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Exhibit 99.1

For Immediate Release

 

LOGO

PostRock Reports Year-End Results

OKLAHOMA CITY – March 7, 2012 — PostRock Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:PSTR) (“PostRock” or the “Company”) today announced its results for the year ended December 31, 2011. The Company identified the following as key events that took place during 2011.

 

   

116 wells were completed and 49 recompletions executed in the Cherokee Basin.

 

   

The final phases of the sale of certain Appalachian assets were closed.

 

   

A 26.4% stake in Constellation Energy Partners was purchased for $17.6 million including $13 million in cash, 1 million shares of common stock and warrants to acquire 673,822 shares.

 

   

Initiated a strategic review of the KPC pipeline.

 

   

Reduced debt $27.2 million, another $11 million was paid down in early 2012.

 

   

Settled the Oklahoma and Kansas royalty lawsuits.

 

   

Reduced general and administrative expenses by $7.6 million, or 30.6%.

 

   

Implemented a field optimization program that reduced operating costs by $932,000.

2011 Results

Revenues fell to $96.3 million, a 7.3% decline from the prior year. The decline reflected reduced volumes and lower gas prices. Excluding asset sales, production fell 3.5% to 51.4 MMcfe a day. Average prices for the year, excluding hedging, decreased to $4.25 per Mcfe. Gathering revenue declined 10.4% to $5.2 million. Gathering revenue will remain lower going forward due to reduced charges agreed to in settling the royalty litigation. Pipeline revenue increased 10.4% to $11.2 million. Realized hedging gains, which are not included in revenue, totaled $33.7 million.

Production costs, including lease operating expenses (“LOE”), gathering and severance and ad valorem taxes, remained flat at $47 million. Production costs totaled $2.51 per Mcfe, a 5.0% increase from 2010, driven by lower production. While our initial field optimization programs resulted in significant improvements in compression and vehicle and equipment costs, the reductions were offset by increased labor and repair and maintenance costs. Optimization projects initiated since year-end are addressing those areas. Pipeline operating expense fell 17.2% to $5.2 million. General and administrative expenses dropped 30.6% to $17.2 million, reflecting a significant reduction in professional services.

Fourth Quarter Results

Revenues fell 7.9% from the prior year period to $21.6 million. The decline reflected reduced volumes and lower gas prices. Excluding asset sales, production declined 6.3% to 50.4 MMcfe a day. Average prices, excluding hedging, decreased 1.5% to $3.79 per Mcfe in the quarter. Gathering revenue declined 32.4% to $967,000, principally due to the recent royalty litigation settlement. Pipeline revenue increased 7.9%, to $3.0 million. Realized hedging gains, which are not included in revenue, totaled $10.5 million.


Production costs increased slightly to $11.5 million. The increase was primarily due to workovers as efficiency gains were offset by increased labor costs. Production costs totaled $2.47 per Mcfe, a 9.0% increase from the prior year. This reflected the cost of workovers coupled with declining production. Pipeline operating expenses decreased 26.8% to $1.1 million. General and administrative expenses fell 40.8% to $2.9 million, reflecting significantly reduced professional services.

Hedges

At December 31, 2011, PostRock held natural gas hedges covering 30.1 MMcf a day for 2012 at an average price of $6.56 per Mcf and oil hedges covering 115 Bbls a day at $87.90 a Bbl. The Company also holds gas hedges covering 24.7 MMcf a day in 2013 at an average price of $6.58. The value of these hedges at December 31, 2011, was $62.5 million. This value changes daily based on oil and gas price fluctuations and the monthly roll off of hedges.

In the first quarter of 2012, crude oil hedges covering 260 MBbls of oil production through 2016 were entered into. The new swaps cover an additional 67 Bbls a day at $104.00 a Bbl starting in March 2012. The swaps cover 181 Bbls a day at $101.70 a Bbl in 2013, 169 Bbls a day at $97.00 a Bbl in 2014, 159 Bbls a day at $93.40 a Bbl in 2015 and 148 Bbls a day at $91.10 a Bbl in 2016.

Debt and Liquidity

At December 31, 2011, PostRock had $193 million of debt, consisting of $190 million of Borrowing Base loans and $3 million of pipeline debt. The pipeline loan was fully retired subsequent to year-end. Including $1.6 million of letters of credit, available liquidity at year-end approximated $8.7 million. As announced, the Company sold $7.5 million of common stock to White Deer Energy L.P. on February 9, 2012. The sale covered 2,180,233 common shares at a price of $3.44 a share. These funds plus cash flows during the period increased liquidity to approximately $20 million at March 5, 2012. At year-end, PostRock elected to again pay-in-kind White Deer’s quarterly preferred dividend. This increased the liquidation value of PostRock’s Preferred by $2.0 million to $69.8 million. As a result, White Deer also received 725,649 additional warrants with a strike price of $2.80. White Deer currently holds a total of 21.6 million warrants exercisable at an average price of $3.23 a share and 2,180,233 common shares.


