Vital Energy (VTLE) 10-Q 5 Nov 15 2015 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Nov. 02, 2015
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	Laredo Petroleum, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	1,528,129
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2015
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		213,804,059
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes

Consolidated balance sheets

Consolidated balance sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 76,403	$ 29,321
Accounts receivable, net	100,675	126,929
Derivatives	184,157	194,601
Other current assets	14,207	14,402
Total current assets	375,442	365,253
Oil and natural gas properties, full cost method:
Evaluated properties	4,895,042	4,446,781
Unevaluated properties not being amortized	225,045	342,731
Midstream service assets	149,068	117,052
Other fixed assets	62,114	56,165
Total property and equipment	5,331,269	4,962,729
Less accumulated depletion, depreciation, amortization and impairment	(3,212,194)	(1,608,647)
Net property and equipment	2,119,075	3,354,082
Deferred income taxes	68,069	0
Derivatives	97,850	117,788
Investment in equity method investee	160,206	58,288
Other assets, net	11,853	15,290
Total assets	2,832,495	3,910,701
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	23,647	39,008
Undistributed revenue and royalties	38,346	65,438
Accrued capital expenditures	49,283	148,241
Deferred income taxes	68,069	71,191
Derivatives	0	115
Other current liabilities	112,204	101,032
Total current liabilities	291,549	425,025
Long-term debt, net	1,415,566	1,779,447
Deferred income taxes	0	105,754
Asset retirement obligations	32,557	31,042
Other noncurrent liabilities	4,141	6,232
Total liabilities	$ 1,743,813	$ 2,347,500
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized and zero issued as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014	$ 0	$ 0
Common stock, $0.01 par value, 450,000,000 shares authorized, and 213,839,893 and 143,686,491 issued, as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively	2,138	1,437
Additional paid-in capital	2,079,240	1,309,171
(Accumulated deficit) retained earnings	(992,696)	252,593
Total stockholders' equity	1,088,682	1,563,201
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$ 2,832,495	$ 3,910,701

Consolidated balance sheets (Pa

Consolidated balance sheets (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	50,000,000	50,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	450,000,000	450,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	213,839,893	143,686,491

Consolidated statements of oper

Consolidated statements of operations - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2015		Sep. 30, 2014		Sep. 30, 2015		Sep. 30, 2014
Revenues:
Oil, NGL and natural gas sales		$ 104,607		$ 199,490		$ 348,279		$ 555,576
Midstream service revenues		1,873		751		4,908		1,019
Sales of purchased oil		43,860		0		130,178		0
Total revenues		150,340		200,241		483,365		556,595
Costs and expenses:
Lease operating expenses		25,112		25,165		86,698		67,129
Production and ad valorem taxes		7,895		12,550		26,481		38,160
Midstream service expenses		1,092		1,225		4,263		3,596
Minimum volume commitments		0		675		5,235		1,779
Costs of purchased oil		46,961		0		132,578		0
General and administrative		22,913	[1]	27,078	[1]	67,976	[2]	84,284	[2]
Restructuring expenses		0		0		6,042		0
Accretion of asset retirement obligations		599		442		1,771		1,279
Depletion, depreciation and amortization		66,777	[3]	63,942	[3]	210,831	[4]	166,605	[4]
Impairment expense		906,850		0		1,397,327		0
Total costs and expenses		1,078,199		131,077		1,939,202		362,832
Operating income (loss)		(927,859)		69,164		(1,455,837)		193,763
Non-operating income (expense):
Gain (loss) on derivatives, net		142,580		92,790		141,836		(1,447)
Income (loss) from equity method investee		2,104		(61)		4,585		(86)
Interest expense		(23,348)	[5]	(30,549)	[5]	(79,732)	[6]	(90,192)	[6]
Interest and other income		92		33		388		310
Loss on early redemption of debt		0		0		(31,537)	[6]	0
Write-off of debt issuance costs		0		0		0		(124)
Loss on disposal of assets, net		(94)		(2,192)		(1,937)		(2,418)
Non-operating income (expense), net		121,334		60,021		33,603		(93,957)
Income (loss) before income taxes		(806,525)		129,185		(1,422,234)		99,806
Income tax (expense) benefit:
Deferred		(41,258)		(45,778)		176,945		(35,511)
Total income tax (expense) benefit		(41,258)		(45,778)		176,945		(35,511)
Net income (loss)		$ (847,783)		$ 83,407		$ (1,245,289)		$ 64,295
Net income (loss) per common share:
Net income (loss), basic (in dollars per share)		$ (4.01)		$ 0.59		$ (6.38)		$ 0.46
Net income (loss), diluted (in dollars per share)		$ (4.01)		$ 0.58		$ (6.38)		$ 0.45
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Weighted-average common shares, basic (in shares)	[7]	211,204		141,413		195,081		141,261
Weighted-average common shares, diluted (in shares)	[7]	211,204		143,813		195,081		143,583
[1]	General and administrative costs were allocated based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014. However, payroll, deferred compensation, vehicle costs and the capitalization of payroll and deferred compensation associated with land and geology, which are components of general and administrative, are based on actual costs for each segment for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[2]	General and administrative costs were allocated based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014. However, payroll, deferred compensation, vehicle costs and the capitalization of payroll and deferred compensation associated with land and geology, which are components of general and administrative, are based on actual costs for each segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[3]	Depletion, depreciation and amortization is based on actual costs for each segment with the exception of the allocation of other fixed assets, which is based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[4]	Depletion, depreciation and amortization is based on actual costs for each segment with the exception of the allocation of other fixed assets, which is based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[5]	Interest expense is allocated based on gross property and equipment and total contributions to the Company's equity method investee as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[6]	Interest expense and loss on early redemption of debt are allocated based on gross property and equipment and total contributions to the Company's equity method investee as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[7]	For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, weighted-average common shares outstanding used in the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to stockholders has been computed taking into account the March 2015 Equity Offering.

Consolidated statement of stock

Consolidated statement of stockholders' equity - 9 months ended Sep. 30, 2015 - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock	Additional paid-in capital	Treasury Stock (at cost)	Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)
Balance, beginning of period at Dec. 31, 2014	$ 1,563,201	$ 1,437	$ 1,309,171	$ 0	$ 252,593
Balance, beginning of period (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2014		143,686		0
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Restricted stock awards		$ 18	(18)
Restricted stock awards (in shares)		1,894
Restricted stock forfeitures		$ (5)	5
Restricted stock forfeitures (in shares)		(519)
Vested restricted stock exchanged for tax withholding	(2,749)			$ (2,749)
Vested restricted stock exchanged for tax withholding (in shares)				221
Retirement of treasury stock		$ (2)	(2,747)	$ 2,749
Retirement of treasury stock (in shares)		(221)		(221)
Equity issuance, net of offering costs	754,163	$ 690	753,473
Equity issuance, net of offering costs (in shares)		69,000
Stock-based compensation	19,356		19,356
Net loss	(1,245,289)				(1,245,289)
Balance, end of period at Sep. 30, 2015	$ 1,088,682	$ 2,138	$ 2,079,240	$ 0	$ (992,696)
Balance, end of period (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2015		213,840		0

Consolidated statements of cash

Consolidated statements of cash flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands		9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2015		Sep. 30, 2014
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income (loss)		$ (1,245,289)		$ 64,295
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:
Deferred income tax (benefit) expense		(176,945)		35,511
Depletion, depreciation and amortization	[1]	210,831		166,605
Impairment expense		1,397,327		0
Loss on early redemption of debt		31,537	[2]	0
Bad debt expense		107		0
Non-cash stock-based compensation, net of amounts capitalized		17,933		16,919
(Gain) loss on derivatives, net		(141,836)		1,447
Cash settlements received (paid) for matured derivatives, net		175,879		(1,320)
Cash settlements received for early terminations of derivatives, net		0		76,660
Change in net present value of deferred premiums paid for derivatives		141		170
Cash premiums paid for derivatives		(3,918)		(5,599)
Amortization of debt issuance costs		3,612		3,823
Cash settlement of performance unit awards		(2,738)		0
Other, net		(876)		4,137
Decrease (increase) in accounts receivable		26,147		(26,449)
Increase in other assets		(1,234)		(8,656)
(Decrease) increase in accounts payable		(15,361)		39,456
(Decrease) increase in undistributed revenues and royalties		(27,092)		14,105
Decrease in other accrued liabilities		(25,676)		(7,908)
Increase in other noncurrent liabilities		221		2,373
Increase in fair value of performance unit awards		2,734		767
Net cash provided by operating activities		225,504		376,336
Capital expenditures:
Acquisition of oil and natural gas properties		0		(6,493)
Acquisition of mineral interests		0		(7,305)
Oil and natural gas properties		(490,351)		(925,121)
Midstream service assets		(35,237)		(45,263)
Other fixed assets		(8,539)		(13,612)
Investment in equity method investee		(63,011)		(37,581)
Proceeds from dispositions of capital assets, net of costs		65,261		1,627
Net cash used in investing activities		(531,877)		(1,033,748)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Borrowings on Senior Secured Credit Facility		310,000		75,000
Payments on Senior Secured Credit Facility		(475,000)		0
Redemption of January 2019 Notes		(576,200)		0
Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of offering costs		754,163		0
Purchase of treasury stock		(2,749)		(4,075)
Proceeds from exercise of employee stock options		0		1,885
Payments for debt issuance costs		(6,759)		(7,791)
Net cash provided by financing activities		353,455		515,019
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		47,082		(142,393)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		29,321		198,153
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period		76,403		55,760
March 2023 Notes
Cash flows from financing activities:
Issuance of Notes		350,000		0
January 2022 Notes
Cash flows from financing activities:
Issuance of Notes		$ 0		$ 450,000
[1]	Depletion, depreciation and amortization is based on actual costs for each segment with the exception of the allocation of other fixed assets, which is based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[2]	Interest expense and loss on early redemption of debt are allocated based on gross property and equipment and total contributions to the Company's equity method investee as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.

Organization

Organization	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization	Organization Laredo Petroleum, Inc. ("Laredo"), together with its subsidiaries, Laredo Midstream Services, LLC ("LMS") and Garden City Minerals, LLC ("GCM"), is an independent energy company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties primarily in the Permian Basin in West Texas. LMS and GCM (together, the "Guarantors") guarantee all of Laredo's debt instruments. In these notes, the "Company," (i) when used in the present tense, prospectively or from October 24, 2014, refers to Laredo, LMS and GCM collectively, unless the context indicates otherwise or (ii) when used for historical periods from December 31, 2013 to October 23, 2014, refers to Laredo and LMS collectively, unless the context indicates otherwise. All amounts, dollars and percentages presented in these unaudited consolidated financial statements and the related notes are rounded and therefore approximate. The Company operates in two business segments, which are (i) exploration and production and (ii) midstream and marketing. The exploration and production segment is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties primarily in the Permian Basin in West Texas. The midstream and marketing segment provides Laredo's exploration and production segment and certain third parties with (i) any products and services that need to be delivered by midstream infrastructure, including oil and natural gas gathering services as well as rig fuel, natural gas lift and water in Laredo's primary drilling corridors and (ii) takeaway optionality in the field and firm service commitments to maximize Laredo's oil, NGL and natural gas revenues.

