How Secure is Ferrellgas Partners'18-Percent Yield?

One might infer that the market has already discounted Ferrellgas Partners (FGP-$5.55) reported $628.8 million asset write-down of its disastrous 2015 acquisition of Bridger Logistics (a provider of integrated crude oil midstream services), given the 70% slide in the propane provider's share price. Ergo, income seeking investors might be tempted to buy some shares yielding a juicy 18% (assuming – as suggested by management – that the annual distribution after a rate reduction from $2.05 will be approximately $1.00 per common unit). 

FGP has been successful in modifying its loan-covenant leverage ratio from 5.50x to 5.95x through December 2017. Predicted cash flow shortfalls, however, suggests that the company will likely need to reduce expenses and debt in coming quarters. Going forward, management believes that the amendments to its secured credit facility, when taken together with other debt reduction initiatives and securitization of accounts receivable, will be sufficient to meet required capital expenditure, working capital and letter of credit requirements. 

Buried in FGP’s regulatory filings, however, is the following red flag to unit-holders: “Our secured credit facility, publicly-held debt and accounts receivable securitization facility contain several financial tests and covenants (such as the leverage ratio and a fixed-charge ratio of less than 1.75x) restricting our ability to pay distributions.” 

Under existing covenants, FGP is limited in future borrowings to just $8.1 million Given a net debt ($2.16 billion) to adjusted EBITDA ratio of 6.1x and anemic propane sales, FGP could find it more difficult to satisfy its debt service obligations – which means that even that targeted $1.00 distribution could be illusory. In other words, “Buyer Beware!” 

Editor David J Phillips does not hold a financial interest in any stocks mentioned in this article. The 10Q Detective has a Full Disclosure Policy. 

Viper Energy Shows How Not to Win Over New Shareholders

It's prudent that prospective shareholders invest time in due diligence before taking the plunge and purchasing shares or units in any company. This investor had [past tense] a possible interest in becoming a stakeholder in Viper Energy Partners (VNOM). I had one question to ask of management about something I came across in my research: Oh, just a "little" issue regarding the current status of a "Continued Listing Standard" notice the company received back in July. 

 My letter to CEO Travis D Stice: "You folks obviously aren't interested in attracting new shareholders. Not only does no one return my call or email [re: NASDAQ "Continued Listing Standard Notice"] - but when I call the home office I'm shuttled off to a 10+ minute waiting hold time - like I'm some little kid in grade school getting a timeout - and then hung up on!!!!" 

Sirs, Forget about it! This is one snake I'm gonna' let slither by me in the grass.

Sell-Side Analysts Avoid the Tough Call on Oasis Petroleum - So What?

Looking for a job that can pay upwards of $400,000 a year – irrespective of proficiency? Consider a career as a Wall Street stock analyst. 

On May 9, uBS analyst William Janela maintained his “Hold” rating on E&P Houston-based Oasis Petroleum (OAS) and set a price target of $9. The company’s shares closed at $9.46 on May 10. 

Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brad Carpenter reiterated a “Hold” rating on Oasis on May 19 and set a price target of $9. The company’s shares closed that day at $9.46. 

One of the worst kept secrets on Wall Street is that a “Hold” rating issued by research analysts is synonymous with a “Sell” rating. How come the analysts do not just tell investment banking clients to sell – and lock in profits? 

• Some firms link compensation and bonuses— indirectly — to the number of investment banking deals the analyst helps to land. 
• The issuance of unfavorable reports could alienate senior management and shutter future access. 

Setting a target price close to – or less than – the current price is a riskless way to earn your way to that six-figure salary. Where do I sign up?

Stop the Presses! Benzinga's Got a Hot Story About WPX Energy

An example of the Fourth Estate’s trending indolence is found in a recent Benzinga business story.

Headline: WPX Energy Crashed 25%

Shares of WPX Energy Inc (NYSE: WPX), a natural gas and oil exploration and production company, hit a new 52-week low of $2.53 after the company disclosed it has added more hedges to protect its cash flows.  

Shares of WPX Energy were halted for trading three times and were trading lower by more than 25 percent by late Wednesday morning. 