     December 31,  
     2010     2011  
     (in thousands)  

Cash and equivalents

   $ 730      $ 349   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Long-term debt (including current maturities)

    

Borrowing base facility

   $ 187,000      $ 190,000   

Secured pipeline loan

     13,500        3,000   

QER loan

     19,721        —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   $ 220,221      $ 193,000   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Redeemable preferred stock

   $ 50,622      $ 56,736   

Stockholders’ equity (deficit)

     (12,792     7,810   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total capitalization

   $ 258,051      $ 257,546   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures in 2011 totaled $30.3 million, a slight decrease from the amount spent in 2010. This spending included $29.3 million related to oil and gas operations and $1.0 million to KPC Pipeline. In the Cherokee Basin, 116 wells were completed, of which 17 had been drilled prior to 2011.

For 2012, the Company has budgeted $22.4 million of capital spending. Of this amount, $12.1 million will pay for the drilling and completion of 34 new wells in the Cherokee Basin, 36 recompletions in Appalachia and 8 recompletions and 5 wells in central Oklahoma. In addition, $9.6 million has been budgeted for leasehold acquisition, land, infrastructure and equipment purchases and approximately $764,000 for the KPC Pipeline. These capital expenditures are expected to be funded with internal cash flow.

Reserves

Proved reserves decreased 7.6% to 124.7 Bcfe at year end 2011. The decline was the result of a reduced capital development plan and a decrease in year-end SEC pricing which caused the majority of our PUD locations to become uneconomic. The decline was partially offset by additions that were mostly driven by revisions to previous estimates, which added 7.2 Bcfe, and an additional 2.1 Bcfe was added from our drilling program. At year-end 2011, approximately 99.2% of the Company’s reserves were classified as proved developed.

 

     Gas (Mcf)     Oil (Bbls)     Total (Mcfe)  

Balance, December 31, 2010

     130,462,031        744,266        134,927,627   

Purchase of reserves in place

     —          —          —     

Extensions, discoveries, and other additions

     1,752,746        54,761        2,081,312   

Sale of reserves

     (754,479     —          (754,479

Revisions of previous estimates

     5,068,946        352,981        7,186,831   

Production

     (18,309,056     (78,087     (18,777,578
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance, December 31, 2011

     118,220,188        1,073,921        124,663,713   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 


Management Comment

Terry Carter, PostRock’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Although we continue to make good progress on the turnaround, 2011 results did not meet expectations. Our proven reserves, production and revenue declined for the second straight year and we only added 2.1 Bcfe of new reserves through the drill bit. As we mentioned in our November earnings call, we generally stopped drilling new wells in the Cherokee Basin as gas prices continued to fall. We made this decision due to a combination of poor results and declining gas prices. Our typical Cherokee Basin CBM well is expected to recover 110-140 MMcf of dry gas. For a group of 90 wells completed during the year, ultimate recovery is likely to be slightly less than projected. At current gas prices, returns are in the mid-teens instead of the 20-30% indicated in pre-drill analyses. Development costs averaged $1.62/Mcf versus our goal of $1.50/Mcf. We continue work to determine how we can combine appropriate technology with reduced costs to improve overall results in our CBM opportunities. However, until results materially improve or new technologies prove to be commercial, we have adjusted our development plan to focus entirely on select oil opportunities and holding expiring acreage.

Both G&A and the total oil and gas production expense have declined a combined $7.4 million from 2010. Additionally, changes made in the first quarter of 2012 will reduce our overall costs by another $2 million a year going forward and we expect to find more improvements as we move through the year. Importantly, we continued to improve our balance sheet in this environment. Debt was reduced $27.2 million in 2011, and exclusive of asset sales or unplanned investments, we expect a similar or greater reduction in 2012. In alignment with our overall strategy to focus completely on the E&P business, we retained Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated to advise us on strategic opportunities involving KPC. That process could further de-lever the Company.

We remain committed to our strategy of consolidating operations in the Basin. In the current gas price environment, the benefits of potential cost sharing matter more than ever. Finally, we remain committed to a constant focus on technology and systems that can improve how we exploit and expand our reserve base and reduce costs.”

Webcast and Conference Call

PostRock will host its quarterly webcast and conference call tomorrow, Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. Central Time. The live webcast will be accessible on the ‘Investors’ page at www.pstr.com, where it will also be available for replay. The conference call number for participation is 866-516-1003.

