SPARTAN DELTA CORP. ANNOUNCES 2026 GUIDANCE AND OPERATIONS UPDATE
2026 BUDGET AND GUIDANCE
Spartan is pleased to provide its financial and operating guidance for 2026 focused on delivering significant light oil and condensate production growth as it accelerates development in the West
For 2026, Spartan intends to deploy a capital program of
Spartan anticipates spending
DUVERNAY
Building off the strong success and momentum of Spartan's Duvernay results to date, the Company is allocating approximately
Spartan's Duvernay performance underscores the robust productivity, consistency, and scalability of its acreage. These results reinforce that Spartan's Duvernay asset is one of the most compelling emerging oil-weighted growth opportunities in
Spartan's Duvernay field production estimates averaged 13,872 BOE/d (78% liquids) for
- 04-20-041-03W5 Pad Initial production results from 3.0 net wells have averaged IP30 rates of 1,179 BOE/d and 91% liquids per well (1,043 BBL/d of crude oil, 29 BBL/d of NGLs, and 0.6 MMcf/d of natural gas).
Spartan is focused on continuing cost reductions and increasing well productivity through decreased drilling and completion times, consistent frac placements, and optimizing proppant and water usage. These initiatives have reduced Spartan's drilling and completion costs by more than 17% and increased productivity by 25% since 2024. Spartan is targeting average DCET costs of less than
To date, Spartan has established one of the largest Duvernay positions, totaling 457,000 net acres (714 sections), an 83% increase from 2024, supporting more than 800 drilling locations. In 2025, Spartan acquired more than 204,000 net acres (319 sections) for approximately
In 2026, Spartan is allocating approximately
Based on the success of Spartan's 2025
2026 GUIDANCE
|
ANNUAL GUIDANCE (1) |
2025 |
2026 |
Variance |
|
|
|
Guidance |
Guidance |
Amount |
% |
|
Average Production (BOE/d) |
39,000 – 41,000 |
50,000 – 52,000 |
11,000 |
28 |
|
% Liquids |
38 % |
44 % |
6 |
16 |
|
Natural gas (mmcf/d) |
148 |
170 |
22 |
15 |
|
NGLs (bbls/d) |
9,700 |
12,000 |
2,300 |
24 |
|
Crude oil and condensate (bbls/d) |
5,600 |
10,600 |
5,000 |
89 |
|
Benchmark Average Commodity Prices |
|
|
|
|
|
WTI crude oil price (US$/bbl) |
72.00 |
60.00 |
(12.00) |
(17) |
|
AECO 7A natural gas price ($/GJ) |
2.20 |
3.00 |
0.80 |
36 |
|
Average exchange rate (US$/CA$) |
1.43 |
1.37 |
(0.06) |
(4) |
|
Operating Netback, before hedging ($/BOE) (2) |
18.39 |
20.65 |
2.26 |
12 |
|
Adjusted Funds Flow ($MM) (2) |
223 |
331 |
108 |
48 |
|
Adjusted Funds Flow per share ($/sh) (2) |
1.12 |
1.65 |
0.53 |
47 |
|
Capital Expenditures, before A&D ($MM) (2) |
300 – 325 |
410 – 470 |
128 |
41 |
|
Net Debt, end of year ($MM) (2) |
148 |
319 |
171 |
116 |
|
Common shares outstanding, end of year (MM) |
199 |
201 |
2 |
1 |
|
(1) |
The financial performance measures included in the Company's guidance is based on the midpoint of the average production forecast. |
|
(2) |
"Operating Netback, before hedging", "Adjusted Funds Flow", "Capital Expenditures, before A&D", and "Net Debt" do not have standardized meanings under IFRS Accounting Standards, see "Readers Advisories – Non-GAAP Measures and Ratios". |
MANAGEMENT RETIREMENT
Spartan announces the retirement of
ABOUT
Spartan is committed to creating value for its shareholders, focused on sustainability in both operations and financial performance. The Company's culture is centered on generating Free Funds Flow through responsible oil and gas exploration and development. The Company has established a portfolio of high-quality production and development opportunities in the
Spartan's corporate presentation, as of
READER ADVISORIES
Non-GAAP Measures and Ratios
This press release contains certain financial measures and ratios which do not have standardized meanings prescribed by International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS Accounting Standards") or Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"). As these non-GAAP financial measures and ratios are commonly used in the oil and gas industry, Spartan believes that their inclusion is useful to investors. The reader is cautioned that these amounts may not be directly comparable to measures for other companies where similar terminology is used.
The non-GAAP financial measures and ratios used in this press release, represented by the capitalized and defined terms outlined below, are used by Spartan as key measures of financial performance, and are not intended to represent operating profits nor should they be viewed as an alternative to cash provided by operating activities, net income or other measures of financial performance calculated in accordance with IFRS Accounting Standards.
