partially reduce the downside risk of adverse commodity price movements, their use also may limit future income from favorable commodity price movements.

From time to time, the Company enters into derivative contracts to protect the Company’s cash flow from price fluctuation and maintain its capital programs. The Company has historically used costless collars, deferred premium puts, or swaps for this purpose. Oil derivative contracts are based on WTI crude oil prices and natural gas contacts are based on the Henry Hub. A “costless collar” is the combination of two options, a put option (floor) and call option (ceiling) with the options structured so that the premium paid for the put option will be offset by the premium received from selling the call option. Similar to costless collars, there is no cost to enter into the swap contracts. A deferred premium put contract has the premium established upon entering the contract, and due upon settlement of the contract.

The use of derivative transactions involves the risk that the counterparties, which generally are financial institutions, will be unable to meet the financial terms of such transactions. All of our derivative contracts are with lenders under our Credit Facility. Non-performance risk is incorporated in the discount rate by adding the quoted bank (counterparty) credit default swap (CDS) rates to the risk free rate. Although the counterparties hold the right to offset (i.e. netting) the settlement amounts with the Company, in accordance with ASC 815-10-50-4B, the Company classifies the fair value of all its derivative positions on a gross basis in its Balance Sheets.

The Company’s derivative financial instruments are recorded at fair value and included as either assets or liabilities in the accompanying Balance Sheets. The Company has not designated its derivative instruments as hedges for accounting purposes, and, as a result, any gains or losses resulting from changes in fair value of outstanding derivative financial instruments and from the settlement of derivative financial instruments are recognized in earnings and included as a component of "Other Income (Expense)" under the heading "Gain (loss) on derivative contracts" in the accompanying Statements of Operations.

The following presents the impact of the Company’s contracts on its Balance Sheets for the periods indicated.

The components of “Gain (loss) on derivative contracts” from the Statements of Operations are as follows for the respective periods:

The components of “Cash (paid) received for derivative settlements, net” within the Statements of Cash Flows are as follows for the respective periods:

The following tables reflect the details of current derivative contracts as of December 31, 2023 (Quantities are in barrels (Bbl) for the oil derivative contracts and in million British thermal units (MMBtu) for the natural gas derivative contracts):

(1) The oil basis swap hedges are calculated as the fixed price (weighted average spread price above) less the difference between WTI Midland and WTI Cushing, in the issue of Argus Americas Crude.

NOTE 8 — FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (exit price). The authoritative guidance requires disclosure of the framework for measuring fair value and requires that fair value measurements be classified and disclosed in one of the following categories:

Financial assets and liabilities are classified based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Our assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment and may affect the valuation of the fair value of assets and liabilities and their placement within the fair value hierarchy. We continue to evaluate our inputs to ensure the fair value level classification is appropriate. When transfers between levels occur, it is our policy to assume that the transfer occurred at the date of the event or change in circumstances that caused the transfer.

The fair values of the Company’s derivatives are not actively quoted in the open market. The Company uses a market approach to estimate the fair values of its derivative instruments on a recurring basis, utilizing commodity futures pricing for the underlying commodities provided by a reputable third party, a Level 2 fair value measurement.

The Company applies the provisions of the fair value measurement standard on a non-recurring basis to its non-financial assets and liabilities. These assets and liabilities are not measured at fair value on an ongoing basis but are subject to fair value adjustments if events or changes in certain circumstances indicate that adjustments may be necessary.

The following table summarizes the valuation of our assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis (further detail in "Note 7 — DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS").

The carrying amounts reported for the revolving line of credit approximates fair value because the underlying instruments are at interest rates which approximate current market rates. The carrying amounts of receivables and accounts payable and other current assets and liabilities approximate fair value because of the short-term maturities and/or liquid nature of these assets and liabilities.

NOTE 9 — REVOLVING LINE OF CREDIT

On July 1, 2014, the Company entered into a Credit Agreement with SunTrust Bank (now Truist), as lender, issuing bank and administrative agent for several banks and other financial institutions and lenders (the “Administrative Agent”), (which was amended several times) that provided for a maximum borrowing base of $1 billion with security consisting of substantially all of the assets of the Company. In April 2019, the Company amended and restated the Credit Agreement with the Administrative Agent (as amended and restated, the “Credit Facility”).