Basis of presentation and signi

Basis of presentation and significant accounting policies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of presentation and significant accounting policies	Basis of presentation and significant accounting policies a. Basis of presentation The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements were derived from the historical accounting records of the Company and reflect the historical financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods described herein. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). All material intercompany transactions and account balances have been eliminated in the consolidation of accounts. The Company uses the equity method of accounting to record its net interests when the Company holds 20% to 50% of the voting rights and/or has the ability to exercise significant influence but does not control the entity. Under the equity method, the Company's proportionate share of the investee's net income (loss) is included in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations. See Note 14 for additional discussion of the Company's equity method investment. The accompanying consolidated financial statements have not been audited by the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, except that the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2014 is derived from audited consolidated financial statements. See Notes 2.g, 5.g and 18 for discussion regarding the Company's early-adoption of new accounting guidance regarding the presentation of debt issuance costs. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements reflect all necessary adjustments to present fairly the Company's financial position as of September 30, 2015 , results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 and cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 . Certain disclosures have been condensed or omitted from these unaudited consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, these unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the 2014 Annual Report. b. Use of estimates in the preparation of interim unaudited consolidated financial statements The preparation of the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions about future events. These estimates and the underlying assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Although management believes these estimates are reasonable, actual results could differ. The interim results reflected in the unaudited consolidated financial statements are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for other interim periods or for the full year. Significant estimates include, but are not limited to, (i) estimates of the Company's reserves of oil, NGL and natural gas, (ii) future cash flows from oil and natural gas properties, (iii) depletion, depreciation and amortization, (iv) asset retirement obligations, (v) stock-based compensation, (vi) deferred income taxes, (vii) fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in an acquisition and (viii) fair values of commodity derivatives, commodity deferred premiums and performance unit awards. As fair value is a market-based measurement, it is determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use. These estimates and assumptions are based on management's best judgment. Management evaluates its estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis using historical experience and other factors, including the current economic environment. Such estimates and assumptions are adjusted when facts and circumstances dictate. Illiquid credit markets and volatile equity and energy markets have combined to increase the uncertainty inherent in such estimates and assumptions. Management believes its estimates and assumptions to be reasonable under the circumstances. As future events and their effects cannot be determined with precision, actual values and results could differ from these estimates. Any changes in estimates resulting from future changes in the economic environment will be reflected in the financial statements in future periods. c. Reclassifications Certain amounts in the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the 2015 presentation. These reclassifications had no impact to previously reported net income or loss, stockholders' equity or cash flows. d. Accounts receivable The Company sells oil, NGL and natural gas to various customers and participates with other parties in the development and operation of oil and natural gas properties. The Company's accounts receivable are generally unsecured. Accounts receivable for joint interest billings are recorded as amounts billed to customers less an allowance for doubtful accounts. Amounts are considered past due after 30 days. The Company determines joint interest operations accounts receivable allowances based on management's assessment of the creditworthiness of the joint interest owners. Additionally, as the operator of the majority of its wells, the Company has the ability to realize the receivables through netting of anticipated future production revenues. The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses inherent in its accounts receivable portfolio. In establishing the required allowance, management considers historical losses, current receivables aging and existing industry and economic data. The Company reviews its allowance for doubtful accounts quarterly. Past due amounts greater than 90 days and over a specified amount are reviewed individually for collectability. Account balances are charged off against the allowance after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is remote. Accounts receivable consist of the following components for the periods presented: (in thousands) September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 34,512 $ 57,070 Joint operations, net (1) 25,553 33,808 Matured derivatives 21,729 16,098 Purchased oil and other product sales 14,436 18,917 Other 4,445 1,036 Total $ 100,675 $ 126,929 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) Accounts receivable for joint operations are presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts of $0.2 million and $0.8 million as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 , respectively. e. Derivatives The Company uses derivatives to reduce exposure to fluctuations in the prices of oil and natural gas. By removing a significant portion of the price volatility associated with future production, the Company expects to mitigate, but not eliminate, the potential effects of variability in cash flows from operations due to fluctuations in commodity prices. These transactions are in the form of collars, swaps, puts and basis swaps. Derivatives are recorded at fair value and are presented net on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets as assets or liabilities. The Company nets the fair value of derivatives by counterparty where the right of offset exists. The Company determines the fair value of its derivatives by utilizing pricing models for substantially similar instruments. Inputs to the pricing models include publicly available prices and forward price curves generated from a compilation of data gathered from third parties (see Notes 8 and 9). The Company's derivatives were not designated as hedges for accounting purposes for any of the periods presented. Accordingly, the changes in fair value are recognized in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations in the period of change. Gains and losses on derivatives are included in cash flows from operating activities (see Note 8). f. Property and equipment The following table sets forth the Company's property and equipment for the periods presented: (in thousands) September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 Evaluated oil and natural gas properties $ 4,895,042 $ 4,446,781 Less accumulated depletion and impairment (3,180,822 ) (1,586,237 ) Evaluated oil and natural gas properties, net 1,714,220 2,860,544 Unevaluated properties not being amortized 225,045 342,731 Midstream service assets 149,068 117,052 Less accumulated depreciation (14,057 ) (8,590 ) Midstream service assets, net 135,011 108,462 Depreciable other fixed assets 47,220 42,933 Less accumulated depreciation and amortization (17,315 ) (13,820 ) Depreciable other fixed assets, net 29,905 29,113 Land 14,894 13,232 Total property and equipment, net $ 2,119,075 $ 3,354,082 For the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 , depletion expense was $15.32 per barrel of oil equivalent ("BOE") sold and $20.25 per BOE sold, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 , depletion expense was $15.87 per BOE sold and $19.83 per BOE sold, respectively. The Company uses the full cost method of accounting for its oil and natural gas properties. Under this method, all acquisition, exploration and development costs, including certain related employee costs, incurred for the purpose of finding oil and natural gas are capitalized and amortized on a composite unit of production method based on proved oil, NGL and natural gas reserves. Such amounts include the cost of drilling and equipping productive wells, dry hole costs, lease acquisition costs, delay rentals and other costs related to such activities. Costs, including related employee costs, associated with production and general corporate activities are expensed in the period incurred. Sales of oil and natural gas properties, whether or not being amortized currently, are accounted for as adjustments of capitalized costs, with no gain or loss recognized, unless such adjustments would significantly alter the relationship between capitalized costs and proved reserves of oil, NGL and natural gas. The Company excludes the costs directly associated with acquisition and evaluation of unevaluated properties from the depletion calculation until it is determined whether or not proved reserves can be assigned to the properties. The Company capitalizes a portion of its interest costs on its unevaluated properties. Capitalized interest becomes a part of the cost of the unevaluated properties and is subject to depletion when proved reserves can be assigned to the associated properties. All items classified as unevaluated property are assessed on a quarterly basis for possible impairment or reduction in value. The assessment includes consideration of the following factors, among others: intent to drill, remaining lease term, geological and geophysical evaluations, drilling results and activity, the assignment of evaluated reserves and the economic viability of development if proved reserves are assigned. During any period in which these factors indicate an impairment, the cumulative drilling costs incurred to date for such property and all or a portion of the associated leasehold costs are transferred to the full cost pool and are then subject to depletion. The full cost ceiling is based principally on the estimated future net cash flows from proved oil and natural gas properties discounted at 10% . Full cost companies are required to use the unweighted arithmetic average first-day-of-the-month price for each month within the 12-month period prior to the end of the reporting period ("SEC Prices"), unless prices were defined by contractual arrangements, to calculate the discounted future revenues. In the event the unamortized cost of evaluated oil and natural gas properties being amortized exceeds the full cost ceiling, as defined by the SEC, the excess is charged to expense in the period such excess occurs. Once incurred, a write-down of oil and natural gas properties is not reversible. The full cost ceiling value of the Company's reserves was calculated based on SEC Prices as of September 30, 2015, which do not include derivative transactions, of (i) $55.73 per barrel for oil, (ii) $21.87 per barrel for NGL and (iii) $2.89 per MMBtu for natural gas, adjusted by area for energy content, transportation fees and regional price differentials. Using these SEC Prices, the Company's net book value of evaluated oil and natural gas properties exceeded the full cost ceiling amount as of September 30, 2015. As a result, the Company recorded a third-quarter non-cash full cost ceiling impairment of $906.4 million. As of June 30, 2015, the full cost ceiling value of the Company's reserves was calculated based on SEC Prices as of June 30, 2015, which did not include derivative transactions, of (i) $68.17 per barrel for oil, (ii) $26.73 per barrel for NGL and (iii) $3.22 per MMBtu for natural gas, adjusted by area for energy content, transportation fees, and regional price differentials. Using these SEC Prices, the Company's net book value of evaluated oil and natural gas properties exceeded the full cost ceiling amount as of June 30, 2015. As a result, the Company recorded a second-quarter non-cash full cost ceiling impairment of $488.0 million. Full cost ceiling impairment expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations was $906.4 million and $1.39 billion , respectively. The Company's net book value of evaluated oil and natural gas properties did not exceed the full cost ceiling amount at March 31, 2014, June 30, 2014 or September 30, 2014. The amounts are included in "Impairment expense" in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations and in "Other operating costs and expenses" for the Company's exploration and production segment presented in Note 16. g. Debt issuance costs Debt issuance fees, which are recorded at cost, net of amortization, are amortized over the life of the respective debt agreements utilizing the effective interest and straight-line methods. The Company capitalized $6.8 million of debt issuance costs during the nine months ended September 30, 2015 mainly as a result of the issuance of the March 2023 Notes (as defined below). The Company capitalized $7.8 million of debt issuance costs during the nine months ended September 30, 2014 mainly as a result of the issuance of the January 2022 Notes (as defined below). The Company had total debt issuance costs of $25.0 million and $28.5 million , net of accumulated amortization of $15.9 million and $19.4 million , as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 , respectively. The Company wrote-off approximately $6.6 million of debt issuance costs during the nine months ended September 30, 2015 as a result of the early redemption of the January 2019 Notes (as defined below), which are included in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations in the "Loss on early redemption of debt" line item. During the nine months ended September 30, 2014 , the Company wrote-off approximately $0.1 million of debt issuance costs as a result of changes in the borrowing base of the Senior Secured Credit Facility (as defined below) due to the issuance of the January 2022 Notes, which are included in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations in the "Write-off of debt issuance costs" line item. See Notes 5.a, 5.b, 5.d and 5.e for definition of and information regarding the March 2023 Notes, January 2022 Notes, January 2019 Notes and the Senior Secured Credit Facility, respectively. As of September 30, 2015, the Company has early-adopted new guidance that seeks to simplify the presentation of debt issuance costs and has applied its provisions retrospectively. The adoption of this standard resulted in the reclassification of $19.4 million and $21.8 million of unamortized debt issuance costs related to the Company's senior unsecured notes from "Other assets, net" to "Long-term debt, net" within its consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively. Other than this reclassification, the adoption of this standard did not have an impact on the Company's unaudited consolidated financial statements. Debt issuance costs related to the Senior Secured Credit Facility remain recorded in "Other assets, net" on the Company's unaudited consolidated balance sheets. See Notes 5.g and 18 for additional discussion of debt issuance costs. Future amortization expense of debt issuance costs as of September 30, 2015 is as follows: (in thousands) Remaining 2015 $ 1,116 2016 4,503 2017 4,575 2018 4,349 2019 2,915 Thereafter 7,589 Total $ 25,047 h. Other current liabilities Other current liabilities consist of the following components for the periods presented: (in thousands) September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 Capital contribution payable to equity method investee (1) $ 34,322 $ — Accrued interest payable 21,635 37,689 Costs of purchased oil payable 15,047 20,114 Lease operating expense payable 14,117 11,963 Other accrued liabilities 27,083 31,266 Total other current liabilities $ 112,204 $ 101,032 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) See Notes 14, 15 and 19.a for additional discussion regarding our equity method investee. i. Asset retirement obligations Asset retirement obligations associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets are recognized as a liability in the period in which they are incurred and become determinable. The associated asset retirement costs are part of the carrying amount of the long-lived asset. Subsequently, the asset retirement cost included in the carrying amount of the related long-lived asset is charged to expense through depletion, or for midstream asset retirement cost through depreciation, of the associated asset. Changes in the liability due to the passage of time are recognized as an increase in the carrying amount of the liability and as corresponding accretion expense. The fair value of additions to the asset retirement obligation liability is measured using valuation techniques consistent with the income approach, which converts future cash flows into a single discounted amount. Significant inputs to the valuation include: (i) estimated plug and abandonment cost per well based on Company experience, (ii) estimated remaining life per well based on the reserve life per well, (iii) estimated removal and/or remediation costs for midstream assets, (iv) estimated remaining life of midstream assets, (v) future inflation factors and (vi) the Company's average credit adjusted risk-free rate. Inherent in the fair value calculation of asset retirement obligations are numerous assumptions and judgments including, in addition to those noted above, the ultimate settlement of these amounts, the ultimate timing of such settlement and changes in legal, regulatory, environmental and political environments. To the extent future revisions to these assumptions impact the fair value of the existing asset retirement obligation liability, a corresponding adjustment will be made to the asset balance. The Company is obligated by contractual and regulatory requirements to remove certain pipeline and gas gathering assets and perform other remediation of the sites where such pipeline and gas gathering assets are located upon the retirement of those assets. However, the fair value of the asset retirement obligation cannot currently be reasonably estimated because the settlement dates are indeterminate. The Company will record an asset retirement obligation for pipeline and gas gathering assets in the periods in which settlement dates become reasonably determinable. The following reconciles the Company's asset retirement obligation liability for the periods presented: (in thousands) Nine months ended September 30, 2015 Year ended December 31, 2014 Liability at beginning of period $ 32,198 $ 21,743 Liabilities added due to acquisitions, drilling, midstream service asset construction and other 1,675 6,370 Accretion expense 1,771 1,787 Liabilities settled upon plugging and abandonment (122 ) (450 ) Liabilities removed due to sale of property (2,005 ) — Revision of estimates — 2,748 Liability at end of period $ 33,517 $ 32,198 j. Treasury stock Laredo's employees may elect to have the Company withhold shares of stock to satisfy their tax withholding obligations that arise upon the lapse of restrictions on their stock awards. Such treasury stock is recorded at cost and retired upon acquisition. k. Fair value measurements The carrying amounts reported in the unaudited consolidated balance sheets for cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, undistributed revenue and royalties, accrued capital expenditures and other accrued assets and liabilities approximate their fair values. See Note 5.f for fair value disclosures related to the Company's debt obligations. The Company carries its derivatives at fair value. See Notes 8 and 9 for details regarding the fair value of the Company's derivatives. l. Compensation awards Stock-based compensation expense, net of amounts capitalized, is included in "General and administrative" in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations over the awards' vesting periods and is based on the awards' grant date fair value. The Company utilizes the closing stock price on the grant date, less an expected forfeiture rate, to determine the fair value of service vesting restricted stock awards and a Black-Scholes pricing model to determine the fair values of service vesting restricted stock option awards. The Company utilizes a Monte Carlo simulation prepared by an independent third party to determine the fair values of the performance share awards and performance unit awards. The Company capitalizes a portion of stock-based compensation for employees who are directly involved in the acquisition, exploration and development of its oil and gas properties into the full cost pool. Capitalized stock-based compensation is included as an addition to "Oil and natural gas properties" in the unaudited consolidated balance sheets. See Note 6 for further discussion regarding the restricted stock awards, restricted stock option awards, performance share awards and performance unit awards. m. Long-lived assets, materials and supplies and line-fill Impairment losses are recorded on property and equipment used in operations and other long-lived assets when indicators of impairment are present and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the assets' carrying amount. Impairment is measured based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the asset. Materials and supplies are used in developing oil and natural gas properties, are carried at the lower of cost or market ("LCM") and are included in "Other current assets" and "Other assets, net" on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets. The market price for materials and supplies is determined utilizing the Company's recent prices paid to acquire materials. During the nine months ended September 30, 2015 , the Company reduced materials and supplies by $2.3 million in order to reflect the balance at LCM. The adjustment is included in "Impairment expense" in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations and in "Other operating costs and expenses" for the Company's exploration and production segment presented in Note 16. The Company determined an LCM adjustment was not necessary for materials and supplies during the three months ended September 30, 2015, or during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 . The minimum volume of product in a pipeline system that enables the system to operate is known as line-fill, and is generally not available to be withdrawn from the pipeline system until the expiration of the transportation contract. Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company owns oil line-fill in third-party pipelines, which is accounted for at LCM with cost determined using the weighted-average cost method, and is included in "Other assets, net" on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets. The LCM adjustment is determined utilizing a quoted market price adjusted for regional price differentials (Level 2). For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 , the Company recorded LCM adjustments of $0.4 million and $0.5 million , respectively, related to its line-fill, which is included in "Impairment expense" in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations and as "Other operating costs and expenses" for the Company's midstream and marketing segment presented in Note 16. n. Environmental The Company is subject to extensive federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. These laws, among other things, regulate the discharge of materials into the environment and may require the Company to remove or mitigate the environmental effects of the disposal or release of petroleum or chemical substances at various sites. Environmental expenditures are expensed in the period incurred. Liabilities for expenditures of a non-capital nature are recorded when environmental assessment or remediation is probable and the costs can be reasonably estimated. Such liabilities are generally undiscounted unless the timing of cash payments is fixed and readily determinable. Management believes no materially significant liabilities of this nature existed as of September 30, 2015 or December 31, 2014 . o. Non-cash investing and supplemental cash flow information The following presents the non-cash investing and supplemental cash flow information for the periods presented: Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 Non-cash investing information: Change in accrued capital expenditures $ (98,958 ) $ 23,945 Change in accrued capital contribution to equity method investee (1) $ 34,322 $ (2,598 ) Capitalized asset retirement cost $ 1,675 $ 4,767 Supplemental cash flow information: Capitalized interest $ 227 $ 51 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) See Notes 14, 15 and 19.a for additional discussion regarding our equity method investee.