PostRock Energy Corporation is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development, production and transportation of oil and natural gas, primarily in the Cherokee Basin of Kansas and Oklahoma. The Company owns and operates over 3,000 wells and nearly 2,200 miles of gas gathering lines in the Basin. It also owns a 1,120 mile interstate natural gas pipeline, which transports natural gas from northern Oklahoma and western Kansas to Wichita and Kansas City.

Forward-Looking Statements

Opinions, forecasts, projections or statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this announcement are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking


statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Actual results may differ materially due to a variety of factors, some of which may not be foreseen by PostRock. These risks and other risks are detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including risk factors listed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC. The Company’s filings with the SEC may be found at www.pstr.com or www.sec.gov. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release.

Company Contact

North Whipple

Director, Finance & Investor Relations

nwhipple@pstr.com

(405) 702-7423


Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The following table represents a reconciliation of net income to EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA, as defined, for the period presented.

 

     Three Months Ended December 31,     Year Ended December 31,  
     2010     2011     (Combined)
2010
    2011  
           (in thousands)        

Net income attributable to controlling interest

   $ 9,609      $ 9,353      $ 56,999      $ 20,030   

Adjusted for:

        

Net income attributable to non-controlling interest

     —          —          9,958        —     

Income taxes

     —          —          —          —     

Interest expense, net

     3,112        2,774        25,473        10,707   

Depreciation, depletion, accretion and amortization

     7,801        7,180        22,847        27,662   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

EBITDA

   $ 20,522      $ 19,307      $ 115,277      $ 58,399   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Other (income) expense, net

     (8     (14     28        (207

(Gain) on forgiveness of debt

     (2,909     —          (2,909     (1,647

Loss from equity investment

     —          3,748        —          4,607   

Unrealized (gain) loss from derivative financial instruments

     13,193        (8,208     (41,184     (1,737

Recovery of misappropriated funds

     (595     —          (1,592     —     

(Gain) loss on disposal of assets

     (13,626     1,825        (13,495     (10,560

Litigation reserve

     —          11        1,640        11,592   

Stock based compensation

     648        74        2,443        1,258   

Impairment

     —          —          —          —     

Office closure costs

     —          —          —          757   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

   $ 17,225      $ 16,743      $ 60,208      $ 62,462   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Although adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of performance calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, management considers it an important measure of performance. Adjusted EBITDA is not a substitute for the GAAP measures of earnings or cash flow and is not necessarily a measure of the Company’s ability to fund its cash needs. In addition, it should be noted that companies calculate adjusted EBITDA differently, and therefore adjusted EBITDA as presented herein may not be comparable to adjusted EBITDA reported by other companies. Adjusted EBITDA has material limitations as a performance measure because it excludes, among other things, (a) interest expense, which is a necessary element of business to the extent that an entity incurs debt, (b) depreciation, depletion and amortization, which are necessary elements of any business that uses capital assets, (c) impairments of oil and gas properties, which may at times be a material element of an independent oil company’s business, and (d) income taxes, which may become a material element of the Company’s operations in the future. Because of its limitations, adjusted EBITDA should not be considered a measure of discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of PostRock’s business.


POSTROCK ENERGY CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in thousands, except per share data)

 

     Three Months Ended December 31,     Year Ended December 31,  
     2010     2011     (Combined)
2010
    2011  

Revenue

        

Oil and gas sales

   $ 19,202      $ 17,582      $ 87,936      $ 79,887   

Gathering

     1,430        967        5,847        5,239   

Pipeline

     2,819        3,043        10,129        11,183   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     23,451        21,592        103,912        96,309   

Costs and expenses

        

Production expense

     11,302        11,451        46,974        47,136   

Pipeline expense

     1,463        1,071        6,305        5,219   

General and administrative

     4,933        2,922        24,800        17,199   

Litigation reserve

     —          11        1,640        11,592   

Depreciation, depletion and amortization

     7,801        7,180        22,847        27,662   

(Gain) loss on disposal of assets

     (13,626     1,825        (13,495     (10,560

Recovery of misappropriated funds

     (595     —          (1,592     —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     11,278        24,460        87,479        98,248   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income (loss)

     12,173        (2,868     16,433        (1,939

Other income (expense)

        

Gain (loss) from derivative financial instruments

     (2,369     18,729        73,116        35,429   

Loss from equity investment

     —          (3,748     —          (4,607

Gain on forgiveness of debt

     2,909        —          2,909        1,647   

Other income (expense)

     8        14        (28     207   

Interest expense, net

     (3,112     (2,774     (25,473     (10,707
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     (2,564     12,221        50,524        21,969   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

     9,609        9,353        66,957        20,030   

Income taxes

     —          —          —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income