On August 31, 2022, the Company modified its Credit Facility through a Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the "Second Credit Agreement"), extending the maturity date of the facility to August 2026 and the syndicate was modified to add five lenders, replacing five lenders. In conjunction with the Stronghold Acquisition, with the newly acquired assets put up for collateral, the Company established a borrowing base of $600 million. The borrowing base is subject to periodic redeterminations, mandatory reductions and further adjustments from time to time. The borrowing base is redetermined semi-annually each May and November. The borrowing base is subject to reduction in certain circumstances such as the sale or disposition of certain oil and gas properties of the Company or its subsidiaries and cancellation of certain hedging positions.

Rather than Eurodollar loans, the reference rate on the Second Credit Agreement is the SOFR. Also, the Second Credit Agreement permits the Company to declare dividends for its equity owners, subject to certain limitations, including (i) no default or event of default has occurred or will occur upon such payments, (ii) the pro forma Leverage Ratio (outstanding debt to adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, exploration expenses, and all other non-cash charges acceptable to the Administrative Agent) does not exceed 2.00 to 1.00, (iii) the amount of such payments does not exceed Available Free Cash Flow (as defined in the Second Credit Agreement), and (iv) the Borrowing Base Utilization Percentage (as defined in the Second Credit Agreement) is not greater than 80%.

The interest rate on each SOFR Loan will be the adjusted term SOFR for the applicable interest period plus a margin between 3.0% and 4.0% (depending on the then-current level of borrowing base usage). The annual interest rate on each base rate Loan is (a) the greatest of (i) the Administrative Agent’s prime lending rate, (ii) the Federal Funds Rate (as defined in the Second Credit Agreement) plus 0.5% per annum, (iii) the adjusted term SOFR determined on a daily basis for an interest period of one month, plus 1.00% per annum and (iv)0.00% per annum, plus (b) a margin between 2.0% and 3.0% per annum (depending on the then-current level of borrowing base usage).

The Second Credit Agreement contains certain covenants, which, among other things, require the maintenance of (i) a total Leverage Ratio of not more than 3.0 to 1.0 and (ii) a minimum ratio of Current Assets to Current Liabilities (as such terms are defined in the Second Credit Agreement) of 1.0 to 1.0. The Second Credit Agreement also contains other customary affirmative and negative covenants and events of default. The Company is required to maintain on a rolling 24 months basis, hedging transactions in respect of crude oil and natural gas, on not less than 50% of the projected production from its proved, developed, producing oil and gas. However, if the borrowing base utilization is less than 25% at the hedge testing date and the Leverage Ratio is not greater than 1.25 to 1.00, the required hedging percentage for months 13 through 24 of the rolling 24 month period provided for will be 0% from such hedge testing date to the next succeeding hedge testing date and if the borrowing base utilization percentage is equal to or greater than 25%, but less than 50% and the Leverage Ratio is not greater than 1.25 to 1.00, the required hedging percentage for months 13 through 24 of the rolling 24 month period provided for will be 25% from such hedge testing date to the next succeeding hedge testing date.

As of December 31, 2023, $425 million was outstanding on the Credit Facility and the Company was in compliance with all covenants contained in the Second Credit Agreement.

Under the Second Credit Agreement, the applicable percentage for the unused commitment fee is 0.5% per annum for all levels of borrowing base utilization. As of December 31, 2023, the Company's unused line of credit was $174.2 million, which was calculated by subtracting the outstanding Credit Facility balance of $425 million and standby letters of credit of $760,438 in total ($260,000 with state and federal agencies and $500,438 with an insurance company for New Mexico surety bonds) from the $600 million borrowing base. Note 14 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES describes changes in the surety bonds which did not yet affect the letters of credit (collateral) aforementioned.