Equity offering

Equity offering	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Equity [Abstract]
Equity Offering	Equity offering On March 5, 2015, the Company completed the sale of 69,000,000 shares of Laredo's common stock at a price to the public of $11.05 per share (the "March 2015 Equity Offering"). The Company received net proceeds of $754.2 million , after underwriting discounts, commissions and offering expenses. Entities affiliated with Warburg Pincus LLC ("Warburg Pincus") purchased 29,800,000 shares in the March 2015 Equity Offering, following which Warburg Pincus owned 41.0% of Laredo's common stock. There were no comparative offerings of the Company's stock during the three or nine months ended September 30, 2014 .

Acquisitions and Divestitures

Acquisitions and Divestitures	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Acquisitions	Acquisitions a. Divestiture of non-strategic assets On September 15, 2015, the Company completed the sale of non-strategic and primarily non-operated properties and associated production totaling 6,060 net acres and 123 producing properties in the Midland Basin to a third-party buyer for a sales price of $65.5 million . After transaction costs and adjustments at closing reflecting an economic effective date of July 1, 2015, the net proceeds were $65.2 million , net of working capital adjustments and subject to post-closing cost adjustments. The purchase price, excluding post-closing adjustments, was allocated to oil and natural gas properties pursuant to the rules governing full cost accounting. Effective at closing, the operations and cash flows of these properties were eliminated from the ongoing operations of the Company and the Company has no continuing involvement in the properties. This divestiture does not represent a strategic shift and will not have a major effect on the Company's operations or financial results. The following table presents revenues and expenses of the oil and natural gas properties sold included in the accompanying unaudited consolidated statements of operations for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 1,371 $ 5,644 $ 5,419 $ 15,574 Expenses (1) 1,781 3,042 6,565 7,789 _____________________________________________________________________________ (1) Expenses include (i) lease operating expense, (ii) production and ad valorem tax expense, (iii) accretion expense and (iv) depletion. b. 2014 acquisition of leasehold interests On August 28, 2014, the Company completed a material acquisition of leasehold interests totaling 8,156 net acres in the Midland Basin, primarily within the Company's core development area, for $192.5 million . The acquisition was accounted for as an acquisition of assets. c. 2014 acquisition of mineral interests On February 25, 2014, the Company completed the acquisition of the mineral interests underlying 278 net acres in Glasscock County, Texas in the Midland Basin for $7.3 million . These mineral interests entitle the Company to receive royalty payments on all production from this acreage with no additional future capital or operating expenses required. As such, the purchase was accounted for as an acquisition of assets. d. 2014 acquisitions of evaluated and unevaluated oil and natural gas properties The Company accounts for acquisitions of evaluated and unevaluated oil and natural gas properties under the acquisition method of accounting. Accordingly, the Company conducts assessments of net assets acquired and recognizes amounts for identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the estimated acquisition date fair values, while transaction and integration costs associated with the acquisitions are expensed as incurred. The Company makes various assumptions in estimating the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The most significant assumptions relate to the estimated fair values of evaluated and unevaluated oil and natural gas properties. The fair values of these properties are measured using valuation techniques that convert future cash flows to a single discounted amount. Significant inputs to the valuation include estimates of: (i) reserves, (ii) future operating and development costs, (iii) future commodity prices and (iv) a market-based weighted-average cost of capital rate. The market-based weighted-average cost of capital rate is subject to additional project-specific risk factors. To compensate for the inherent risk of estimating the value of the unevaluated properties, the discounted future net revenues of probable and possible reserves are reduced by additional risk-weighting factors. On June 11, 2014, the Company completed the acquisition of evaluated and unevaluated oil and natural gas properties, totaling 460 net acres, located in Reagan County, Texas for $4.7 million , net of closing adjustments. On June 23, 2014, the Company completed the acquisition of evaluated and unevaluated oil and natural gas properties, totaling 24 net acres, located in Glasscock County, Texas for $1.8 million . The results of operations prior to June 2014 do not include results from these acquisitions.