     9,609        9,353        66,957        20,030   

Net income attributable to non-controlling interest

     —          —          (9,958     —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income attributable to controlling interest

     9,609        9,353        56,999        20,030   

Preferred stock dividends

     (1,800     (2,032     (1,980     (7,779

Accretion of redeemable preferred stock

     (298     (439     (327     (1,580
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income available to common stock

   $ 7,511      $ 6,882      $ 54,692      $ 10,671   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income per common share

        

Basic

   $ 0.91      $ 0.72        n/m      $ 1.21   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted

   $ 0.66      $ 0.69        n/m      $ 0.71   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding

        

Basic

     8,239        9,550        n/m        8,786   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted

     11,372        10,018        n/m        15,050   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 


POSTROCK ENERGY CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands)

 

     December 31,  
     2010     2011  
ASSETS     

Current assets

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 730      $ 349   

Accounts receivable - trade, net

     11,845        9,123   

Other receivables

     1,153        1,267   

Inventory

     6,161        1,788   

Other current assets

     2,799        7,492   

Derivative financial instruments

     31,588        42,803   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     54,276        62,822   

Oil and gas properties, full cost, net

     116,488        124,068   

Pipeline assets, net

     61,148        59,088   

Other property and equipment, net

     15,964        14,726   

Equity investment

     —          12,994   

Other noncurrent assets, net

     9,303        3,497   

Derivative financial instruments

     39,633        29,516   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 296,812      $ 306,711   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY     

Current liabilities

    

Accounts payable

   $ 7,030      $ 6,286   

Revenue payable

     5,898        4,972   

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

     7,190        8,700   

Litigation reserve

     1,020        3,081   

Current portion of long-term debt

     10,500        3,000   

Derivative financial instruments

     3,792        5,223   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     35,430        31,262   

Derivative financial instruments

     6,681        4,611   

Long-term debt

     209,721        190,000   

Asset retirement obligations

     7,150        11,733   

Other noncurrent liabilities

     —          4,559   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     258,982        242,165   

Commitments and contingencies

    

Series A cumulative redeemable preferred stock

     50,622        56,736   

Stockholders’ equity

    

Preferred stock

     2        2   

Common stock

     82        99   

Additional paid-in capital

     377,538        378,093   

Accumulated deficit

     (390,414     (370,384
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total (deficit) equity

     (12,792     7,810   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities and equity

   $ 296,812      $ 306,711   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 


POSTROCK ENERGY CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

 

     (Predecessors)              
     January 1, 2010  to
March 5,
2010
    March 6, 2010  to
December 31,
2010
    Year Ended
December 31,
2011
 

Cash flows from operating activities

      

Net income

   $ 21,736      $ 45,221      $ 20,030   

Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by operations

      

Depreciation, depletion and amortization

     4,164        18,683        27,662   

Stock-based compensation

     808        1,635        1,258   

Impairments

     —          —          —     

Amortization of deferred loan costs

     2,094        5,753        1,709   

Change in fair value of derivative financial instruments

     (21,573     (19,611     (1,737

Litigation reserve

     —          270        6,042   

Recovery of misappropriated funds

     —          (487     —     

(Gain) on disposal of assets

     —          (13,495     (10,560

(Gain) on forgiveness of debt

     —          (2,909     (1,647

Loss from equity investment

     —          —          4,607   

Other non-cash changes to net income

     —          138        618   

Change in assets and liabilities

      

Accounts receivable

     777        2,201        2,696   

Other current assets

     466        (486     (1,281

Other assets

     2        (3,224     (649

Accounts payable

     (240     (4,613     (2,521

Accrued expenses

     983        465        (3,502

Other

     —          17        (17
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flows from operating activities

     9,217        29,558        42,708   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flows from investing activities

      

Restricted cash

     (1     691        28   

Proceeds from sale of equity securities

     —          —          1,634   

Equity investment

     —          —          (12,883

Proceeds from sale of assets

     —          14,062        12,723   

Equipment, development, leasehold and pipeline

     (2,282     (25,858     (29,338
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flows from investing activities

     (2,283     (11,105     (27,836
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flows from financing activities

      

Proceeds from issuance of preferred stock and warrants

     —          60,000        —     

Proceeds from debt

     900        2,100        3,000   

Repayments of debt

     (41     (102,023     (18,319

Proceeds from stock option exercise

     —          —          66   

Debt and equity financing costs

     —          (6,477     —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flows from financing activities

     859        (46,400     (15,253
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in cash

     7,793        (27,947     (381

Cash and equivalents-beginning of period

     20,884        28,677        730   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and equivalents-end of period

   $ 28,677      $ 730      $ 349