WPX Energy said that approximately 75 percent of its anticipated oil volumes for 2016 are hedged "well above" the current market price. 

The company expanded that it now has 29,380 barrels of oil per day hedged at $60.85 per barrel. WPX Energy also noted that throughout the past two months, it has been active in reducing its long-term debt by repurchasing approximately $68 million in notes of a $400 million maturity due in early 2017 at a discount to par. 

Finally, WPX Energy stated that it has been increasing its liquidity through asset sales and remains engaged in discussions with third parties in regards to its assets in the Piceance Basin. "We continue to proactively manage our finances," stated Rick Muncrief, WPX president and chief executive officer. "This positions us to grow our portfolio when commodity prices rebound, especially our world-class Permian Delaware asset. The results of our early work in the basin are exceeding our expectations. 

"Despite the lede, not once in the article did the columnist, Jayson Derrick, mention (or even speculate) WHY the share price sank 25% in value.

If copying a business wire press release passes as business journalism in the new millennium, where do I sign-up  (to make some easy cash)?

The progress U.S. leadership has made in the world

“The world will look to us to help solve these problems, and our answer needs to be more than tough talk or calls to carpet bomb civilians. That may work as a TV sound bite, but it doesn’t pass muster on the world stage.” President Barack Obama - 2016 State of the Union Address

How do images of U.S. Navy on their knees before their Iranian captors “work as a TV sound bite” to the world, Mr. President? But then you have that “historic global climate agreement” as your foreign policy legacy, Mr. President – now don’t you?

Wall Street Traders Doubt Legacy Reserves' Survival

The markets continue to signal that energy MLP Legacy Reserves (LGCY - $1.76) is on the brink – of a potential bankruptcy filing: the price of common units have fallen more than 57% since 3Q earnings release on November 5.  

Chief executive Paul Home – at least in public – continues to assuage analysts and investors alike, emphasizing management’s combined experience in working through prior cycle lows.

Granted, LGCY does have good geographic diversification, with operations in the Permian basin, Rocky Mountain, and Mid-Continent regions. Nonetheless, Wall Street is signaling that the MLP’s significant leverage is unsustainable – total debt of $1.46 billion swamps equity (after the latest round of asset write-downs) more than 8 times: the 8.0% preferred stock has lost almost 40% in value – current yield is 29%; the 6.625% bond maturing December 01, 2021 has plunged more than 70% in the last sixty days and currently trades for twenty cents on the dollar!

CFO Dan Wescott insists, however, that going forward the MLP will continue generating free cash flow. True, adjusted EBITDA in the latest quarter easily covered bond interest and preferred dividend payments more than 2:1 times.

As indicated, current trading suggests Wall Street isn’t buying management’s optimism. Additionally, as hedges roll off (natural gas hedges cover only 45% of current production for 2016), distribution coverage of even bond payments is suspect.

Going forward unless the MLP monetizes some of its untapped acreage positions – or seeks out a buyer for its lucrative midstream assets (567 miles of high-pressure pipeline & low-pressure gathering systems) – to cure debt-related obligations, there will be no “legacy” for investors to inherit.

Editor David J Phillips holds a financial interest in the stock mentioned in this article. The 10Q Detective has a Full Disclosure Policy. 

How Radical Islam Is Destroying the West

"In the end, Europe's enemy is not Islam, or even radical Islam. Europe's enemy is itself—its self-destructive passivity, its softness toward tyranny, its reflexive inclination to appease, and its uncomprehending distaste for America's pride, courage, and resolve in the face of a deadly foe." 

This prescient quote written 10 years ago speaks to what will lead to the Balkanization of Europe and attendant rise of needless deaths of more innocents in Europe.

More Lies from Magnum Hunter Resources?

The price of Magnum Hunter Resources (MHR - $0.52) soared more than 70% to $1.33 per share on August 10 when the Marcellus/Utica NG driller announced intent to farm-out certain undeveloped and unproved oil and gas leasehold acreage currently held by a wholly-owned subsidiary.

The putative deal was to be structured so that cash-starved MHR would receive – in total – an infusion up to $430 million to co-develop acreage located in the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale in Monroe and Washington Counties, Ohio from this un-named venture capital fund.

