Devon Energy Corp., one of the biggest oil explorers in the Permian Basin,...
Devon Energy Corp., one of the biggest oil explorers in the Permian Basin, is getting into the sand business to combat rising costs.
The Oklahoma City-based company told investors of a new, so-called mobile frack-sand mine it launched on 15,000 acres of land it owns in the West Texas county of Loving. The mine is expected to save the shale giant more than $200,000 per well amid rising sand prices and can account for as much as a quarter of its sand needs in the Delaware half of the Permian Basin, Chief Operating Officer Clay Gaspar said on a conference call.
Devon said it’s also looking at expanding the mobile sand mines to the areas it operates in Wyoming and Oklahoma.
Shale producers maintain focus on returns after stellar Q1
Pioneer Natural Resources hiked its dividend after reporting better-than-expected first-quarter...
Pioneer Natural Resources hiked its dividend after reporting better-than-expected first-quarter earnings of $1.98 billion on Wednesday, up from $396 million a year earlier, while Chesapeake Energy launched a $1 billion share buyback program and raised its free cash flow guidance by $800 million. Continental Resources also saw profit increase from $278.9 million year-over-year to $960 million in the first quarter and projected full-year production between 200,000 and 210,000 barrels per day, up from 195,000 bpd to 205,000 bpd.
U.S. economy gains 428,000 jobs in April and unemployment rate stays at 3.6%
The numbers: The U.S. added a solid 428,000 new jobs in April, but an acute labor shortage...
The numbers: The U.S. added a solid 428,000 new jobs in April, but an acute labor shortage showed little improvement last month and threatens to add to the highest inflation in 40 years. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had forecast 400,000 new jobs.
The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.6%, the government said Friday, leaving it just a few ticks above a 54-year low.
The size of the labor force, meanwhile, shrank in April for the first time in seven months in a sign of how difficult it is for companies to find workers. As a result, the so-called rate of participation in the labor market dropped to 62.2% from 62.4%. It’s still more than a full percentage point below pre-pandemic levels.
Market Reaction: The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -3.12% and S&P 500 SPX, -3.56% were set to open lower in Friday trades.
Dow ends down over 1,000 points, Nasdaq falls 5% as stocks erase post-Fed gains
U.S. stocks plunged Thursday, with ...
U.S. stocks plunged Thursday, with signs of panic selling emerging as the major indexes flirt with their worst daily drop in about two years, a day after the Federal Reserve delivered a widely expected interest rate increase.
The Dow Jones Industrial AverageDJIA was down 1,297 points, or 3.8%, at 32,770, near the session’s low.
The S&P 500SPX dropped 183 points, or 4.3%, to 4,116.
The Nasdaq CompositeCOMP skid 754 points, or 5.8%, to 12,208.
On Wednesday, the Dow surged 932 points,or 2.8%, while the S&P 500 soared 3% and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 3.2%. The S&P 500’s gain was the largest one-day advance since May 18, 2020.
Conoco (NYSE:COP) reported earnings ahead of the market open Thursday, beating street expectations while increasing shareholder returns; however, higher capex and lower Q2 production guide could be a near-term headwind:
Earnings - the Company posted $3.27 in adjusted earnings per share for Q1, versus Street expectations for $3.17.
Cash flow - Conoco (COP) generated $5.1b in cash flow from operations, adding back net working capital and subtracting capex suggests the Company generated ~$4.0b in free cash flow or ~3.1% of the current market cap.
Capital allocation - the board announced a base-plus-variable dividend of $1.16 for the quarter (4.5% yield) and reduced weighted average shares outstanding by ~1% through the buyback; the board authorized an incremental $2b for variable dividends and buybacks, bringing the total shareholder return target for 2022 to $10b (7.8% of market cap).
Guide - Q2 production was guided to 1.7mboe/d, versus Q1 results of 1.8mb/d; capex guidance was increased 8.3% to $7.8b, reflecting inflation and increased non-op activity in the lower 48.