NOTE 10 — ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATION

A reconciliation of the asset retirement obligation for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 is as follows:

(1)Several factors are considered in the annual review process, including current estimates for removal cost and estimated remaining useful life of the assets. The 2021 revision of estimates primarily reflect updated interests for our working interest partners.

The following table presents the Company's current and non-current asset retirement obligation balances as of the periods specified.

NOTE 11 — STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

The Company was authorized to issue 225,000,000 shares of common stock, with a par value of $0.001 per share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value per share of $0.001 per share. On May 25, 2023, at the Company's annual meeting of stockholders, the Company's stockholders approved an amendment (the "Charter Amendment") to the Articles of Incorporation of the Company to increase the authorized shares of common stock from 225,000,000 to 450,000,000.

Issuance of equity instruments in public and private offerings– In October 2020, the Company closed on an underwritten public offering of (i)9,575,800 shares of common stock, (ii)13,428,500 Pre-Funded Warrants and (iii)23,004,300 warrants to purchase common stock (the “Common Warrants”) at a combined purchase price of $0.70. This includes a partial exercise of the over-allotment. The Common Warrants have a term offive years ending in October 2025 and an exercise price of $0.80 per share. Gross proceeds totaled $16,089,582.

Concurrently with the underwritten public offering, the Company closed on a registered direct offering of (i)3,500,000 shares of common stock, (ii)3,300,000 Pre-Funded Warrants and (iii)6,800,000 Common Warrants at a combined purchase price of $0.70 per share of common stock and Pre-Funded Warrants. The Common Warrants have a term offive years ending in October 2025 and an exercise price of $0.80 per share. Gross proceeds totaled $4,756,700.

Total gross proceeds from the 2020 underwritten public offering and the registered direct offering aggregated $20,846,282. Total net proceeds for the Common Warrants exercised in 2020 aggregated $19,379,832.

Common stock issued pursuant to warrant exercise - In December 2020, the Company issued 3,300,000 shares of common stock pursuant to the exercise of Pre-Funded Warrants issued in the October 2020 registered direct offering. Gross and net proceeds were $3,300. In January 2021, the remaining 13,428,500 Pre-Funded Warrants were exercised. During the year ended December 31, 2021,442,600 of the Common Warrants were exercised. Accordingly, the number of Common Warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2021 was 29,361,700. During the year ended December 31, 2022, a total of 10,253,907 Common Warrants were exercised, leaving 19,107,793 Common Warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2022.

During February and March 2023, a total of 4,517,427 Common Warrants were exercised, at the exercise price of $0.80 per share. On April 11 and 12, 2023, the Company and certain holders of the common warrants (the “Participating Holders”) entered into a form of Warrant Amendment and Exercise Agreement (the “Exercise Agreement”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to reduce the exercise price of an aggregate of 14,512,166 common warrants held by such Participating Holders from $0.80 to $0.62 per share (the “Reduced Exercise Price”) in consideration for the immediate exercise of the common warrants held by such Participating Holders in full at the Reduced Exercise Price in cash. The Company received aggregate gross proceeds of $8,997,543 from the exercise of the common warrants by the Participating Holders pursuant to the Exercise Agreement, which was recognized as an equity issuance cost in accordance with ASC 815-40-35-17(a). In the Statements of Stockholders' Equity, the net impact to Stockholders' Equity is $8,687,655, which is net of $309,888 in advisory fees. As of December 31, 2023, a total of 78,200 Common Warrants remained outstanding.

Common stock issued for Stronghold acquisition - As part of the Stronghold Acquisition,21,339,986 shares of common stock were issued to the sellers. Also as part of the Stronghold Acquisition,153,176 shares of Preferred Stock were issued to the sellers. Each share of Preferred Stock was automatically convertible into 277.7778 shares of common stock upon stockholder approval of the conversion. On October 27, 2022, the Company’s stockholders approved the issuance of,42,548,892 shares of common stock upon conversion of the 153,176 shares of our Preferred Stock. The preferred shares were automatically converted into such common shares as of October 27, 2022. Refer to "Note 5 — ACQUISITIONS & DIVESTITURES" for the purchase price consideration allocated to the aforementioned stock issuances.