Debt

Debt	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt	Debt a. March 2023 Notes On March 18, 2015, the Company completed an offering of $350.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 6 1/4% senior unsecured notes due 2023 (the "March 2023 Notes"), and entered into an Indenture (the "Base Indenture"), as supplemented by the Supplemental Indenture (the "Supplemental Indenture" and, together with the Base Indenture, the "Indenture"), among Laredo, LMS and GCM, as guarantors, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee. The March 2023 Notes will mature on March 15, 2023 with interest accruing at a rate of 6 1/4% per annum and payable semi-annually in cash in arrears on March 15 and September 15 of each year, commencing September 15, 2015. The March 2023 Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by LMS, GCM and certain of the Company's future restricted subsidiaries, subject to certain automatic customary releases, including the sale, disposition, or transfer of all of the capital stock or of all or substantially all of the assets of a subsidiary guarantor to one or more persons that are not the Company or a restricted subsidiary, exercise of legal defeasance or covenant defeasance options or satisfaction and discharge of the Indenture, designation of a subsidiary guarantor as a non-guarantor restricted subsidiary or as an unrestricted subsidiary in accordance with the Indenture, release from guarantee under the Senior Secured Credit Facility (as defined below), or liquidation or dissolution (collectively, the "Releases"). The March 2023 Notes were offered and sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement dated March 4, 2015 and the base prospectus dated March 22, 2013, relating to the Company's effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-187479). The Company received net proceeds of $343.6 million from the offering, after deducting the underwriters' discount and the estimated outstanding offering expenses. In April 2015, the Company used the proceeds of the offering to fund a portion of the Company's redemption of the January 2019 Notes (as defined below). See Note 5.d for additional discussion of this early redemption. The Company may redeem, at its option, all or part of the March 2023 Notes at any time on or after March 15, 2018, at the applicable redemption price plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the date of redemption. Further, before March 15, 2018, the Company may on one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of the March 2023 Notes in an amount not exceeding the net proceeds from one or more private or public equity offerings at a redemption price of 106.25% of the principal amount of the March 2023 Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption, if at least 65% of the aggregate principal amount of the March 2023 Notes remains outstanding immediately after such redemption and the redemption occurs within 180 days of the closing date of each such equity offering. If a change of control occurs prior to March 15, 2016, the Company may redeem all, but not less than all, of the March 2023 Notes at a redemption price equal to 110% of the principal amount of the March 2023 Notes plus any accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the date of redemption. b. January 2022 Notes On January 23, 2014, the Company completed an offering of $450.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 5 5/8% senior unsecured notes due 2022 (the "January 2022 Notes"). The January 2022 Notes will mature on January 15, 2022 and bear an interest rate of 5 5/8% per annum, payable semi-annually, in cash in arrears on January 15 and July 15 of each year, commencing July 15, 2014. The January 2022 Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by LMS, GCM and certain of the Company's future restricted subsidiaries, subject to certain Releases. c. May 2022 Notes On April 27, 2012, the Company completed an offering of $500.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 7 3/8% senior unsecured notes due 2022 (the "May 2022 Notes"). The May 2022 Notes will mature on May 1, 2022 and bear an interest rate of 7 3/8% per annum, payable semi-annually, in cash in arrears on May 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing November 1, 2012. The May 2022 Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by LMS, GCM and certain of the Company's future restricted subsidiaries, subject to certain Releases. d. January 2019 Notes On January 20, 2011, the Company completed an offering of $350.0 million 9 1/2% senior unsecured notes due 2019 (the "January Notes") and on October 19, 2011, the Company completed an offering of an additional $200.0 million 9 1/2% senior unsecured notes due 2019 (the "October Notes" and together with the January Notes, the "January 2019 Notes"). The January 2019 Notes were due to mature on February 15, 2019 and bore an interest rate of 9 1/2% per annum, payable semi-annually, in cash in arrears on February 15 and August 15 of each year. The January 2019 Notes were fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by LMS, GCM and certain of the Company's future restricted subsidiaries, subject to certain Releases. On April 6, 2015 (the "Redemption Date"), the entire $550.0 million outstanding principal amount of the January 2019 Notes was redeemed at a redemption price of 104.750% of the principal amount of the January 2019 Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest up to the Redemption Date. The Company recognized a loss on extinguishment of $31.5 million related to the difference between the redemption price and the net carrying amount of the extinguished January 2019 Notes. e. Senior Secured Credit Facility As of September 30, 2015 , the Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (as amended, the "Senior Secured Credit Facility"), which matures on November 4, 2018, had a maximum credit amount of $2.0 billion , a borrowing base of $1.25 billion and an aggregate elected commitment of $1.0 billion with $135.0 million outstanding and was subject to an interest rate of 1.7500% . It contains both financial and non-financial covenants, all of which the Company was in compliance with as of September 30, 2015 . Laredo is required to pay an annual commitment fee on the unused portion of the financial institutions' commitment of 0.375% to 0.5% , based on the ratio of outstanding revolving credit to the total commitment under the Senior Secured Credit Facility. Additionally, the Senior Secured Credit Facility provides for the issuance of letters of credit, limited to the lesser of total capacity or $20.0 million . No letters of credit were outstanding as of September 30, 2015 or 2014 . See Note 19.b for information regarding changes, subsequent to September 30, 2015, in the Senior Secured Credit Facility's borrowing base. f. Fair value of debt The Company has not elected to account for its debt instruments at fair value. The following table presents the carrying amount and fair values of the Company's debt for the periods presented: September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 (in thousands) Carrying value Fair value Carrying value Fair value January 2019 Notes (1) $ — $ — $ 551,295 $ 550,000 January 2022 Notes 450,000 405,000 450,000 396,014 May 2022 Notes 500,000 487,500 500,000 467,529 March 2023 Notes 350,000 318,500 — — Senior Secured Credit Facility 135,000 134,981 300,000 300,279 Total value of debt $ 1,435,000 $ 1,345,981 $ 1,801,295 $ 1,713,822 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) The carrying value of the January 2019 Notes includes the October Notes unamortized bond premium of $1.3 million as of December 31, 2014. The fair values of the debt outstanding on the January 2019 Notes, January 2022 Notes, May 2022 Notes and the March 2023 Notes were determined using the September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 quoted market price (Level 1) for each respective instrument. The fair values of the outstanding debt on the Senior Secured Credit Facility as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 were estimated utilizing pricing models for similar instruments (Level 2). See Note 9 for information about fair value hierarchy levels. g. Debt issuance costs The following tables summarize the net presentation of the Company's long-term debt and debt issuance cost on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets for the periods presented: September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 (in thousands) Carrying Debt issuance costs, net Long-term debt, net Carrying Debt issuance costs, net Long-term debt, net January 2019 Notes $ — $ — $ — $ 551,295 $ (7,031 ) $ 544,264 January 2022 Notes 450,000 (6,183 ) 443,817 450,000 (6,916 ) 443,084 May 2022 Notes 500,000 (7,281 ) 492,719 500,000 (7,901 ) 492,099 March 2023 Notes 350,000 (5,970 ) 344,030 — — — Senior Secured Credit Facility (1) 135,000 — 135,000 300,000 — 300,000 Total $ 1,435,000 $ (19,434 ) $ 1,415,566 $ 1,801,295 $ (21,848 ) $ 1,779,447 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) Debt issuance costs related to our Senior Secured Credit Facility are recorded in "Other assets, net" on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets.

Employee compensation

Employee compensation	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Employee Compensation	Employee compensation The Company has a Long-Term Incentive Plan (the "LTIP"), which provides for the granting of incentive awards in the form of restricted stock awards, restricted stock option awards, performance share awards, performance unit awards and other awards. The LTIP provides for the issuance of 10.0 million shares. The Company recognizes the fair value of stock-based compensation awards expected to vest over the requisite service period as a charge against earnings, net of amounts capitalized. The Company's stock-based compensation awards are accounted for as equity instruments and its performance unit awards are accounted for as liability awards. Stock-based compensation is included in "General and administrative" in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations. The Company capitalizes a portion of stock-based compensation for employees who are directly involved in the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties into the full cost pool. Capitalized stock-based compensation is included as an addition to "Oil and natural gas properties" in the unaudited consolidated balance sheets. a. Restricted stock awards All restricted stock awards are treated as issued and outstanding in the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements. Per the award agreement terms, if an employee terminates employment prior to the restriction lapse date, for reasons other than death or disability, the awarded shares are forfeited and canceled and are no longer considered issued and outstanding. If the employee's termination of employment is by reason of death or disability, all of the holder's restricted stock will automatically vest. Restricted stock awards granted to officers and employees vest in a variety of vesting schedules including (i) 20% at the grant date and then 20% annually thereafter, (ii) 33% , 33% and 34% per year beginning on the first anniversary date of the grant, (iii) 50% in year two and 50% in year three, (iv) fully on the first anniversary of the grant date and (v) fully on the third anniversary of the grant date. Restricted stock awards granted to non-employee directors vest fully on the first anniversary of the grant date. The following table reflects the outstanding restricted stock awards for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 : (in thousands, except for weighted-average grant date fair values) Restricted stock awards Weighted-average Outstanding as of December 31, 2014 2,205 $ 22.63 Granted 1,894 $ 11.98 Forfeited (519 ) $ 20.90 Vested (1) (984 ) $ 22.39 Outstanding as of September 30, 2015 2,596 $ 15.32 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) The vesting of certain restricted stock awards could result in federal and state income tax expense or benefit related to the difference between the market price of the common stock at the date of vesting and the date of grant. See Note 7 for additional discussion regarding the tax impact of vested restricted stock awards. The Company utilizes the closing stock price on the grant date to determine the fair value of service vesting restricted stock awards. As of September 30, 2015 , unrecognized stock-based compensation related to the restricted stock awards expected to vest was $26.4 million . Such cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.90 years . b. Restricted stock option awards Restricted stock option awards granted under the LTIP vest and are exercisable in four equal installments on each of the four anniversaries of the grant date. The following table reflects the stock option award activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 : (in thousands, except for weighted-average exercise price and contractual term) Restricted stock option awards Weighted-average Weighted-average Outstanding as of December 31, 2014 1,367 $ 20.76 8.17 Granted 632 $ 11.93 Exercised — $ — Expired or canceled (58 ) $ 19.51 Forfeited (139 ) $ 18.17 Outstanding as of September 30, 2015 1,802 $ 17.90 8.05 Vested and exercisable at end of period (1) 569 $ 20.78 6.89 Expected to vest at end of period (2) 1,214 $ 16.49 8.60 _____________________________________________________________________________ (1) The vested and exercisable options as of September 30, 2015 had no aggregate intrinsic value. (2) The options expected to vest as of September 30, 2015 had no aggregate intrinsic value. The Company utilizes the Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value of restricted stock option awards and is recognizing the associated expense on a straight-line basis over the four -year requisite service period of the awards. Determining the fair value of equity-based awards requires judgment, including estimating the expected term that stock option awards will be outstanding prior to exercise and the associated volatility. As of September 30, 2015 , unrecognized stock-based compensation related to the restricted stock option awards expected to vest was $8.0 million . Such cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.51 years . The assumptions used to estimate the fair value of restricted stock options granted on February 27, 2015 are as follows: Risk-free interest rate (1) 1.70 % Expected option life (2) 6.25 years Expected volatility (3) 52.59 % Fair value per stock option $ 6.15 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) U.S. Treasury yields as of the grant date were utilized for the risk-free interest rate assumption, correlating the treasury yield terms to the expected life of the option. (2) As the Company had limited exercise history at the time of valuation relating to terminations and modifications, expected option life assumptions were developed using the simplified method in accordance with GAAP. (3) The Company utilized its own volatility in order to develop the expected volatility. In accordance with the LTIP and stock option agreement, the options granted will become exercisable in accordance with the following schedule based upon the number of full years of the optionee's continuous employment or service with the Company, following the date of grant: Full years of continuous employment Incremental percentage of Cumulative percentage of Less than one — % — % One 25 % 25 % Two 25 % 50 % Three 25 % 75 % Four 25 % 100 % No shares of common stock may be purchased unless the optionee has remained in continuous employment with the Company for one year from the grant date. Unless terminated sooner, the option will expire if and to the extent it is not exercised within 10 years from the grant date. The unvested portion of a stock option award shall expire upon termination of employment, and the vested portion of a stock option award shall remain exercisable for (i) one year following termination of employment by reason of the holder's death or disability, but not later than the expiration of the option period, or (ii) 90 days following termination of employment for any reason other than the holder's death or disability, and other than the holder's termination of employment for cause. Both the unvested and the vested but unexercised portion of a stock option award shall expire upon the termination of the option holder's employment or service by the Company for cause. c. Performance share awards The performance share awards granted to management on February 27, 2015 (the "2015 Performance Share Awards") and on February 27, 2014 (the "2014 Performance Share Awards") are subject to a combination of market and service vesting criteria. A Monte Carlo simulation prepared by an independent third party was utilized to determine the grant date fair value of these awards. The Company has determined these awards are equity awards and recognizes the associated expense on a straight-line basis over the three -year requisite service period of the awards. These awards will be settled, if at all, in stock at the end of the requisite service period based on the achievement of certain performance criteria. The 2015 Performance Share Awards have a performance period of January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017 and any shares earned under such awards are expected to be issued in the first quarter of 2018 if the performance criteria are met. During the nine months ended September 30, 2015 , 602,501 2015 Performance Share Awards were granted and all remain outstanding as of September 30, 2015 . The 271,667 outstanding 2014 Performance Share Awards have a performance period of January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016 and any shares earned under such awards are expected to be issued in the first quarter of 2017 if the performance criteria are met. As of September 30, 2015 , unrecognized stock-based compensation related to the 2015 Performance Share Awards and the 2014 Performance Share Awards was $11.4 million . Such cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.09 years . The assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the 2015 Performance Share Awards granted on February 27, 2015 are as follows: Risk-free rate (1) 0.95 % Dividend yield — % Expected volatility (2) 53.78 % Laredo stock closing price as of February 27, 2015 $ 11.93 Fair value per performance share $ 16.23 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) The risk-free rate was derived using a zero-coupon yield derived from the Treasury Constant Maturities yield curve on the grant date. (2) The Company utilized a peer historical look-back, weighted with the Company's own volatility, to develop the expected volatility. d. Stock-based compensation award expense The following has been recorded to stock-based compensation expense for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Restricted stock award compensation, net of amounts capitalized $ 4,588 $ 4,866 $ 11,724 $ 13,303 Restricted stock option award compensation, net of amounts capitalized 925 763 2,740 2,226 Restricted performance share award compensation, net of amounts capitalized 1,364 565 3,469 1,390 Total stock-based compensation, net of amounts capitalized $ 6,877 $ 6,194 $ 17,933 $ 16,919 e. Performance unit awards The performance unit awards issued to management on February 15, 2013 (the "2013 Performance Unit Awards") and on February 3, 2012 (the "2012 Performance Unit Awards") are subject to a combination of market and service vesting criteria. These awards are accounted for as liability awards as they are settled in cash at the end of the requisite service period based on the achievement of certain performance criteria. A Monte Carlo simulation prepared by an independent third party is utilized to determine the fair values of these awards at the grant date and to re-measure the fair values at the end of each reporting period until settlement in accordance with GAAP. The volatility criteria utilized in the Monte Carlo simulation is based on the volatility of the Company's stock price and the stock price volatilities of a group of peer companies defined in each respective award agreement. The liability and related compensation expense of these awards for each period is recognized by dividing the fair value of the total liability by the requisite service period and recording the pro rata share for the period for which service has already been provided. As there are inherent uncertainties related to these factors and the Company's judgment in applying them to the fair value determinations, there is risk that the recorded performance unit compensation may not accurately reflect the amount ultimately earned by the members of management. The 44,481 outstanding 2013 Performance Unit Awards have a performance period of January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015 and are expected to be paid in the first quarter of 2016 if the performance criteria are met. The 27,381 settled 2012 Performance Unit Awards had a performance period of January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2014 and, as their performance criteria were satisfied, they were paid at $100 per unit during the first quarter of 2015. Compensation expense for the 2013 Performance Unit Awards is included in "General and administrative" in the Company's unaudited consolidated statements of operations, and the corresponding liability is included in "Other current liabilities" on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets. Due to the quarterly re-measurement of the fair value of the 2013 Performance Unit Awards as of September 30, 2015 , compensation expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 was $ 1.0 million and $2.7 million , respectively. Compensation expense related to the 2012 Performance Unit Awards and the 2013 Performance Unit Awards amounted to a $0.4 million reversal and $0.8 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 , respectively.

