Occidental to Exit Bakken, Reduce Participation in Some Overseas Fields

By Paul Ausick Updated Apr 28, 3:00AM EDT · Published Oct 28, 10:50AM EDT

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Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OXY) reported third-quarter 2015 results before markets opened Wednesday. The independent energy producer posted quarterly adjusted (core) diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.03 on revenues of $3.25 billion. In the same period a year ago, the company reported EPS of $1.34 on revenues of $4.9 billion. Third-quarter results also compare to the Thomson Reuters consensus estimates for a net loss of $0.01 on revenues of $3.2 billion.

On a GAAP basis, Occidental posted a net loss of $3.42 a share, including after-tax charges of $2.6 billion reflecting the sharp decline in future prices for oil and gas.

The company’s CEO, Stephen I. Chazen, said that Occidental has made a “strategic decision to exit the Williston Basin and will continue to evaluate and minimize our involvement in non-core operations in the Middle East and North Africa.” The company’s production rose by 94,000 barrels a day year-over-year in the third quarter, with nearly all the increase coming from the Permian Basin and the company’s Al Hosn project.

Chazen continued:

Although oil and NGL prices declined sequentially in the third quarter, our operating cash flow increased to $1.0 billion from $800 million in the second quarter of 2015. We reduced our capital spending another $300 million to $1.2 billion in the third quarter compared to $1.5 billion in the second quarter. Permian Resources continues to represent over 50 percent of total oil and gas spending. We continue to achieve drilling efficiencies and reduce unit operating costs. Wolfcamp well costs in the Delaware Basin are down over 40 percent and our Permian Resources unit operating costs are down 18 percent from a year ago.

Occidental’s average quarterly West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent marker prices were $46.43 per barrel and $51.17 per barrel, respectively, for the third quarter of 2015, a decrease of about 20% on a sequential quarterly basis and over 50% on a year-over-year basis.

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The company did not provide guidance, but the analysts’ consensus estimates call for EPS of $0.02 on revenues of $3.31 billion in the fourth quarter. For the full year, analysts are looking for EPS of $0.28 on revenues of $13.16 billion.

The stock traded up about 4% Wednesday morning to $73.01. The stock’s 52-week range is $63.60 to $86.37, and the consensus price target is $78.75.

About the Author Paul Ausick →

Paul Ausick has been writing for a673b.bigscoots-temp.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.