Common stock issued for option exercises – During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company issued 52,494 and 100,000 shares of common stock as a result of stock option exercises, respectively. No stock options were exercised in 2023. The following tables present the details of the exercises:

NOTE 12 — EMPLOYEE STOCK OPTIONS, RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD PLAN, AND 401(K)

Compensation expense charged against income for share-based awards during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 was $8,833,425, $7,162,231, and $2,418,323, respectively. These amounts are included in General and administrative expense in the Statements of Operations.

In 2011, the Board approved and adopted a long-term incentive plan (the “2011 Plan”), which was subsequently approved and amended by the shareholders. There were 536,755 shares eligible for grant, either as stock options or as restricted stock, as of December 31, 2023.

In 2021, the Board approved and adopted the Ring Energy, Inc. 2021 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”), which was subsequently approved by the shareholders at the 2021 Annual Meeting. The 2021 Plan provides that the Company may grant options, stock appreciation rights, restricted shares, restricted stock units, performance-based awards, other share-based awards, other cash-based awards, or any combination of the foregoing. At the 2023 Annual Meeting, the shareholders approved an amendment to the 2021 Plan to increase the number of shares available under the 2021 Plan by 6.0 million. Accordingly, there were 8,224,394 shares available for grant as of December 31, 2023 under the 2021 Plan.

Employee Stock Options –No stock options were granted in the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, or 2021. All outstanding stock option awards vest at the rate of 20% each year over five years beginningone year from the date granted and expireten years from the grant date. A summary of the status of the stock options as of December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 and changes during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 is as follows:

For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, the Company incurred share-based compensation expense related to stock options of $0, $0, and $20,934, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $0 of unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options. The aggregate intrinsic value of options vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2023 was $0. The aggregate intrinsic value of options exercisable at December 31, 2023 was $0. The year-end intrinsic values are based on a December 31, 2023 closing stock price of $1.46.

No stock options were exercised during 2023. Stock options exercised of 100,000 shares in 2022 had an aggregate intrinsic value on the date of exercise of $221,000. Stock options exercised of 100,000 shares in 2021 had an aggregate intrinsic value on the date of exercise of $114,000.

The following table summarizes information related to the Company’s stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2023:

Restricted stock unit grants –Following is a table reflecting the restricted stock unit grants during 2023, 2022 and 2021:

Restricted stock unit grants issued prior to 2020 vest at the rate of 20% each year over five years beginningone year from the date granted. Restricted stock unit grants issued during 2020 and in following years vest at a rate of 33% each year over three years beginningone year from the date granted for all employees; for members of the Board, the 2021 restricted stock unit grants vest on the earliest of (i) the day before the next shareholder meeting or (ii) the first anniversary of the date of the award for 2022 restricted stock units. Forfeitures are recognized as a reduction to share-based compensation expense in the period of occurrence. A summary of the status of restricted stock unit grants and changes during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 is as follows:

For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred share-based compensation expense related to restricted stock unit grants of $4,537,026, $4,148,639, and $2,225,895, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $2,778,549 of unrecognized compensation cost related to restricted stock unit grants that will be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.72 years.

During 2023, 2022, and 2021,1,680,232,1,310,894, and 785,357 restricted stock units vested, respectively. At the dates of vesting those restricted stock units had an aggregate intrinsic value of $3,203,568, $3,807,996, and $2,049,603, respectively.

Performance Stock Units -In accordance with the 2021 Plan, as of November 22, 2021, the Company entered into performance stock unit (“PSU”) agreements (the “PSU Agreement”) with certain employees. The PSUs are performance-based restricted stock units subject to the terms of the 2021 Plan and the PSU Agreement. Upon Board approval, a total of

860,216 PSUs were granted to the Company’sfive executive officers (the “2021 PSU Awards”). The performance period for the 2021 PSU Awards began on January 1, 2021, and ended on December 31, 2023. Based on the achievement of the performance goals for the 2021 PSU Awards, a total of 1,170,024 PSUs vested on December 31, 2023. On February 9, 2022, the Company granted a total of 860,216 PSUs to the Company'sfive executive officers (the "2022 PSU Awards"). The performance period for the 2022 PSU Awards began on January 1, 2022, and will end on December 31, 2024. The PSUs are performance-based restricted stock units subject to the terms of the 2021 Plan and the PSU Agreement. On February 16, 2023, the Company granted a total of 1,162,162 PSUs to the Company'sfive executive officers (the "2023 PSU Awards"). The performance period for the 2023 PSU Awards began on January 1, 2023, and will end on December 31, 2025.