Income taxes

Income taxes	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income taxes	Income taxes Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating losses and tax credit carry-forwards. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income (loss) in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is established to reduce deferred tax assets if it is determined that it is more likely than not that the related tax benefit will not be realized. On a quarterly basis, management evaluates the need for and adequacy of valuation allowances based on the expected realizability of the deferred tax assets and adjusts the amount of such allowances, if necessary. The Company evaluates uncertain tax positions for recognition and measurement in the unaudited consolidated financial statements. To recognize a tax position, the Company determines whether it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation, based on the technical merits of the position. A tax position that meets the more-likely-than-not threshold is measured to determine the amount of benefit to be recognized in the unaudited consolidated financial statements. The amount of tax benefit recognized with respect to any tax position is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon settlement. The Company had no unrecognized tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions in the unaudited consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2015 or December 31, 2014 . The Company is subject to corporate income taxes and the Texas franchise tax. Income tax (expense) benefit for the periods presented consisted of the following: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Current taxes $ — $ — $ — $ — Deferred taxes (41,258 ) (45,778 ) 176,945 (35,511 ) Income tax (expense) benefit $ (41,258 ) $ (45,778 ) $ 176,945 $ (35,511 ) Income tax (expense) benefit differed from amounts computed by applying the applicable federal income tax rate of 35% to pre-tax earnings as a result of the following: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Income tax benefit (expense) computed by applying the statutory rate $ 282,284 $ (45,215 ) $ 497,782 $ (34,932 ) State income tax, net of federal tax benefit and increase in valuation allowance (5,677 ) 247 190 1,881 Non-deductible stock-based compensation (45 ) (152 ) (151 ) (391 ) Stock-based compensation tax deficiency (330 ) (4 ) (3,168 ) (160 ) Increase in deferred tax valuation allowance (317,391 ) (22 ) (317,407 ) (1,134 ) Other items (99 ) (632 ) (301 ) (775 ) Income tax (expense) benefit $ (41,258 ) $ (45,778 ) $ 176,945 $ (35,511 ) The effective tax rate on income (loss) before income taxes was 35% for the three months ended 2014 and 36% for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 . The Company's effective tax rate is affected by recurring permanent differences, changes in valuation allowances and discrete items that may occur in any given year but are not consistent from year to year. For each of the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 , the Company recorded a valuation allowance of $326.2 million for its deferred tax assets due to uncertainty regarding their realization. As such, the effective tax rates on the Company's loss before income taxes for the same periods are not meaningful. No comparable amounts were recorded in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 . The impact of significant discrete items is separately recognized in the quarter in which they occur. The vesting of certain restricted stock awards could result in federal and state income tax expense or benefits related to the difference between the market price of the common stock at the date of vesting and the date of grant. The exercise of stock option awards could result in federal and state income tax expense or benefits related to the difference between the fair value of the stock option on the grant date and the intrinsic value of the stock option when exercised. The tax impact resulting from vestings of restricted stock awards and exercise of option awards are discrete items. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 , certain shares related to restricted stock awards vested at times when the Company's stock price was lower than the fair value of those shares on the grant date. As a result, the income tax deduction related to such shares is less than the expense previously recognized for book purposes. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 , certain restricted stock options were exercised, for which the related income tax deduction was less than the expense previously recognized for book purposes. There were no stock options exercised during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 . In accordance with GAAP, such shortfalls reduce additional paid-in capital to the extent windfall tax benefits have been previously recognized. However, the Company has not previously recognized any windfall tax benefits; therefore, such shortfalls are included in income tax expense. The following table presents the tax impact of these shortfalls for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Vesting of restricted stock $ (336 ) $ (4 ) $ (3,225 ) $ (5 ) Exercise of restricted stock options — (1 ) — (158 ) Tax expense due to shortfalls $ (336 ) $ (5 ) $ (3,225 ) $ (163 ) Significant components of the Company's net deferred tax asset (liability) for the periods presented are as follows: (in thousands) September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 Oil and natural gas properties, midstream service assets and other fixed assets $ (27,816 ) $ (424,712 ) Net operating loss carry-forward 462,324 353,724 Derivatives (107,862 ) (121,365 ) Stock-based compensation 11,051 10,718 Equity method investee (19,079 ) — Accrued bonus 3,448 3,256 Capitalized interest 2,851 3,049 Other 2,628 (316 ) Net deferred tax asset (liability) before valuation allowance 327,545 (175,646 ) Valuation allowance (327,545 ) (1,299 ) Net deferred tax asset (liability) $ — $ (176,945 ) Deferred tax assets and liabilities were classified in the unaudited consolidated balance sheets as follows for the periods presented: (in thousands) September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 Deferred tax asset $ 68,069 $ — Deferred tax liability (68,069 ) (176,945 ) Deferred tax asset (liability) $ — $ (176,945 ) The Company had federal net operating loss carry-forwards totaling $1.3 billion and state of Oklahoma net operating loss carry-forwards totaling $58.9 million as of September 30, 2015 . These carry-forwards begin expiring in 2026. As of September 30, 2015 , the Company believes a portion of the net operating loss carry-forwards are not fully realizable. The Company considered all available evidence, both positive and negative, in determining whether, based on the weight of that evidence, a valuation allowance was needed. Such consideration included estimated future projected earnings based on existing reserves and projected future cash flows from its oil and natural gas reserves (including the timing of those cash flows), the reversal of deferred tax liabilities recorded as of September 30, 2015 , the Company's ability to capitalize intangible drilling costs, rather than expensing these costs in order to prevent an operating loss carry-forward from expiring unused, and future projections of Oklahoma sourced income. The Company's federal and state operating loss carry-forwards include windfall tax deductions from vestings of certain restricted stock awards and stock option exercises that were not recorded in the Company's income tax provision. The amount of windfall tax benefit recognized in additional paid-in capital is limited to the amount of benefit realized currently in income taxes payable. As of September 30, 2015 , the Company had suspended additional paid-in capital credits of $4.5 million related to windfall tax deductions. Upon realization of the net operating loss carry-forwards from such windfall tax deductions, the Company would record a benefit of up to $4.5 million in additional paid-in capital. The Company maintains a valuation allowance to reduce certain deferred tax assets to amounts that are more likely than not to be realized. As of September 30, 2015 , a valuation allowance of $327.5 million has been recorded against the deferred tax asset. The Company's income tax returns for the years 2012 through 2014 remain open and subject to examination by federal tax authorities and/or the tax authorities in Oklahoma and Texas, which are the jurisdictions where the Company has operations. Additionally, the statute of limitations for examination of federal net operating loss carry-forwards typically does not begin to run until the year the attribute is utilized in a tax return.

