Eclipse Resources

Eclipse Resources released their first quarter 2016 update yesterday. Although Eclipse, a Marcellus/Utica pure play driller headquartered in State College, PA (but drilling mostly in Ohio), has curtailed or shut-in some of it’s production given low prices for gas, they still posted an impressive 26% increase in production in 1Q16 over 1Q15. While we’ve heard of Prince and his “Purple Rain,” we hadn’t heard of Eclipse’s “Purple Hayes”–which is a Utica well with an underground lateral reaching out 18,500 feet–3.5 miles! During 1Q16 Eclipse drilled their Purple Hayes well in under 18 days. Amazing! Even more amazing–the well was completed with 124 frac stages. It is believed to be the longest onshore later well ever drilled. Kudos to Eclipse! On the downside, the company lost $41 million in 1Q16…
Read More “Eclipse Res. 1Q16: Drills Longest Shale Well Ever! “Purple Hayes””

Whew. Eclipse Resources dodged a bullet! In February MDN told you that Eclipse Resources, a Marcellus/Utica pure play driller headquartered in State College, PA (but drilling mostly in Ohio) had been put on notice by the New York Stock Exchange that the company’s stock had fallen below $1 per share for too long and would be de-listed if they couldn’t get the price up (see NYSE Threatens to De-list Eclipse Resources’ Stock – Price Too Low). Good news: they got the price up. And now the NYSE that the company is once again in compliance…
Read More “Eclipse Resources Dodges a Bullet – Stock Won’t Get De-Listed”

Eclipse Resources, a small but growing driller headquartered in State College, PA but drilling exclusively in the Ohio Utica Shale, released their fourth quarter and full year 2015 update yesterday. Among the highlights: Production was up 186% in 2015 over 2014. Revenue was up 97% over 2014. Eclipsed drilled 31 wells, completed 51 wells and brought 76 wells online in 2015. The company will continue to focus exclusively on the Utica in 2016, as they did in 2015. They plan to spend $168 million in 2016, of which $130 million is for drilling and completions, and with that money they will drill 7.6 net Utica wells, complete 9.4 net Utica wells and exit the year with 11.5 net Utica wells drilled but uncompleted (DUCs). The elephant in the room is that Eclipse lost nearly $1 billion in 2015. However, as with many other drillers, the loss was on paper only–not out of pocket. With impairments (write-down of lease values) and with depreciation and other accounting shenanigans, almost all of the loss was on paper. Hey, at least they will keep on drillin’ in 2016! Here’s the update with the details…
Read More “Eclipse Resources: Production Up 186%, Continued Drilling in 2016”

A number of companies involved working the Marcellus/Utica have received notices from the New York Stock Exchange warning those companies that the average trading price for their stock had fallen below minimum standards and is in danger of being de-listed from the exchange: Seventy Seven Energy (see Seventy Seven Energy’s Stock Threatened with Delisting from NYSE); EXCO Resources (see More Trouble for EXCO Resources – NYSE Threatens to De-List Stock); Atlas Energy (see Atlas Energy Luck Run Out? NYSE Threatens Company with De-Listing); and Halcon Resources (see Halcon Resources Put on Notice by NYSE; Refi Debt at Higher Rate). Two companies actually were de-listed by the NYSE: Nuverra Environmental (see Nuverra Environmental Delisted from NYSE, Now a Penny Stock) and Magnum Hunter Resources (see Magnum Hunter De-Listed from NYSE; Still Shopping Eureka Hunter). You can add another name to the list of companies being threatened with de-listing: Marcellus/Utica pure play driller Eclipse Resources. CEO Ben Hulburt explains why Eclipse’s stock price trading at under $1 doesn’t reflect true value of the company…
Read More “NYSE Threatens to De-list Eclipse Resources’ Stock – Price Too Low”

Last week Eclipse Resources, a pure play driller focused on the Marcellus/Utica (headquartered in State College, PA) announced that the value of its proved reserves (what it can prove is in the ground, waiting to be extracted) is going down 58% over what it was at the end of 2014. Not because there’s now somehow less in the ground waiting to be extracted, but because of the price they can get for what they could extract. The company also announced it will take an “impairment” charge of $750-$850 million for 2015. An impairment is a permanent, irreversible devaluing of the company’s assets (see A Basic Guide to Understanding “Impairments” for Marcellus/Utica). We doubt Eclipse will be the last to make such announcements about year-end 2015 numbers. Here’s the announcement from Eclipse explaining the latest…
Read More “Value of Eclipse Resources’ Ohio Assets Drop by $750-$850M”

Last week Eclipse Resources, a smaller but important Marcellus/Utica driller with its headquarters in State College, PA, announced it would drill a single well in 2016 and was embarking on a program of choking back production–until prices go back up (see Eclipse Resources Drilling 1 Well in 2016, Restricting Production). That move caught the attention of analysts at investment firm Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. They issued a note saying Eclipse’s move may well be a preview of things to come in the Marcellus/Utica…
Read More “Is Eclipse’s Move to Curtail Prod. a Preview of Things to Come?”