A summary of the status of the PSU awards and changes during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 are as follows:

No forfeitures for the PSU awards have been recognized as of December 31, 2023, but the Company would recognize any such forfeitures in the period of occurrence as a reduction to share-based compensation expense. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred share-based compensation expense related to the PSU Awards of $4,296,399, $3,013,592, and $171,494, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $4,015,133 of unrecognized compensation cost related to the PSU Awards that will be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.57 years.

During 2023,1,170,024 PSUs vested. At the dates of vesting those PSUs had an aggregate intrinsic value of $1,708,235.

401(k) Plan- In 2019, the Company initiated a sponsored 401(k) plan that is a defined contribution plan for the benefit of all eligible employees. The plan allows eligible employees, after a three-month waiting period, to make pre-tax or after-tax contributions, not to exceed annual limits established by the federal government. The Company makes matching contributions of up to 6% of any employee’s compensation. Employees are 100% vested in the employer contribution upon receipt.

The following table presents the matching contributions expense recognized for the Company’s 401(k) plan for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021:

NOTE 13 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The Company leased office space in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from Arenaco, LLC (“Arenaco”), a company that was owned by

two stockholders of the Company, Mr. Rochford, former Chairman of the Board, and Mr. McCabe, a former director of the

Company. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company paid $10,000 to Arenaco. The month-to-month

Arenaco lease was terminated as of March 31, 2021.

During June 2021, the Company began using Pro-Ject Chemicals, LLC (“PJ Chemicals”) to perform various chemical services on its wells. As publicly disclosed on the Company’s website, Paul D. McKinney, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, was a member of the board of directors of Pro-Ject Holdings, LLC, a privately owned oil field chemical services company and parent of PJ Chemicals. Mr. McKinney owned 0.34% of the shares of Pro-Ject Holdings, LLC. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company paid $117,830 to PJ Chemicals. As of December 31, 2021 the Company had accounts payable of $37,641 due to PJ Chemicals. As of 2022, Mr. McKinney was no longer on the board of directors of Pro-Ject Holdings, LLC.

NOTE 14 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Standby Letters of Credit– A commercial bank issued standby letters of credit on behalf of the Company totaling $260,000 to state and federal agencies and $500,438 to an insurance company to secure the surety bonds described below. The standby letters of credit are valid until cancelled or matured and are collateralized by the revolving credit facility with the bank. The terms of the letters of credit to the state and federal agencies are extended for a term ofone year at a time. The Company intends to renew the standby letters of credit to the state and federal agencies for as long as the Company does business in the State of Texas. The letters of credit to the insurance company will be renewed if the insurance requires them to retain the surety bonds; however, as the Company no longer operates any wells in the State of New Mexico, these standby letters of credit will not be renewed. No amounts have been drawn under the standby letters of credit.

Surety Bonds – An insurance company issued surety bonds on behalf of the Company totaling $500,438 to various State of New Mexico agencies in order for the Company to do business in the State of New Mexico. The surety bonds are valid until canceled or matured. The terms of the surety bonds are extended for a term ofone year at a time. The Company does not intend to renew the surety bonds in the State of New Mexico, as these operated assets have now been sold to a third party. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had remaining surety bonds in total of $25,000.

NOTE 15 — INCOME TAXES

For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, components of our provision for income taxes are as follows:

The following is a reconciliation of income taxes computed using the U.S. federal statutory rate to the provision for income taxes:

(1) Amount represents pre-tax book income, net of income taxes paid.