Derivatives

Derivatives	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivatives	Derivatives a. Commodity derivatives The Company engages in derivative transactions such as collars, swaps, puts and basis swaps to hedge price risks due to unfavorable changes in oil and natural gas prices related to its production. As of September 30, 2015 , the Company had 37 open derivative contracts with financial institutions that extend from October 2015 to December 2017. None of these contracts were designated as hedges for accounting purposes. The contracts are recorded at fair value on the balance sheet and gains and losses are recognized in current period earnings. Gains and losses on derivatives are reported on the unaudited consolidated statements of operations in the "Gain (loss) on derivatives, net" line item. Each collar transaction has an established price floor and ceiling. When the settlement price is below the price floor established by these collars, the Company receives an amount from its counterparty equal to the difference between the settlement price and the price floor multiplied by the hedged contract volume. When the settlement price is above the price ceiling established by these collars, the Company pays its counterparty an amount equal to the difference between the settlement price and the price ceiling multiplied by the hedged contract volume. Each swap transaction has an established fixed price. When the settlement price is below the fixed price, the counterparty pays the Company an amount equal to the difference between the settlement price and the fixed price multiplied by the hedged contract volume. When the settlement price is above the fixed price, the Company pays its counterparty an amount equal to the difference between the settlement price and the fixed price multiplied by the hedged contract volume. Each put transaction has an established floor price. The Company pays its counterparty a premium, which can be deferred until settlement, to enter into the put transaction. When the settlement price is below the floor price, the counterparty pays the Company an amount equal to the difference between the settlement price and the fixed price multiplied by the hedged contract volume. When the settlement price is above the floor price, the put option expires. The oil basis swap transactions have an established fixed basis differential. The Company's oil basis swaps' differential is between the West Texas Intermediate-Argus Americas Crude (Midland) ("WTI Midland") index crude oil price and the WTI NYMEX (defined below) index crude oil price. When the WTI NYMEX price less the fixed basis differential is greater than the actual WTI Midland price, the difference multiplied by the hedged contract volume is paid to the Company by the counterparty. When the WTI NYMEX price less the fixed basis differential is less than the actual WTI Midland price, the difference multiplied by the hedged contract volume is paid by the Company to the counterparty. During the first quarter of 2014, the Company unwound a physical commodity contract and the associated oil basis swap financial derivative contract that hedged the differential between the Light Louisiana Sweet Argus and the Brent International Petroleum Exchange index oil prices. Prior to its unwind, the physical commodity contract qualified to be scoped out of mark-to-market accounting in accordance with the normal purchase and normal sale scope exemption. Once modified to settle financially in the unwind agreement, the contract ceased to qualify for the normal purchase and normal sale scope exemption, therefore requiring it to be marked-to-market. The Company received net proceeds of $76.7 million from the early termination of these contracts. The Company agreed to settle the contracts early due to the counterparty's decision to exit the physical commodity trading business. The following represents cash settlements received (paid) for derivatives for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Cash settlements received (paid) for matured commodity derivatives $ 66,142 $ 4,531 $ 175,879 $ (1,320 ) Early terminations of commodity derivatives received — — — 76,660 Cash settlements received for derivatives, net $ 66,142 $ 4,531 $ 175,879 $ 75,340 The following table summarizes open positions as of September 30, 2015 , and represents, as of such date, derivatives in place through December 2017 on annual production volumes: Remaining Year 2015 Year 2016 Year 2017 Oil positions: (1) Puts: Hedged volume (Bbl) 114,000 — — Weighted-average price ($/Bbl) $ 75.00 $ — $ — Swaps: Hedged volume (Bbl) 168,000 1,573,800 — Weighted-average price ($/Bbl) $ 96.56 $ 84.82 $ — Collars: Hedged volume (Bbl) 1,641,880 3,654,000 2,628,000 Weighted-average floor price ($/Bbl) $ 79.81 $ 73.99 $ 77.22 Weighted-average ceiling price ($/Bbl) $ 95.41 $ 89.63 $ 97.22 Totals: Total volume hedged with ceiling price (Bbl) 1,809,880 5,227,800 2,628,000 Weighted-average ceiling price ($/Bbl) $ 95.51 $ 88.18 $ 97.22 Total volume hedged with floor price (Bbl) 1,923,880 5,227,800 2,628,000 Weighted-average floor price ($/Bbl) $ 80.99 $ 77.25 $ 77.22 Basis swaps: (2) Hedged volume (Bbl) 920,000 — — Weighted-average price ($/Bbl) $ (1.95 ) $ — $ — Natural gas positions: (3) Collars: Hedged volume (MMBtu) 7,192,000 18,666,000 5,475,000 Weighted-average floor price ($/MMBtu) $ 3.00 $ 3.00 $ 3.00 Weighted-average ceiling price ($/MMBtu) $ 5.96 $ 5.60 $ 4.00 _______________________________________________________________________________ (1) Oil derivatives are settled based on the average of the daily settlement prices for the First Nearby Month of the West Texas Intermediate NYMEX Light Sweet Crude Oil Futures Contract for each NYMEX Trading Day during each month ("WTI NYMEX"). (2) The associated oil basis swaps are settled on the differential between the WTI Midland and the WTI NYMEX index oil prices. (3) Natural gas derivatives are settled based on the Inside FERC index price for West Texas Waha for the calculation period. b. Balance sheet presentation In accordance with the Company's standard practice, its commodity derivatives are subject to counterparty netting under agreements governing such derivatives. The Company's oil and natural gas commodity derivatives are presented on a net basis as "Derivatives" on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets. See Note 9.a for a summary of the fair value of derivatives on a gross basis. By using derivatives to hedge exposures to changes in commodity prices, the Company exposes itself to credit risk and market risk. For the Company, market risk is the exposure to changes in the market price of oil and natural gas, which are subject to fluctuations from a variety of factors, including changes in supply and demand. Credit risk is the failure of the counterparty to perform under the terms of the derivative contract. When the fair value of a derivative contract is positive, the counterparty owes the Company, thereby creating credit risk. The Company's counterparties are participants in the Senior Secured Credit Facility, which is secured by the Company's oil and natural gas reserves; therefore, the Company is not required to post any collateral. The Company does not require collateral from its derivative counterparties. The Company minimizes the credit risk in derivatives by: (i) limiting its exposure to any single counterparty, (ii) entering into derivatives only with counterparties that meet the Company's minimum credit quality standard or have a guarantee from an affiliate that meets the Company's minimum credit quality standard and (iii) monitoring the creditworthiness of the Company's counterparties on an ongoing basis.

Fair value measurements

Fair value measurements	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair value measurements	Fair value measurements The Company accounts for its oil and natural gas commodity derivatives at fair value. The fair value of derivatives is determined utilizing pricing models for similar instruments. The models use a variety of techniques to arrive at fair value, including quotes and pricing analysis. Inputs to the pricing models include publicly available prices and forward curves generated from a compilation of data gathered from third parties. The Company has categorized its assets and liabilities measured at fair value, based on the priority of inputs to the valuation technique, into a three-level fair value hierarchy. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets are categorized based on inputs to the valuation techniques as follows: Level 1— Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value for which values are based on unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in an active market that management has the ability to access. Active markets are considered to be those in which transactions for the assets or liabilities occur in sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. Level 2— Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value for which values are based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or model inputs that are observable either directly or indirectly for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. Substantially all of these inputs are observable in the marketplace throughout the full term of the price risk management instrument and can be derived from observable data or supported by observable levels at which transactions are executed in the marketplace. Level 3— Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value for which values are based on prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement. Unobservable inputs are not corroborated by market data. These inputs reflect management's own assumptions about the assumptions a market participant would use in pricing the asset or liability. When the inputs used to measure fair value fall within different levels of the hierarchy in a liquid environment, the level within which the fair value measurement is categorized is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The Company conducts a review of fair value hierarchy classifications on an annual basis. Changes in the observability of valuation inputs may result in a reclassification for certain financial assets or liabilities. Transfers between fair value hierarchy levels are recognized and reported in the period in which the transfer occurred. No transfers between fair value hierarchy levels occurred during the three or nine months ended September 30, 2015 or 2014 . a. Fair value measurement on a recurring basis The following tables summarize the Company's fair value hierarchy by commodity on a gross basis and the net presentation on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets for derivative assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis for the periods presented: (in thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total gross fair value Amounts offset Net fair value presented on the consolidated balance sheets As of September 30, 2015: Assets Current: Oil derivatives $ — $ 180,141 $ — $ 180,141 $ (1,805 ) $ 178,336 Natural gas derivatives — 10,747 — 10,747 — 10,747 Oil deferred premiums — — — — (4,751 ) (4,751 ) Natural gas deferred premiums — — — — (175 ) (175 ) Noncurrent: Oil derivatives $ — $ 100,594 $ — $ 100,594 $ — $ 100,594 Natural gas derivatives — 3,659 — 3,659 — 3,659 Oil deferred premiums — — — — (5,964 ) (5,964 ) Natural gas deferred premiums — — — — (439 ) (439 ) Liabilities Current: Oil derivatives $ — $ (1,805 ) $ — $ (1,805 ) $ 1,805 $ — Natural gas derivatives — — — — — — Oil deferred premiums — — (4,751 ) (4,751 ) 4,751 — Natural gas deferred premiums — — (175 ) (175 ) 175 — Noncurrent: Oil derivatives $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — Natural gas derivatives — — — — — — Oil deferred premiums — — (5,964 ) (5,964 ) 5,964 — Natural gas deferred premiums — — (439 ) (439 ) 439 — Net derivative position $ — $ 293,336 $ (11,329 ) $ 282,007 $ — $ 282,007 (in thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total gross fair value Amounts offset Net fair value presented on the consolidated balance sheets As of December 31, 2014: Assets Current: Oil derivatives $ — $ 190,303 $ — $ 190,303 $ — $ 190,303 Natural gas derivatives — 9,647 — 9,647 — 9,647 Oil deferred premiums — — — — (4,653 ) (4,653 ) Natural gas deferred premiums — — — — (696 ) (696 ) Noncurrent: Oil derivatives $ — $ 117,963 $ — $ 117,963 $ — $ 117,963 Natural gas derivatives — 3,646 — 3,646 — 3,646 Oil deferred premiums — — — — (3,821 ) (3,821 ) Natural gas deferred premiums — — — — — — Liabilities Current: Oil derivatives $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — Natural gas derivatives — — — — — — Oil deferred premiums — — (4,768 ) (4,768 ) 4,653 (115 ) Natural gas deferred premiums — — (696 ) (696 ) 696 — Noncurrent: Oil derivatives $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — Natural gas derivatives — — — — — — Oil deferred premiums — — (3,821 ) (3,821 ) 3,821 — Natural gas deferred premiums — — — — — — Net derivative position $ — $ 321,559 $ (9,285 ) $ 312,274 $ — $ 312,274 These items are included as "Derivatives" on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets. Significant Level 2 assumptions associated with the calculation of discounted cash flows used in the mark-to-market analysis of commodity derivatives include each derivative contract's corresponding commodity index price, appropriate risk-adjusted discount rates and other relevant data. The Company's deferred premiums associated with its commodity derivative contracts are categorized as Level 3, as the Company utilizes a net present value calculation to determine the valuation. They are considered to be measured on a recurring basis as the derivative contracts they derive from are measured on a recurring basis. As commodity derivative contracts containing deferred premiums are entered into, the Company discounts the associated deferred premium to its net present value at the contract trade date, using the Senior Secured Credit Facility rate at the trade date (historical input rates range from 1.69% to 3.56% ), and then records the change in net present value to interest expense over the period from trade until the final settlement date at the end of the contract. After this initial valuation, the net present value of each deferred premium is not adjusted; therefore, significant increases (decreases) in the Senior Secured Credit Facility rate would result in a significantly lower (higher) fair value measurement for each new contract entered into that contained a deferred premium; however, the valuation for the deferred premiums already recorded would remain unaffected. While the Company believes the sources utilized to arrive at the fair value estimates are reliable, different sources or methods could have yielded different fair value estimates; therefore, on a quarterly basis, the valuation is compared to counterparty valuations and a third-party valuation of the deferred premiums for reasonableness. The following table presents actual cash payments required for deferred premiums as of September 30, 2015 , and for the calendar years following: (in thousands) Remaining 2015 $ 1,249 2016 4,471 2017 5,418 2018 426 Total $ 11,564 A summary of the changes in assets classified as Level 3 measurements for the periods presented are as follows: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Balance of Level 3 at beginning of period $ (12,087 ) $ (9,025 ) $ (9,285 ) $ (12,684 ) Change in net present value of deferred premiums for derivatives (53 ) (50 ) (141 ) (170 ) Total purchases and settlements: Purchases (437 ) (3,800 ) (5,821 ) (3,800 ) Settlements 1,248 1,820 3,918 5,599 Balance of Level 3 at end of period $ (11,329 ) $ (11,055 ) $ (11,329 ) $ (11,055 ) b. Fair value measurement on a nonrecurring basis The Company accounts for the impairment of long-lived assets, if any, at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. For purposes of fair value measurement, it was determined that the impairment of long-lived assets is classified as Level 3, based on the use of internally developed cash flow models. See Note 2.m for discussion regarding the Company's impairment of line-fill during the three months ended September 30, 2015 and impairments of materials and supplies and line-fill during the nine months ended September 30, 2015 . The accounting policies for impairment of oil and natural gas properties are discussed in Note 2.f. Significant inputs included in the calculation of discounted cash flows used in the impairment analysis include the Company's estimate of operating and development costs, anticipated production of evaluated reserves and other relevant data. See Note 2.f for discussion regarding the Company's second and third-quarter full cost ceiling impairments.

