Ic this should help pt 123 Nov 2023 11:37
North Sea-focused upstream oil and gas company Jersey Oil & Gas (JOG:233p) has announced a second farm-out of its Greater Buchan Area (GBA) project. It’s a cracking deal for shareholders.
Having handed over operatorship in the project to its new partner, NEO Energy, in April this year, Jersey has agreed terms with Serica Energy (SQZ) to divest a further 30 per cent working interest. Serica is a cash rich UK-listed exploration and production company that generated free cash flow of £107mn in the first half of 2023, and one that holds 130mn barrels of oil equivalent (boe) of 2P reserves. The transaction is on identical pro-rata terms to the 50 per cent farm-out to NEO and means that Jersey retains a 20 per cent fully carried interest in the redevelopment project to first oil.
Based on forthcoming farm-out cash payments from both NEO and Serica, analyst Daniel Slater at brokerage Zeus Capital estimates Jersey’s forecast closing net cash of £9.3mn this year will increase to £23.8mn (73p) at the end of 2024. The estimate factors in a $20mn (49p) cash milestone payment on approval of the field development plan, which is scheduled for next year. In addition, Jersey fully carried on its 20 per cent share of Buchan’s pre-development costs ($25mn) and its projected capital expenditure ($850-900mn) is expected to bring more than 70mn boe into production (95 per cent oil). First production is scheduled for late 2026 and the Buchan field is forecast to deliver 35,000 barrels of oil per day at peak production.Re-rating beckons
It’s a game-changing deal for the small-cap company. That’s because it not only hugely de-risks the investment case, but it unlocks the route to monetising GBA’s total resources of 100mn boe.
To put the estimated value of the farm-out transactions into perspective, Slater’s risked NAV of $235mn (533p) includes a $207mn (469p) valuation for the 20 per cent fully carried interest in the Buchan field, rising to $272mn (616p) once the company’s 20 per cent interest in both the nearby J2 Sgieth and Verbier prospects are factored in. The estimates are based on a long-term Brent Crude oil price of $65 a barrel (a discount to the one-month forward price of $81) and a long-term sterling dollar exchange rate of £1:$1.30 (above the current spot rate of £1:$1.25). At current exchange rates, Slater’s total risked NAV per share is 640p. Analyst Jonathan Wright at broking house Cavendish is even more bullish, placing a risked NAV-based target price of 755p on the shares.
Jersey’s share price shot up 18 per cent to 233p on news of the Serica farm-out, but this only places a valuation of $95mn (£76mn) on the company’s equity, representing discounts of 62 per cent (Zeus) and 69 per cent (Cavendish) to analysts risked NAV estimates. Moreover, net cash should back up 31 per cent of Jersey’s market capitalisation by the end of 2024, making the company an obvious takeover candidate unless the shares re-rate, given