Following the achievement by the fund of the greater of (i) a 12% internal rate of return on invested capital and (ii) a 1.20x multiple on invested capital, 100% of the Fund’s working interests in the acreage would automatically revert to Triad, save for a non-operated working interest of 10% by the fund. 

These days, Magnum Hunter seems to be “growing a tree of falsehood from a small grain of truth (Polish poet Czeslaw Milovz).”

Similar to the supposed asset sale of its Eureka Hunter pipeline, this joint venture looks more like another desperate act of dissimulation by management: the regulatory filing stated that a definitive agreement would be executed within “the next 30 to 45 days.”

Come September 25, investors will find out if Gary Evans & company are dealing in truths or lies.

Editor David J Phillips holds a financial interest in the stock mentioned in this article. The 10Q Detective has a Full Disclosure Policy. 

Does Magnum Hunter Resources Have a Winning Bid - or Not?

Management of Magnum Hunter Resources ($0.67) said on the August 5 earnings call that a decision on the Eureka Hunter pipeline asset sale was "imminent."

Direct quote: "We've gotten three more bids now – or three total bids. We're expecting more over the weekend and this week. And so we will pick a horse probably by the end of the next week or at the latest the beginning of the following."

It's now September and no deal has been announced -- and the stock price continues to hit new lows. Whom should investors believe - Gary Evans, the CEO of this struggling Marcellus/Utica NG driller or selling shareholders?  At present, a sagging share price suggests "no deal."

Gary Evans, "come on down" and prove to Wall Street you do have a winning bid for your showcase.

... And on a related note: According to a recent SEC filing, as MHR struggles to maintain solvency it hands over the keys to a company-owned residence in Marietta, Ohio to employee, Jim Denny, a former MHR executive at Triad Hunter, an Appalachian subsidiary,

Editor David J Phillips holds a financial interest in the stock mentioned in this article. The 10Q Detective has a Full Disclosure Policy. 

Looking at Southcross Energy's 21% Yield? Don't

At  $7.50, the share price of Southcross Energy Partners (SXE) offers a 21.3% dividend yield. Income investors who have stopped to sniff around this midstream master limited partnership, however, might want to pick up their piggy banks and keep walking.

The majority of its revenue is derived from fixed-fee contracts, which have limited direct exposure to commodity price levels. Nonetheless, the continued slowdown in producer drilling activity is crippling income, as most sales are based on volumes of natural gas (gathered, processed, treated, compressed and transported). In the most recent quarter ended June 30, sales fell 14.3% to $167.2 million.

Southcross Energy is highly leveraged, carrying total debt more than ten times trailing twelve-month EBITDA of $48 million. A continued deterioration in financial performance suggests the mouth-watering $1.60 dividend (per share) is likely to be materially slashed – if not eliminated in its entirety.

Management hinted as such in the recent second-quarter 10Q filing: “our forecast indicates a shortfall in the amount of consolidated EBITDA (as amended in May 2015) necessary to remain in compliance with the consolidated total leverage ratio of our Financial Covenants.”

The company will need to raise at least $35 million to cure this deficiency.

Weak market fundamentals augur a dividend cut will be high on any list of necessary executed actions. 

Editor David J Phillips does not hold a financial interest in any stocks mentioned in this article. The 10Q Detective has a Full Disclosure Policy. 

Looking for Value? Start with Truth-Telling at EXCO Resources

Wow! How refreshing to witness a senior executive immune to the “Bullsh-t Syndrome” (the commonplace corporate condition where imaginary events are presented as fact). C. John Wilder, who recently joined EXCO Resources' (XCO - $2.05) Board of Directors as Executive Chairman, had this to say on the Q1 earnings’ call about challenges currently facing the natural gas producer amid low energy prices:

