Top Bakken producer Continental Resources Inc. nearly doubled its 2019 outlook for free cash flow to $1 billion on April 30, citing an uptick in oil prices.
UPDATE - Continental Resources: Bakken’s Core ‘Just Got Bigger’
The increase comes as investors, frustrated with more than four years of low returns from oil producers, have pushed the companies to shore up capital for shareholder returns like dividends and buybacks, rather than spending to drill more and boost production and revenue numbers.
“We are now through a quarter of the year, and with the rise in oil prices, we are tracking toward $1 billion of free cash flow for 2019,” CFO John Hart said on a post-earnings conference call with analysts.
The company said the incremental level of cash flow would help it cut debt faster to $5 billion or below this year. It did not specify if it would look to return capital to shareholders, but left the door open on dividend payouts later.
Continental, whose production growth is primarily oil-weighted, had forecast cash flow of about $500 million to $600 million for the year in February, if U.S. crude prices averaged $55 and gas prices were about $3.
Since then, oil prices have risen 15% to $63.9.
Continental’s shares briefly went up about 1.6% when the company delivered comments related to cash flow, but then gave up those gains and were trading down 3.1% at $46.53 at 12:45 ET.
On April 29, Continental, however, reiterated its plans to spend about $2.6 billion through the year, after it beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit, fueled by higher production at its oil-rich North Dakota shale field, sending shares up more than 4% in extended trading.
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