Credit risk

Credit risk	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Risks and Uncertainties [Abstract]
Credit risk	Credit risk The Company's oil, NGL and natural gas sales are made to a variety of purchasers, including intrastate and interstate pipelines or their marketing affiliates and independent marketing companies. The Company's joint operations accounts receivable are from a number of oil and natural gas companies, partnerships, individuals and others who own interests in the oil and natural gas properties operated by the Company. Management believes that any credit risk imposed by a concentration in the oil and natural gas industry is offset by the creditworthiness of the Company's customer base and industry partners. The Company routinely assesses the recoverability of all material trade and other receivables to determine collectability. The Company uses derivatives to hedge its exposure to oil and natural gas price volatility. These transactions expose the Company to potential credit risk from its counterparties. In accordance with the Company's standard practice, its derivatives are subject to counterparty netting under agreements governing such derivatives; therefore, the credit risk associated with its derivative counterparties is somewhat mitigated. See Notes 2.e, 8 and 9 for additional information regarding the Company's derivatives.

Commitments and contingencies

Commitments and contingencies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and contingencies	Commitments and contingencies a. Litigation From time to time the Company is involved in legal proceedings and/or may be subject to industry rulings that could bring rise to claims in the ordinary course of business. The Company has concluded that the likelihood is remote that the ultimate resolution of any pending litigation or pending claims will be material or have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial position, results of operations or liquidity. b. Drilling contracts The Company has committed to drilling contracts with various third parties to complete its various drilling projects. The contracts contain early termination clauses that require the Company to potentially pay penalties to the third parties should the Company cease drilling efforts. These penalties would negatively impact the Company's financial statements upon early contract termination, especially if a significant number of such contracts were terminated early in their respective terms. In the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company announced a reduced 2015 capital expenditure budget compared to 2014. As a result, the Company began releasing rigs as drilling contracts came close to expiration and incurred charges of $0.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2014. No comparable amounts were recorded in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 or 2014. Future commitments of $18.4 million as of September 30, 2015 are not recorded in the accompanying unaudited consolidated balance sheets. Management does not currently anticipate the early termination of any existing contracts in 2015 that would result in a substantial penalty. c. Federal and state regulations Oil and natural gas exploration, production and related operations are subject to extensive federal and state laws, rules and regulations. Failure to comply with these laws, rules and regulations can result in substantial penalties. The regulatory burden on the oil and natural gas industry increases the cost of doing business and affects profitability. The Company believes that it is in compliance with currently applicable federal and state regulations related to oil and natural gas exploration and production, and that compliance with the current regulations will not have a material adverse impact on the financial position or results of operations of the Company. These rules and regulations are frequently amended or reinterpreted; therefore, the Company is unable to predict the future cost or impact of complying with these regulations. d. Other commitments See Notes 2.h, 15.a and 19.a for the amount of and discussion regarding the commitments to the Company's non-consolidated variable interest entity ("VIE").

Restructuring

Restructuring	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]
Restructuring	Restructuring Following the fourth-quarter 2014 drop in oil prices, in an effort to reduce costs and to better position the Company for ongoing efficient growth, on January 20, 2015, the Company executed a company-wide restructuring and reduction in force (the "RIF") that included (i) the relocation of certain employees in the Company's Dallas, Texas area office to the Company's other existing offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Midland, Texas; (ii) closing the Company's Dallas, Texas area office; (iii) a workforce reduction of approximately 75 employees and (iv) the release of 24 contract personnel. The RIF was communicated to employees on January 20, 2015 and was generally effective immediately. The Company's compensation committee approved the RIF and the related severance package. The Company incurred $6.0 million in expenses during the nine months ended September 30, 2015 related to the RIF.

Net loss per share

Net loss per share	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net loss per share	Net income (loss) per share Basic net income (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net income (loss) per share reflects the potential dilution of non-vested restricted stock awards, performance share awards and outstanding restricted stock options. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 , all of these potentially dilutive items were anti-dilutive due to the Company's net loss and, therefore, were excluded from the calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the Performance Share Awards' total shareholder return was below their agreement's payout threshold, and therefore the Performance Share Awards were excluded from the calculation of diluted net income per share. The effects of the Company's then outstanding (i) restricted stock options that were granted in February 2014 to purchase 336,140 shares of common stock at $25.60 per share and (ii) restricted stock options that were granted in February 2012 to purchase 306,177 shares of common stock at $24.11 per share (the "February 2012 Option Grant"), were excluded from the calculation of diluted net income per share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 because the exercise price of those options was greater than the average market price during the period, and therefore the inclusion of these outstanding options would have been anti-dilutive. The following is the calculation of basic and diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding and net income (loss) per share for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands, except for per share data) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Net income (loss) (numerator): Net income (loss)—basic and diluted $ (847,783 ) $ 83,407 $ (1,245,289 ) $ 64,295 Weighted-average common shares outstanding (denominator) (1) : Basic 211,204 141,413 195,081 141,261 Non-vested restricted stock awards — 2,334 — 2,246 Outstanding restricted stock options (2) — 66 — 76 Diluted 211,204 143,813 195,081 143,583 Net income (loss) per share: Basic $ (4.01 ) $ 0.59 $ (6.38 ) $ 0.46 Diluted $ (4.01 ) $ 0.58 $ (6.38 ) $ 0.45 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 , weighted-average common shares outstanding used in the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to stockholders has been computed taking into account the March 2015 Equity Offering. (2) For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the dilutive effect of the Company's then outstanding options that were granted in February 2013 to purchase 780,281 shares of common stock at $17.34 per share was calculated utilizing the treasury stock method.

Variable interest entity

Variable interest entity	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Variable interest entity	Variable interest entity An entity is referred to as a VIE pursuant to accounting guidance for consolidation if it possesses one of the following criteria: (i) it is thinly capitalized, (ii) the residual equity holders do not control the entity, (iii) the equity holders are shielded from the economic losses, (iv) the equity holders do not participate fully in the entity's residual economics, or (v) the entity was established with non-substantive voting interests. In order to determine if a VIE should be consolidated, an entity must determine if it is the primary beneficiary of the VIE. The primary beneficiary of a VIE is that variable interest-holder possessing a controlling financial interest through: (i) its power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance and (ii) its obligation to absorb losses or its right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. In order to determine whether the Company owns a variable interest in a VIE, a qualitative analysis is performed of the entity's design, organizational structure, primary decision makers and relevant agreements. The Company continually monitors its VIE exposure to determine if any events have occurred that could cause the primary beneficiary to change. LMS contributed $48.5 million and $63.0 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 , respectively, and $18.1 million and $37.6 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 , respectively, to Medallion Gathering & Processing, LLC, a Texas limited liability company formed on October 12, 2012, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (together "Medallion"). See Note 19.a for discussion on a contribution made to Medallion subsequent to September 30, 2015. LMS holds 49% of Medallion ownership units. Medallion was established for the purpose of developing midstream solutions and providing midstream infrastructure to bring oil, NGL and natural gas to market. LMS and the other 51% interest-holder have agreed that the voting rights of Medallion, the profit and loss sharing, and the additional capital contribution requirements shall be equal to the ownership unit percentage held. Additionally, Medallion requires a super-majority vote of 75% for all key operating and business decisions. The Company has determined that Medallion is a VIE. However, LMS is not considered to be the primary beneficiary of the VIE because LMS does not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly affect Medallion's economic performance. As such, Medallion is accounted for under the equity method of accounting with the Company's proportionate share of Medallion's net income (loss) reflected in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations as "Income (loss) from equity method investee" and the carrying amount reflected in the unaudited consolidated balance sheets as "Investment in equity method investee." During the nine months ended September 30, 2015 , Medallion continued expansion activities on existing portions of its pipeline infrastructure in order to gather additional third-party oil production and began recognizing revenue due to its main pipeline becoming fully operational. See Note 15.a for discussion of items included in the unaudited consolidated financial statements related to Medallion. During the nine months ended September 30, 2015, the Company negotiated a buyout of a minimum volume commitment to Medallion, which was related to natural gas gathering infrastructure Medallion constructed on acreage that the Company does not plan to develop. The portion of the buyout that was related to the Company's minimum volume commitment for future periods was $ 3.0 million and is included in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations in the line item "Minimum volume commitments" for the period in which the buyout was settled.

Related Parties

Related Parties	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related Parties	Related Parties a. Medallion The following table summarizes items included in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations related to Medallion for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Midstream service revenues $ — $ — $ 487 $ — Minimum volume commitments — 675 5,235 1,779 Interest and other income 50 — 158 — The following table summarizes items included in the unaudited consolidated balance sheets related to Medallion for the periods presented: (in thousands) September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 Other assets, net $ 1,269 $ 1,110 Other current liabilities 34,322 3,443 Amounts included in "Other assets, net" above represent LMS owned line-fill in Medallion's pipeline and amounts included in "Other current liabilities" above represent LMS's capital contribution payable to Medallion, of which a portion was paid subsequent to September 30, 2015. See Note 14 for additional discussion of Medallion and Note 19.a for additional discussion of the subsequent payment to Medallion. b. Targa Resources Corp. The Company has a gathering and processing arrangement with affiliates of Targa Resources Corp. ("Targa"). One of Laredo's directors is on the board of directors of Targa. The following table summarizes the net oil, NGL and natural gas sales (oil, NGL and natural gas sales less production taxes) received from Targa and included in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 23,540 $ 24,148 $ 77,183 $ 70,624 The following table summarizes the amounts included in oil, NGL and natural gas sales receivable from Targa in the unaudited consolidated balance sheets for the periods presented: (in thousands) September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 Accounts receivable, net $ 7,138 $ 12,869