• “EXCO is highly levered. The company's net debt to market cap of 72% and net debt to EBITDA 4.3x are simply not sustainable. We have annual cash interest fixed costs of $107 million. We must improve these metrics, and that will take both time and ruthless execution.
• EXCO has underutilized gathering and firm transportation commitments of approximately $90 million per year. Of this amount, approximately $40 million isn't used at all. This is a critical problem, which will require commercial ingenuity to solve.
• EXCO's net drilling inventory is inadequate. EXCO suffers from a lack of a high networking interest locations with a current average operating net working interest across the shale portfolio of 35%, we're essentially a contract driller. We need to reposition the portfolio to average 60% to 75% net working interest. EXCO has a highly qualified operational team, and needs more economic interest in its project.
• EXCO's drilling and completion costs are too high. EXCO has made progress reducing drilling and completion costs, but we still need to reduce cost by an additional 15% to 20%. This is our number one objective and we will require lean manufacturing practices across the portfolio.
• EXCO's corporate G&A is simply too high for its drilling program. EXCO needs to book NPV from drilling of about 5X its corporate overhead. Today, NPV accretion is about equal to annual G&A. To fix this, we need to improve both sides of the equation, reducing G&A and increasing the amount of NPV generated by drilling.”

If Wilder can execute on survivability and value creation through operational efficiencies, EXCO could be well-positioned to capitalize on the current commodity cycle – and yield significant gains for risk-tolerant investors when forward gas & oil price decks move higher.

Oil Glut Doesnt Mean U.S. Running Out of Crude Storage Capacity

Although the U.S. rig count has fallen dramatically, reaching the lowest level since April 2011, domestic crude output continues to soar. At last count, total US crude stocks stood at 468 million barrels, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) report issued on March 13.

Seizing the theme that petroleum production from conventional and shale deposits has yet to show signs of a slowdown, the collective media narrative portends an apocalyptic future where “U.S. oil glut will fill storage” – leading to a classic Econ 101 supply-demand model where the price of crude collapses to $10 to $20 a barrel.

The IEA says the principal storage hub in Cushing, Ohlahoma held 49.2 million barrels by end-February, equating to 70% of total working storage capacity at the nation’s largest hub.

Given ballooning crude stocks, is America truly running out of places to store all this crude?

Contrary to the vatic utterances by headline seeking “talking heads,” we are not running out of storage capacity – and E&P companies will not be forced to sell crude at give-away prices.

In “The Truth about U.S. Crude Storage,” a percipient Robert Rapier, managing editor at Energy Trends Insider, reminds us that Cushing isn’t the only place crude oil is stored:

“If Cushing continues to fill, oil producers will start looking at some (of those) other areas to store their crude. And with 200 million barrels still available, oil producers could continue to add a million barrels a week for nearly 4 years before crude oil storage is actually full,” says Rapier.

Linn Energy's Price Decline to Accelerate

Attracted to Linn Energy’s (LINE-$10.93) turnaround potential (share price is off 62.5% from its 52-week high) and 11.2% payout ($1.25 dividend/share)? Think again.

In only one of the last four years has LINE been able to cover fixed charges, including dividend payments: Earnings were insufficient to cover fixed charges by approximately $457 million and $696 million for the year ended 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Like operating profits, asset valuations could prove illusory, too. LINE has spent more than $30 billion to acquire working and royalty interests in producing U.S. basins holding total proved reserves of 7.2 Tcfe, allegedly worth an estimated $12.5 billion in (discounted) future cash flows. Allegedly because the calculus driving this valuation assumes natural gas and oil prices of $4.35 MMBtu and $95.27 per barrel.

Given the precipitous decline in commodity prices, investors should expect further massive “non-cash” impairment charges – which could hinder LINE’s ability to finance future capital needs:  buried under $10.3 billion in debt, the company has “limited unpledged assets” to put up as collateral for needed borrowings.

New drilling programs to be funded with capital from Blackstone will do little to clean up LINE’s anemic balance sheet and liquidity issues: Assuming constant capital spending and distributions over the next three years, analysts estimate net debt to EBITDAX ratios could increase to 6.8x by year end and up to 7.1x by year-ending 2016 (as higher priced hedges roll off and cash flow declines).

If LINE is to survive, look for that 11 percent dividend yield to vanish like the value of its hydrocarbon assets. 

EU Kicks Can on Greek Debt Down the Road -- Again

Eurozone finance ministers demonstrated their continued lack of resolve by kicking the can down the road – again: an agreement has been reached to extend Greece's financial rescue by four months.

This action sends yet another message that Europe (EU) lacks resolve: politically [Ukraine and the Islamist jihad problem] and economically [Greece]. 