The Company's deferred tax position reflects the net tax effects of the temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax reporting. The net deferred taxes consisted of the following as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had net operating loss carryforwards for federal income tax reporting purposes of approximately $109.3 million which, if unused, will begin to expire in 2027 and fully expire in 2037 and an additional $279.2 million that can be carried forward indefinitely. The shares issued for the Stronghold Acquisition (further discussed in Note 5 — ACQUISITIONS & DIVESTITURES) resulted in the Company having an ownership change under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Section 382 limits the availability of certain tax attributes, including net operating losses and disallowed interest carryforwards, to offset future taxable income of the Company. In evaluating its need for a valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets, the Company has estimated the amount of tax attributes related to the pre-ownership change period to be available under Section 382 in periods in which it expects deferred tax liabilities to be realized based on currently available information. Based on its current analysis, the Company does not anticipate any material tax attributes to expire unused as result of the Section 382 ownership change; however, the ultimate timing in the amount of tax attributes available in future periods may be different than the Company's current estimate and will be determined in each year as new information becomes available. Changes in expectation in the timing of the availability of the Company's tax attributes could result in adjustments to the valuation allowance in future years as it updates its analysis based on new information.

As of December 31, 2023, we carried a valuation allowance against our federal and state deferred tax assets of $0. We have considered both the positive and negative evidence in determining whether it was more likely than not that some portion or all of our deferred tax assets will be realized. The amount of deferred tax assets considered realizable could, however, be adjusted if estimates of future taxable income during the carryforward period are reduced or increased or if objective negative evidence is no longer present and additional weight is given to subjective positive evidence, including projections for growth. As of June 30, 2023, the Company was no longer in a cumulative loss position. As a result, future forecasted pre-tax book income was considered as positive evidence in assessing the valuation allowance. Based on the change in judgment on the realizability of the related federal deferred tax assets in future years, the Company released $24.2 million of valuation allowance as a benefit during the year ended December 31, 2023. This resulted in an ending federal net deferred tax liability of $5,536,158. Additionally, the Company reported a net state deferred tax liability at December 31, 2023 of $3,015,887 attributable to certain state deferred tax liabilities mainly associated with property and equipment.

NOTE 16 — LEGAL MATTERS

The Company is a defendant in a lawsuit in Harris County District Court, Houston, Texas, styled EPUS Permian Assets, LLC, v. Ring Energy, Inc., that was filed in July 2021. The plaintiff, EPUS Permian Assets, LLC, claims breach of contract, money had and received by fraudulent inducement, unjust enrichment and constructive trust. The plaintiff is requesting its forfeited deposit of $5,500,000 in connection with a proposed property sale by the Company plus related damages, and attorneys’ fees and costs. The action relates to a proposed property sale by the Company to the plaintiff, which was extended by the Company on several occasions with the plaintiff ultimately failing to perform on the agreement and the Company keeping the deposit. The Company believes that the claims by the plaintiff are entirely without merit and is conducting a vigorous defense and counterclaim. The Company has filed an answer and a counterclaim denying the allegations and asserting affirmative defenses that would bar or substantially limit the plaintiff’s claims, asserting breach of contract and requesting a declaratory judgment and attorneys’ fees and costs. The parties have begun taking depositions and are conducting discovery.

NOTE 17 — SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Surety Bonds- On January 10, 2024, two insurance companies issued surety bonds on behalf of the Company, one for $250,000, an RRC required blanket performance bond to operate 100 wells or more in the State of Texas, and one for $2,000,000, an RRC required blanket plugging extension bond, each with zero collateral requirements. The term for these two surety bonds ends on July 1, 2025 and can be renewed at that time.

First Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement -On February 12, 2024, the Company, Truist Bank ("Truist") as the Administrative Agent and Issuing Bank, and the lenders party thereto (the "Lenders") entered into an amendment (the "Amendment") to the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated August 31, 2022, by and among the Company, as Borrower, Truist as Administrative Agent and Issuing Bank, and the Lenders (together with all amendments or other modifications, the "Credit Agreement"). Among other things, the Amendment amends the definition of Free Cash Flow so amounts used by the Company for acquisitions will no longer be subtracted from the calculation of Free Cash Flow.