The definitions below should be read in conjunction with the "Non-GAAP Measures and Ratios" section of the Company's MD&A dated
Operating Income, a non-GAAP financial measure, is a useful supplemental measure that provides an indication of the Company's ability to generate cash from field operations, prior to administrative overhead, financing, and other business expenses. "Operating Income, before hedging" is calculated by Spartan as oil and gas sales, net of royalties, plus processing and other revenue and net commodities purchased margin, less operating and transportation expenses. "Operating Income, after hedging" is calculated by adjusting Operating Income for realized gains or losses on derivative financial instruments. The Company refers to Operating Income expressed per unit of production as an "Operating Netback" and reports the Operating Netback before and after hedging, both of which are non-GAAP financial ratios. Spartan considers Operating Netback an important measure to evaluate its operational performance as it demonstrates its field level profitability relative to current commodity prices.
Cash provided by operating activities is the most directly comparable measure to Adjusted Funds Flow. "Adjusted Funds Flow" is a non-GAAP financial measure reconciled to cash provided by operating activities by excluding changes in non-cash working capital, adding back transaction costs on acquisitions and dispositions, and deducting the principal portion of lease payments. Spartan utilizes Adjusted Funds Flow as a key performance measure in the Company's annual financial forecasts and public guidance. Transaction costs, which primarily include legal and financial advisory fees, regulatory and other expenses directly attributable to the execution of acquisitions and dispositions, are added back because the Company's definition of Free Funds Flow excludes capital expenditures related to acquisitions and dispositions. For greater clarity, incremental overhead expenses related to restructuring following significant acquisition or divestitures are included in Spartan's general and administrative expenses. Lease liabilities are not included in Spartan's definition of Net Debt therefore lease payments are deducted in the period incurred to determine Adjusted Funds Flow.
"Free Funds Flow" is a non-GAAP financial measure calculated by Spartan as Adjusted Funds Flow less Capital Expenditures before A&D. Spartan believes Free Funds Flow provides an indication of the amount of funds the Company has available for future capital allocation decisions such as to repay long-term debt, reinvest in the business or return capital to shareholders.
Adjusted Funds Flow ("AFF") per share is a non-GAAP financial ratio used by the Company as a key performance indicator. AFF per share is calculated using the same methodology as net income per share ("EPS"), however the diluted weighted average common shares ("WA Shares") outstanding for AFF may differ from the diluted weighted average determined in accordance with IFRS Accounting Standards for purposes of calculating EPS due to non-cash items that impact net income only. The impact of stock options and share awards is more dilutive to AFF than EPS because the number of shares deemed to be repurchased under the treasury stock method is not adjusted for unrecognized share-based compensation expense as it is non-cash (see also, "Share Capital").
"Capital Expenditures before A&D" is a non-GAAP financial measure used by Spartan to measure its capital investment level compared to the Company's annual budgeted capital expenditures for its organic drilling program. It includes capital expenditures on exploration and evaluation assets and property, plant and equipment, before acquisitions and dispositions. The most directly comparable GAAP measure to Capital Expenditures before A&D is cash used in investing activities.
"Adjusted Net Capital A&D" is a supplemental measure disclosed by Spartan which aggregates the total amount of cash, debt, and share consideration used to acquire crude oil and natural gas assets during the period, net of cash proceeds received on dispositions. The Company believes this is useful information because it is more representative of the total transaction value than the cash acquisition costs or total cash used in investing activities, determined in accordance with IFRS Accounting Standards. The most directly comparable GAAP measures are acquisition costs and disposition proceeds included as components of cash used in investing activities.
References to "Net Debt" includes long-term debt under Spartan's revolving credit facility, net of
Spartan uses Net Debt as a key performance measure to manage the Company's targeted debt levels. The Company believes its presentation of
The Company monitors its capital structure using a "Net Debt to Adjusted Funds Flow Ratio", which is a non-GAAP financial ratio calculated as the ratio of the Company's Net Debt to its "Annualized Adjusted Funds Flow". Annualized Adjusted Funds Flow is calculated by multiplying Adjusted Funds Flow for the most recently completed quarter, normalized for significant non-recurring items, by a factor of four.
OTHER MEASUREMENTS
All dollar figures included herein are presented in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise noted.
This press release contains various references to the abbreviation "BOE" which means barrels of oil equivalent. Where amounts are expressed on a BOE basis, natural gas volumes have been converted to oil equivalence at six thousand cubic feet (mcf) per barrel (bbl). The term BOE may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A BOE conversion ratio of six thousand cubic feet per barrel is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead and is significantly different than the value ratio based on the current price of crude oil and natural gas. This conversion factor is an industry accepted norm and is not based on either energy content or current prices.
References to "oil" and "crude oil" in this press release include light crude oil and medium crude oil, combined. National Instrument 51-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities (NI 51-101) includes condensate within the product type of "natural gas liquids". References to "natural gas liquids" or "NGLs" include pentane, butane, propane, and ethane. References to "gas" or "natural gas" relates to conventional natural gas.
References to "liquids" includes crude oil, condensate and NGLs.
