Analyst Comment17 Feb 2022 10:40
Zephyr Energy (ZPHR LN): US acquisition complete, 3x increase in production base
Share Price: 5.2p, Market Cap: £80.6m
• Zephyr has confirmed the completion of its US$36m acquisition of non-operated working interests in currently producing and near-term production wells in the Williston Basin, North Dakota, US.
• All conditions of the acquisition have now been satisfied, including the transfer of title of all associated working interests to Zephyr, and all payments have been made from proceeds received from the Company’s recent equity fundraising and from a newly secured senior debt facility.
• Details of the acquisition were originally announced by the Company in November 2021.
• The acquisition consists of working interests in 163 currently producing wells with an average working interest of 4%.
• In addition, a further 18 drilled but uncompleted wells are scheduled to come online by the end of June 2022, with 47 other locations to be drilled in the future.
• Proved reserves acquired were estimated, by third party consultant Sproule Incorporated, to be 2.7MMboe, with an estimated post-tax net present value of US$57.1m (NPV10) and a total estimated undiscounted future cash flow of US$82.0m at current commodity prices.
• The acquisition has an effective date of 1 December 2021 and cash flows from the producing wells associated with the acquisition since that date will accrue to Zephyr's benefit.
• In December 2021, production from the acquisition’s producing wells averaged 1,105boepd, giving Zephyr's non-operated business (including other well interests already owned) a net pro forma combined run rate of 1,759boepd at the end of December 2021.
• Zephyr has not hedged any production to date.
• The Company plans to hedge a substantial portion of the combined non-operated production in the near term.
Our take: A significant development for Zephyr, with the Company acquiring a high-margin production base with significant near-term growth potential, and in doing so materially increasing (3x) its non-operated production base and more than doubling cash flow per fully diluted share.