Eclipse Resources issued their fourth quarter 2015 operational update yesterday, along with publishing an updated investor’s PowerPoint. We have both below. Eclipse is a smaller but important Marcellus/Utica driller with its headquarters in State College, PA–although they do almost all of their drilling in Ohio’s Utica Shale. In November word leaked out that Eclipse is shopping the company (see Marcellus/Utica Driller Eclipse Resources Looking for a Buyer). There was no overt or implied reference to that in yesterday’s update. What the update did say, however, is that save a single well they plan to drill in the first quarter of this year, Eclipse is not planning to do any more drilling until the price of natgas increases. They also said that although previously drilled wells going online have the potential to boost Eclipse’s production in 2016, they plan to reign in the flow rates to keep them at 2015 levels–again, until the price of natgas goes up. Nobody is predicting an increase in natgas prices any time soon (at least not in 2016), but it appears Eclipse is buckling in for a long ride through low-price valley…
Read More “Eclipse Resources Drilling 1 Well in 2016, Restricting Production”

Yesterday Eclipse Resources, an exploration and production company focused solely on the Marcellus and Utica Shale region, held their third quarter analyst conference call to discuss third quarter 2015 performance. We’ve already brought you the official press release/update for Eclipse’s 3Q15 results (see Eclipse Resources 3Q15: Production Up 163%, Net Loss $81M). What we were interested in, as we scoured the transcript of the conference call, was whether or not anyone brought up the rumor that Eclipse is currently shopping the company (see Marcellus/Utica Driller Eclipse Resources Looking for a Buyer). Morgan Stanley is said to be the investment bank shopping Eclipse for sale. There were no analysts from MS on the call, but there were analysts from MS competitors, like arch rival Goldman Sachs. Did any of those analysts ask a question about the rumor the company is looking to sell?…
Read More “What Did Eclipse Resources Qtly Call Reveal re Potential Sale?”

Eclipse Resources, an exploration and production company focused solely on the Marcellus and Utica Shale region headquartered in State College, PA but focusing on Utica drilling, released its third quarter earnings and operational update. It was also just yesterday we told you about the rumor that Eclipse is shopping itself (see Marcellus/Utica Driller Eclipse Resources Looking for a Buyer). What does the 3Q15 update show? Production averaged 225.2 million cubic feet equivalent per day (MMcfe/d), up 163% over 3Q14. Eclipse drilled 9 gross (4.8 net) wells, completed 15 gross (7.2 net) wells and turned 22 gross (6.4 net) wells to sales. Because of smart hedging, the company got $2.86 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf) in 3Q15–10 cents per Mcf more than what gas has been trading for at the Henry Hub. But even with pumping way more gas and getting favorable pricing, it still wasn’t enough to prevent an $81 million net loss for the quarter. Yes, some of that was a paper loss (depreciation/amortization stuff)–but not all of it. Some of it was actual money out of pocket loss. Here’s the update…
Read More “Eclipse Resources 3Q15: Production Up 163%, Net Loss $81M”

Eclipse Resources, a smaller but important Utica/Marcellus driller based in State College, PA (but mostly drilling in eastern Ohio) released an operational but not financial update at the end of July (see Eclipse Resources Releases Operations but not Financial Update). We noted at the time that typically the operations update is the “good news” and the financial update would likely be the “bad news.” Eclipse released their financial update yesterday and hey, contrary to other companies, the news is pretty good. Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: Yes, they lost money in second quarter 2015–$42.0 million. But the net loss was much less than 2Q14 when it was $112.6 million. The good news? Revenue was up 181% to $73.4 million (amidst a price collapse over the past year), net production was up 374% to 198.6 million cubic feet equivalent per day (MMcfe/d), and Eclipse increased their estimates of production for 2015 by another 5% over last year…
Read More “Eclipse Resources 2Q15: Revenue Up, Bleeding Less than Last Year”

Using the same strategy used by Gulfport Energy that we noted yesterday, Eclipse Resources, a smaller but important Utica/Marcellus driller based in State College, PA but drilling mostly in the Ohio Utica, released an operational update yesterday–but not their financials. Typically the operations updates are the good news, and the financials are the bad news. Eclipse’s operations update boasts an impressive 374% increase in production to 198.6 million cubic feet equivalent (MMcfe) per day in 2Q15 over 2Q14. Of particular note: Eclipse drilled a dry gas Utica well in eastern Monroe Country, OH with a 10,220 foot lateral (21,330 foot total measured depth), its longest lateral and deepest well to date–in just 17 days from Spud to Total Depth…
Read More “Eclipse Resources Releases Operations but not Financial Update”