The Company has disclosed condensate as combined with crude oil and/or separately from other natural gas liquids in this press release since the price of condensate as compared to other natural gas liquids is currently significantly higher and the Company believes that this crude oil and condensate presentation provides a more accurate description of its operations and results.
ASSUMPTIONS FOR 2026 GUIDANCE
The significant assumptions used in the forecast of Operating Netbacks and Adjusted Funds Flow for 2026 are summarized below. These key performance measures expressed per BOE are based on the calendar year average production guidance for 2026 of approximately 51,000 BOE/d.
|
2026 financial Guidance ($/BOE) |
|
|
Guidance |
|
Oil and gas sales |
|
|
32.14 |
|
Processing and other revenue |
|
|
0.30 |
|
Royalties |
|
|
(3.38) |
|
Operating expenses |
|
|
(6.60) |
|
Transportation expenses |
|
|
(1.81) |
|
Operating Netback, before hedging |
|
|
20.65 |
|
Settlements on Commodity Derivative Contracts |
|
|
(0.10) |
|
Operating Netback, after hedging |
|
|
20.55 |
|
General and administrative expenses |
|
|
(1.05) |
|
Cash financing expenses |
|
|
(0.96) |
|
Settlements of decommissioning obligations |
|
|
(0.12) |
|
Lease payments |
|
|
(0.57) |
|
Adjusted Funds Flow |
|
|
17.85 |
Changes in forecast commodity prices, exchange rates, differences in the amount and timing of capital expenditures, and variances in average production estimates can have a significant impact on the key performance measures included in Spartan's guidance. The Company's actual results may differ materially from these estimates. Holding all other assumptions constant, a
FORWARD-LOOKING AND CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS
Certain statements contained within this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "outlook", "anticipate", "budget", "plan", "endeavor", "continue", "estimate", "evaluate", "expect", "forecast", "monitor", "may", "will", "can", "able", "potential", "target", "intend", "consider", "focus", "identify", "use", "utilize", "manage", "maintain", "remain", "result", "cultivate", "could", "should", "believe" and similar expressions (or grammatical variations or negatives thereof). Spartan believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date hereof, but no assurance can be given that such expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon. Without limitation, this press release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to: the business plan, objectives, strategy of Spartan, the Company's capital program, budget and guidance for 2026 and components thereof, including flexibility to expand the capital budget in response to higher natural gas prices, continued optimization of its
The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by Spartan, including, but not limited to, expectations and assumptions concerning the business plan of Spartan, the timing of and success of future drilling, development and completion activities, the growth opportunities of Spartan's Duvernay acreage, the performance of existing wells, the performance of new wells, the availability and performance of facilities and pipelines, the geological characteristics of Spartan's properties, the successful application of drilling, completion and seismic technology, the Company's ability to secure sufficient amounts of water, prevailing weather conditions, prevailing legislation affecting the oil and gas industry, prevailing commodity prices, price volatility, future commodity prices, price differentials and the actual prices received for the Company's products (including pursuant to hedging arrangements), anticipated fluctuations in foreign exchange and interest rates, impact of inflation on costs, royalty regimes and exchange rates, the application of regulatory and licensing requirements, the availability of capital, labour and services, the creditworthiness of industry partners, general economic conditions, and the ability to source and complete acquisitions.
Although Spartan believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because Spartan can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. By its nature, such forward-looking information is subject to various risks and uncertainties, which could cause the actual results and expectations to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, fluctuations and volatility in commodity prices; changes in industry regulations and legislation (including, but not limited to, tax laws, royalties, and environmental regulations); the risk that the
Please refer to Spartan's MD&A for the period ended
This press release contains future-oriented financial information and financial outlook information (collectively, "FOFI") about Spartan's 2026 capital program of
References in this press release to peak rates, peak sales production, initial production rates, IP30s, and other short-term production rates are useful in confirming the presence of hydrocarbons, however such rates are not determinative of the rates at which such wells will commence production and decline thereafter and are not indicative of long-term performance or of ultimate recovery. While encouraging, readers are cautioned not to place reliance on such rates in calculating the aggregate production of Spartan. The Company cautions that such results should be considered preliminary. Peak rates are the highest average daily sales production rate for each well excluding clean-up and downtime.
ABBREVIATIONS
|
A&D |
acquisitions and dispositions |
|
bbl |
barrel |
|
bbls/d |
barrels per day |
|
BOE/d |
barrels of oil equivalent per day |
|
CA$ or CAD |
Canadian dollar |
|
GJ |
gigajoule |
|
GJ/d |
gigajoule per day |
|
IP |
Initial production |
|
mcf |
thousand cubic feet |
|
mcf/d |
thousand cubic feet per day |
|
Mbbls |
thousand barrels |
|
MBOE |
thousand barrels of oil equivalent |
|
MMbtu |
million British thermal units |
|
MMcf |
million cubic feet |
|
MM |
millions |
|
$MM |
millions of dollars |
|
US$ or USD |
|
|
WA |
Weighted average |
SOURCE