The European Central Bank must stop supporting fundamentally flawed and weak economic institutions and let “Grexit” move forward.

Is the ECB afraid letting Greece fall will hasten the unraveling of both the EU and the Euro? Or, could it be the politically-connected are using influence to prevent billions in bond portfolio write-downs?

As Greece and the troubles of other EU economies demonstrate: fiat currencies are a joke. Might it be time to revisit the Gold Standard?  

For those too young to remember: the Gold Standard is a monetary system that fixes the prices of sovereign domestic currencies in terms of a specified amount of gold. Under the gold standard, a government is legally limited as to how much paper money it can print. A bankrupt country lacking hard reserves to back up its paper currency would lose license to print and put into circulation even more worthless currency.

The Gold Standard effectively came to an end last century when Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Richard Nixon severed the formal links between global currencies and hard commodities (to prevent a run on the U.S. dollar).

What institutional holders of sovereign European debt will not acknowledge publicly is that the EU is in a death spiral. How ironic that the Germanic leader Odoacer overthrew  

Romulus, the last of the Western Emperors in the divided Roman Republic, in 476 C.E. Today, too, the fate of the European experiment (EU) lay in the hands of another German, Chancellor Angelica Mercer.

Is Janet Yellen Too Chummy With Wall Street?

Is this bull market too dependent on "easy money" policies - QE?

Could it be that the real reason that Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen is afraid to pull the trigger on an interest rate hike is that it would spook Wall Street? I don't want to start "yellin" - but if the economy is as strong as Obama and his economic team likes to brag it is - maybe it's time to start raising key rates?

Is Carly Fiorina Accomplished Enough for a White House Run?

Former Hewlett-Packard (HPQ-$$37.95) CEO Carly Fiorina criticized preordained 2016 Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton in prepared remarks at the Iowa Freedom Summit in Des Moines last month.

"Like Hillary Clinton, I too have travelled hundreds of thousands of miles around the globe. But unlike her, I have actually accomplished something," said Fiorina. "Mrs. Clinton, flying is an activity not an accomplishment."

Before officially announcing her run for the White House top gig, however, the potential 2016 GOP presidential candidate might want to check her hubris at the door: an examination of her performance during her tenure as chief executive of the tech titan suggests the erstwhile “Most Powerful Woman in Business” has little to brag about - and accomplished very little in that leadership role.

True, Fiorina’s official HP bio paints the picture of a visionary leader:

In July 1999, Carly Fiorina joined HP as chief executive officer, and was named chairman a year later. She resigned from her position on February 8, 2005. While at HP, Fiorina led the reinvention of the company many associate with the birth of Silicon Valley by returning HP to its roots of innovation and invention, reorganizing it to be more agile and competitive, and charting a new strategy to use HP's depth and breadth to help customers and consumers prosper in the digital age. As part of that reinvention, Fiorina led the company's 2002 merger with Compaq Computer, one of the largest high-tech mergers in history. As chairman of HP, she also worked to build on HP's historic commitment to social responsibility, taking global citizenship to another level by leveraging HP's worldwide presence to make a difference in the lives of millions of people.

Albeit, as Mark Twain noted, “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.”

And the truth reveals a lackluster legacy: under her tutelage, net income from continuing operations at HP stagnated – slipping from $3.6B in 2000 to $3.4B in 2004 – and shareholder value declined 38 percent (falling from $28.30/share to $17.56/share).

Looking not through Fiorina’s prism of the past, but actual history, the $25B acquisition (which includes acquisition-related charges) of Compaq Computer was a dismal failure too: A name makeover to “Personal Systems Group” (PSG) couldn’t hide the fact that Fiorina bough a low-margin, personal computer manufacturing business which suffered from sequentially lower average selling prices (due to competitive pricing pressure) and declining volumes in both commercial and consumer desktop PCs.

PSG's earnings from operations as a percent of net revenue amounted to 0.9% in fiscal 2004 - and even this anemic profit resulted mostly due to cuts in operating expenses (such as headcount and lower R&D spending).

In May 2012, HP closed the book on this failed marriage with a $1.2bn write-down in the value of the Compaq trade name.

Her vainglorious promulgations to the contrary, Fiorina did little to “to make a difference in the lives of millions of people.” 

Fiorina did, however, prove the adage that there is no such thing as failure in the corner office. She left in 2005 with a severance package worth an estimated $42 million.

If incompetence and hubris are requisites for presidential aspirations, Fiorina is halfway there. 

Ed. note: this commentary should ot be construed as an endorsement for the likely candidacy of Hillary Rodham Clinton

Energy Stocks Surge on Expected Bottoming in Crude Prices

Nordic American Offshore (NAO-$11.11) management has repeatedly stated that the fundamentals of its PSV (platform supply vessel) leasing business are “not directly exposed to the price of oil to a significant extent.”

“The best liar is he who makes the smallest amount of lying go the longest way.” ~ Victorian-era English author Stephen Butler

The company announced a $1.7 million loss in net-income for fourth quarter 2014. Management now attributes the disappointing results to weakening demand for new drill projects in the North Sea – tied to a decline in the price of oil!

Many energy-related stocks of all stripes (including speculative E&P companies with highly-leveraged balance sheets) have climbed more than 10% in just the last two trading sessions: The 10Q Detective's diversified energy portfolio has also benefited handsomely from surging oil prices. That said, it is our view that the worst is not yet over in the oil patch – as drillers slash capex budgets, look for further downward revisions in profit outlooks to be announced on conference calls this month.

Given the continued imbalance between expectations and reality, we sold most of our positions as the markets rallied today. Where it was possible to obtain “reasonable” bid prices (depending on option activity), we did write covered calls on a few remaining positions, such as Seadrill Partners (SDLP-$15.04), to provide some down-side insurance as we wait for ex-dividend dates.

We will look to repurchase previously discussed stocks on any market pullback.

Finding Opportunity in Crude Oil's Bust - Part 3

Natural Resource Partners LP (NRP-$9.39) is principally engaged in the business of owning and managing mineral reserve properties.  NRP primarily owns coal, aggregate and oil and gas reserves across the United States that generate royalty income for the partnership. The partnership does not actively engage in the mining of any of its minerals or natural resources, but rather leases its properties to various operators in exchange for royalty payments.

• NRP owns and controls 2.3 billion tons of coal reserves across three US coal basins, interests in approximately 1500 oil and gas wells, interest in soda ash operations, and over 11 million mineral acres. While in 2012 roughly 95% of NRP's EBITDA was derived from coal-related businesses, the proportion is expected to fall below 55% in 2015, with the remainder derived from oil and gas, aggregates and industrial minerals.
• Recent debt-financed acquisitions have strained the balance sheet – the Debt/ EBITDA, as adjusted is expected to be in 4x -- 4.5x in 2015, up from 3.0x as of the end of 2012. 

Nordic American Offshore Ltd. (NAO - $11.87) owns and operates platform supply vessels (PSV), principally in North Sea.

NAO as a company is not directly exposed to the price of oil to a significant extent. The company does not own oil fields or sell oil. It is a Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) company servicing offshore oil installations, including oil rigs as necessary parts of their operations. In its main market, the North Sea, existing production accounts for about 80% or so of the work handled by its vessels. Existing production in the North Sea, according to management, is by and large unaffected by movements in the oil price.

• ZERO debt and cash break-even level of about $12,000 per day per ship, which is considered low.
• Of the current six vessel fleet - three are on long term charters with an average duration of two years before options. The income from these three vessels alone can cover all the costs of the six vessel fleet, thereby safeguarding the company's financial position.

QEP Midstream Partners, LP (QEPM- $15.50) has primary assets consisting of ownership interests in four gathering systems and two FERC-regulated pipelines through which it provides natural gas and crude oil gathering and transportation services. Assets are located in, or are within close proximity to, the Green River Basin located in Wyoming and Colorado, the Uinta Basin located in eastern Utah, and the portion of the Williston Basin located in North Dakota.

• Over 2.6 Bcf/d and 54 MBbls/d throughput capacity
• Access to three prolific oil and natural gas basins in the Rockies
• ~ $500 million credit facility, undrawn on Sept. 30^th

Seadrill Partners LLC (SDLP-$13.75) offers a speculative play on drilling services. A drop-down from Seadrill, this MLP owns a modern, high specification fleet of contracted vessels with a revenue backlog of $5.7 billion. The contracts have relatively high day rates and an average length of nearly four years, with the earliest finishing in 2015.

As a result of its growing asset base and cash generation, Seadrill Partners is expected to continue increasing distributions to its unitholders. The future balance between fleet expansion, leverage, and quarterly distributions will be important factors for an assessment of Seadrill Partners' financial policy. We note that proposed maintenance covenants would allow debt to EBITDA of up to 5x. [LT exceeds $2.8B, maturities 2019 - 2021]

Downside is the relative lack of diversification across the business, compared with Seadrill Ltd. and other large operators. Geographically, the vessels under current contracts are in three main regions. Operationally, there are four ultra-deepwater floaters, two drillships, and three tender barges: Ergo, more than a few days off day-rate for one or more vessels could have a meaningful effect on performance. 

• LT contracts with Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Total SA & BP
• Seadrill “drop-downs”: Under agreements with its majority owner Seadrill Ltd., SDLP is likely to continue to acquire rigs and fractional interests in rigs that already have contracts for more than five years.
• No exposure to day rates of UDW rigs until 2017, only semi-tender rig West Vencedor available before then
• Coverage ratio exceeded 1.03x in 3Q:14
• Ratio of earnings –to- fixed charges exceeds 4.5x
• Cold-stacking issues should realign supply-demand issues by 2017

USA Compression Partners, LP (USAC - $17.35) is a pure-play Compression MLP.

Compression is a necessary and critical infrastructure for producing & transporting hydrocarbons - Compression is required to transport natural gas throughout the pipeline system.

Fundamentals remain strong: For the year ended December 31, 2014, USAC’s average fleet utilization was 94.0 percent.

• Although 85% of USAC’s business (by HP) is natural gas-based, gas price agnostic - activity driven by production volumes and the need to move the gas
• Gas production increasing primarily in shale plays, which require more compression and flexible compression
• Midstream build-out still in “early innings” in many shale plays; compression grows alongside gathering and processing (“G&P”) expansions
• Crude oil economics support unconventional production techniques made possible with compression
• Long-lived Asset base: Compression units typically last for 40+ years, when properly maintained & 60% of the capital cost of a unit never wears out (average age of fleet is about 4 years old)
• Liquidity: $1.1 billion in revolver credit and an extension of the maturity to 2020 (~600M available).

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. ~ British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965)

Finding Opportunity in Crude Oil's Bust - Part 2

Evolution Petroleum Corp. (EPM-$7.51) is an E&P specializing in lower cost secondary recovery efforts.

• Debt-Free Balance Sheet
• 2P Reserves of 22.8 MMBOE (6/30/2014)
• Development plan:  installation of recycle gas processing to recover methane and NGLs, and water-flood with deferred future CO2 injection in portion of Delhi recovery project.  Secondary recovery efforts could add  2.9 MMBOE to known 2P reserves

Enerplus Corporation (ERF-$8.97) / is an E&P with following exposure: 25% - Gas/ 75% - oil. US assets include: Williston Basin / No Dakota: 28,000 – 30,000BOE/day / 2013 2P Reserves: 131 MMBOE; Marcellus (natural gas) – NE PA: ~60% of 2015E natural gas volumes (190 – 230 MMcf/day)

• Bank Credit Facility - $1 billion / $942M in unused capacity (Credit facility matures October 31, 2017)
• 2015 est. Production: 105.5 MBOE/day [56% gas – 44% oil]
• Change of $5.00/bbl WTI crude oil:  $42M = $0.20 (+/-)
• Change of $0.50/Mcf NYMEX natural gas:  $28 = $0.14 (+/-)

Gastar Exploration Inc. (GST.PRA - $19.00) is a SPECULATIVE E&P play with big money coming in (such as Carl Icahn). GST.PRA is a 8.625% Series A Cumulative Preferred Security callable at $25 per share.

• 1P Reserves: Appalachia - 55.5 MMBoe / Mid-Continent - 22.5 MMBoe
• Liquids 46% of proved reserves
• Active hedging program - currently hedged 86% of PDP oil production and 76% of PDP gas production for 2015(
• First Mover Adv – Hunton Formation (OK) / ~155 MMBoe of 3P resource in Hunton and Stack Play(
• Liquidity: Borrowing capacity: $191.6M / LT Debt: $314.7M Senior Secured Notes due 2018

MV Oil Trust (MVO-$14.82) is a royalty trust formed in 2006. The trust has oil & NG interests in approximately 1,000 producing oil and gas wells, located in the Mid-Continent region (KS & eastern CO).

• The net profits interest will terminate on the later to occur of (1) June 30, 2026, or (2) the time when 14.4 MMBoe have been produced from the underlying properties and sold (which amount is the equivalent of 11.5 MMBoe in respect of the trust's right to receive 80% of the net proceeds from the underlying properties pursuant to the net profits interest)// As of December 31, 2013, cumulatively, since inception, the trust has received payment for approximately 5.5 MMBoe of the trust's 11.5 MMBoe interest.

Finding Opportunity in Crude Oil's Bust - Part 1

Though the Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects global oil inventories to continue to build in 2015, the downward pressure on oil prices could ease mid-year. The EIA projects that Brent prices will reach a 2015 monthly average low of $49/bbl in January and February, and then increase through the remainder of the year to average $67/bbl (during the fourth quarter).

As sliding crude prices pressure profit outlooks, those investors looking to “bottom fish” should principally focus on companies that are being proactive in this difficult environment  in facing declining free cash flows (such as balancing cost cutting and capex without sacrificing long-term reserve replacement needs and production schedules).

In addition, ideal buy candidates should have locked-in hedges (cash flow preservation) and manageable debt leverage (including net-on-balance liquidity – untapped revolving credit lines – and no balloon-debt maturities due before 2017 -2018).  

Attractive dividend yields are not necessarily anathema, too – assuming distribution coverage ratios are realistic.

Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat. ~ Motivational speaker Napoleon Hill (1883 – 1970)

With valuations at multi-year lows, the 10Q Detective has added the following stocks to a diversified portfolio of energy holdings – upstream to downstream:

CSI Compressco (CCLP-$14.52) provides vertically integrated compression-based production enhancement services, including both conventional wellhead compression services and unconventional GasJack-casing compression services; and, in certain markets, well monitoring and sand separation services. Total fleet horsepower is 1,072,304 as of September 30, 2014.

• Production enhancement services improve production rates and recoverable reserves of natural gas and oil wells
• Distribution coverage ratio was 1.21x (1H:201)

Capital Product Partners L.P. (CPLP-$8.02) is an international, diversified shipping company and leader in the seaborne transportation of a wide range of cargoes, including crude oil, refined oil products, such as gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, jet fuel and edible oils, as well as dry cargo and containerized goods. 

• CPLP maintains a strong balance sheet and capital structure with net debt/capitalization of 26.7% (as of September 30, 2014) 

Eagle Rock Energy Partners, L.P. (EROC-$2.30) is a SPECULATIVE, growth-oriented upstream Master Limited Partnership (MLP) with assets located primarily in Oklahoma, South Alabama, Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas.

Eagle Rock's E&P assets are highly concentrated in the Mid-Continent and are small on a reserve and production basis relative to E&P MLP peers:

• Proved Reserves 346.3 Bcfe  /% Proved & Developed/ 67.3% % Oil 48.8%
• 13-year reserve life
• 3Q 2014 production of 75.1 MMcfe/d (82% operated by the Partnership)
• Strong Balance Sheet: ~$285 million of liquidity (~$190 million of RGP units as of 9/30/14 and ~$94.3 million revolver availability)
• Net leverage ratio of 2.3x as of September 30, 2014
• Owns 4.9M shares of Regency Energy Partners LP (NYSE:RGP) - $25.11 (as of 1/29/15)

Transitioning to a pure-play E&P MLP, Eagle Rock will also be exposed to the structural risks inherent in the MLP business model characterized by an `acquire and exploit' growth strategy and uncertainty regarding the availability, pricing, and quality of acquisition targets as well as execution and integration risks while growing cash distributions paid out to unit holders.