Segments

Segments	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segments	Segments Since the beginning of 2015, the Company has presented financial results by segment to highlight the growing value of its midstream and marketing segment and its interest in Medallion, as Medallion's third-party revenues increase. The Company operates in two business segments, which are (i) exploration and production and (ii) midstream and marketing. The exploration and production segment is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties. The midstream and marketing segment provides Laredo's exploration and production segment and certain third parties with (i) any products and services that need to be delivered by midstream infrastructure, including oil and natural gas gathering services as well as rig fuel, natural gas lift and water in Laredo's primary drilling corridors and (ii) takeaway optionality in the field and firm service commitments to maximize Laredo's oil, NGL and natural gas revenues. The following tables present selected financial information regarding the Company's operating segments for the periods presented: (in thousands) Exploration and production Midstream and marketing Eliminations Consolidated company Three months ended September 30, 2015: Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 105,025 $ 753 $ (1,171 ) $ 104,607 Midstream service revenues — 7,917 (6,044 ) 1,873 Sales of purchased oil — 43,860 — 43,860 Total revenues 105,025 52,530 (7,215 ) 150,340 Lease operating expenses, including production tax 35,531 — (2,524 ) 33,007 Midstream service expenses — 5,240 (4,148 ) 1,092 Costs of purchased oil — 46,961 — 46,961 General and administrative (1) 20,713 2,200 — 22,913 Depletion, depreciation and amortization (2) 64,664 2,113 — 66,777 Other operating costs and expenses (3) 906,968 481 — 907,449 Operating loss $ (922,851 ) $ (4,465 ) $ (543 ) $ (927,859 ) Other financial information: Income from equity method investee $ — $ 2,104 $ — $ 2,104 Interest expense (4) $ (22,030 ) $ (1,318 ) $ — $ (23,348 ) Capital expenditures $ (117,962 ) $ (979 ) $ — $ (118,941 ) Gross property and equipment (5) $ 5,178,245 $ 314,138 $ (908 ) $ 5,491,475 Three months ended September 30, 2014: Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 199,968 $ 619 $ (1,097 ) $ 199,490 Midstream service revenues — 1,875 (1,124 ) 751 Total revenues 199,968 2,494 (2,221 ) 200,241 Lease operating expenses, including production tax 39,218 — (1,503 ) 37,715 Midstream service expenses, including minimum volume commitments — 2,519 (619 ) 1,900 General and administrative (1) 25,145 1,933 — 27,078 Depletion, depreciation and amortization (2) 62,298 1,644 — 63,942 Other operating costs and expenses (3) 414 28 — 442 Operating income (loss) $ 72,893 $ (3,630 ) $ (99 ) $ 69,164 Other financial information: Loss from equity method investee $ — $ (61 ) $ — $ (61 ) Interest expense (4) $ (29,584 ) $ (965 ) $ — $ (30,549 ) Capital expenditures $ (518,388 ) $ (19,052 ) $ — $ (537,440 ) Gross property and equipment (5) $ 4,489,599 $ 146,483 $ (99 ) $ 4,635,983 _______________________________________________________________________________ (1) General and administrative costs were allocated based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 . However, payroll, deferred compensation, vehicle costs and the capitalization of payroll and deferred compensation associated with land and geology, which are components of general and administrative, are based on actual costs for each segment for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 . (2) Depletion, depreciation and amortization is based on actual costs for each segment with the exception of the allocation of other fixed assets, which is based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 . (3) Includes accretion of asset retirement obligations and impairments for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and accretion of asset retirement obligations for the three months ended September 30, 2014. These expenses are based on actual costs and are not allocated. See Notes 2.f and 2.m for discussion of the Company's impairments. (4) Interest expense is allocated based on gross property and equipment and total contributions to the Company's equity method investee as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 . (5) Gross property and equipment includes investment in equity method investee totaling $160.2 million and $ 40.8 million as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 , respectively. Other fixed assets were allocated based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 . (in thousands) Exploration and production Midstream and marketing Eliminations Consolidated Nine months ended September 30, 2015: Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 348,915 $ 1,086 $ (1,722 ) $ 348,279 Midstream service revenues — 15,962 (11,054 ) 4,908 Sales of purchased oil — 130,178 — 130,178 Total revenues 348,915 147,226 (12,776 ) 483,365 Lease operating expenses, including production tax 120,799 — (7,620 ) 113,179 Midstream service expenses, including minimum volume commitments 4,399 9,580 (4,481 ) 9,498 Costs of purchased oil — 132,578 — 132,578 General and administrative (1) 61,838 6,138 — 67,976 Depletion, depreciation and amortization (2) 204,908 5,923 — 210,831 Other operating costs and expenses (3) 1,404,306 834 — 1,405,140 Operating loss $ (1,447,335 ) $ (7,827 ) $ (675 ) $ (1,455,837 ) Other financial information: Income from equity method investee $ — $ 4,585 $ — $ 4,585 Interest expense (4) $ (75,962 ) $ (3,770 ) $ — $ (79,732 ) Loss on early redemption of debt (4) $ (30,056 ) $ (1,481 ) $ — $ (31,537 ) Capital expenditures $ (498,834 ) $ (35,293 ) $ — $ (534,127 ) Gross property and equipment (6) $ 5,178,245 $ 314,138 $ (908 ) $ 5,491,475 Nine months ended September 30, 2014: Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 556,054 $ 619 $ (1,097 ) $ 555,576 Midstream service revenues — 4,447 (3,428 ) 1,019 Total revenues 556,054 5,066 (4,525 ) 556,595 Lease operating expenses, including production tax 109,096 — (3,807 ) 105,289 Midstream service expenses, including minimum volume commitments — 5,994 (619 ) 5,375 General and administrative (1) 79,203 5,081 — 84,284 Depletion, depreciation and amortization (2) 163,527 3,078 — 166,605 Other operating costs and expenses (3) 1,251 28 — 1,279 Operating income (loss) $ 202,977 $ (9,115 ) $ (99 ) $ 193,763 Other financial information: Loss from equity method investee $ — $ (86 ) $ — $ (86 ) Interest expense (4) $ (87,687 ) $ (2,505 ) $ — $ (90,192 ) Capital expenditures (5) $ (938,719 ) $ (45,277 ) $ — $ (983,996 ) Gross property and equipment (6) $ 4,489,599 $ 146,483 $ (99 ) $ 4,635,983 _______________________________________________________________________________ (1) General and administrative costs were allocated based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 . However, payroll, deferred compensation, vehicle costs and the capitalization of payroll and deferred compensation associated with land and geology, which are components of general and administrative, are based on actual costs for each segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 . (2) Depletion, depreciation and amortization is based on actual costs for each segment with the exception of the allocation of other fixed assets, which is based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 . (3) Includes accretion of asset retirement obligations and impairments for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and accretion of asset retirement obligations for the nine months ended September 30, 2014. These expenses are based on actual costs and are not allocated. See Notes 2.f and 2.m for discussion of the Company's impairments. (4) Interest expense and loss on early redemption of debt are allocated based on gross property and equipment and total contributions to the Company's equity method investee as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 . (5) Capital expenditures excludes acquisition of mineral interests and acquisition of oil and natural gas properties for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 . (6) Gross property and equipment includes investment in equity method investee totaling $160.2 million and $ 40.8 million as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 , respectively. Other fixed assets were allocated based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 .

Subsidiary guarantees

Subsidiary guarantees	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Condensed Financial Information of Parent Company Only Disclosure [Abstract]
Subsidiary guarantees	Subsidiary guarantees Laredo and the Guarantors have fully and unconditionally guaranteed the January 2022 Notes, the May 2022 Notes, the March 2023 Notes and the Senior Secured Credit Facility, subject to the Releases. In accordance with practices accepted by the SEC, Laredo has prepared condensed consolidating financial statements to quantify the assets, results of operations and cash flows of such subsidiaries as subsidiary guarantors. The following unaudited condensed consolidating balance sheets as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 , unaudited condensed consolidating statements of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 and unaudited condensed consolidating statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 present financial information for Laredo on a stand-alone basis (carrying any investment in subsidiaries under the equity method), financial information for the subsidiary guarantors on a stand-alone basis (carrying any investment in subsidiaries under the equity method), and the consolidation and elimination entries necessary to arrive at the information for the Company on a condensed consolidated basis. Deferred income taxes for LMS and for GCM are recorded on Laredo's statements of financial position, statements of operations and statements of cash flows as they are disregarded entities for income tax purposes. Laredo and the Guarantors are not restricted from making intercompany distributions to each other. Condensed consolidating balance sheet September 30, 2015 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany eliminations Consolidated company Accounts receivable, net $ 84,918 $ 15,757 $ — $ 100,675 Other current assets 274,460 307 — 274,767 Total oil and natural gas properties, net 1,930,771 9,402 (908 ) 1,939,265 Total midstream service assets, net — 135,011 — 135,011 Total other fixed assets, net 44,444 355 — 44,799 Investment in subsidiaries and equity method investee 267,498 160,206 (267,498 ) 160,206 Total other long-term assets 173,277 4,495 — 177,772 Total assets $ 2,775,368 $ 325,533 $ (268,406 ) $ 2,832,495 Accounts payable $ 23,049 $ 598 $ — $ 23,647 Other current liabilities 213,178 54,724 — 267,902 Long-term debt, net 1,415,566 — — 1,415,566 Other long-term liabilities 33,985 2,713 — 36,698 Stockholders' equity 1,089,590 267,498 (268,406 ) 1,088,682 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 2,775,368 $ 325,533 $ (268,406 ) $ 2,832,495 Condensed consolidating balance sheet December 31, 2014 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany eliminations Consolidated company Accounts receivable, net $ 107,860 $ 19,069 $ — $ 126,929 Other current assets 238,300 24 — 238,324 Total oil and natural gas properties, net 3,196,231 7,277 (233 ) 3,203,275 Total midstream service assets, net — 108,462 — 108,462 Total other fixed assets, net 42,046 299 — 42,345 Investment in subsidiaries and equity method investee 163,349 58,288 (163,349 ) 58,288 Total other long-term assets 128,582 4,496 — 133,078 Total assets $ 3,876,368 $ 197,915 $ (163,582 ) $ 3,910,701 Accounts payable $ 38,453 $ 555 $ — $ 39,008 Other current liabilities 354,217 31,800 — 386,017 Long-term debt, net 1,779,447 — — 1,779,447 Other long-term liabilities 140,817 2,211 — 143,028 Stockholders' equity 1,563,434 163,349 (163,582 ) 1,563,201 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 3,876,368 $ 197,915 $ (163,582 ) $ 3,910,701 Condensed consolidating statement of operations For the three months ended September 30, 2015 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany eliminations Consolidated company Total operating revenues $ 104,920 $ 52,635 $ (7,215 ) $ 150,340 Total operating costs and expenses 1,030,143 54,728 (6,672 ) 1,078,199 Operating loss (925,223 ) (2,093 ) (543 ) (927,859 ) Interest expense and other, net (23,256 ) — — (23,256 ) Other non-operating income 142,497 2,013 80 144,590 Loss before income taxes (805,982 ) (80 ) (463 ) (806,525 ) Deferred income tax expense (41,258 ) — — (41,258 ) Net loss $ (847,240 ) $ (80 ) $ (463 ) $ (847,783 ) Condensed consolidating statement of operations For the nine months ended September 30, 2015 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany Consolidated Total operating revenues $ 348,753 $ 147,388 $ (12,776 ) $ 483,365 Total operating costs and expenses 1,802,810 148,493 (12,101 ) 1,939,202 Operating loss (1,454,057 ) (1,105 ) (675 ) (1,455,837 ) Interest expense and other, net (79,344 ) — — (79,344 ) Other non-operating income 111,842 4,494 (3,389 ) 112,947 Income (loss) before income taxes (1,421,559 ) 3,389 (4,064 ) (1,422,234 ) Deferred income tax benefit 176,945 — — 176,945 Net income (loss) $ (1,244,614 ) $ 3,389 $ (4,064 ) $ (1,245,289 ) Condensed consolidating statement of operations For the three months ended September 30, 2014 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany eliminations Consolidated company Total operating revenues $ 199,968 $ 2,494 $ (2,221 ) $ 200,241 Total operating costs and expenses 129,062 4,137 (2,122 ) 131,077 Operating income (loss) 70,906 (1,643 ) (99 ) 69,164 Interest expense and other, net (30,516 ) — — (30,516 ) Other non-operating income (expense) 88,894 (157 ) 1,800 90,537 Income (loss) before income taxes 129,284 (1,800 ) 1,701 129,185 Deferred income tax expense (45,778 ) — — (45,778 ) Net income (loss) $ 83,506 $ (1,800 ) $ 1,701 $ 83,407 Condensed consolidating statement of operations For the nine months ended September 30, 2014 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany Consolidated Total operating revenues $ 556,054 $ 5,066 $ (4,525 ) $ 556,595 Total operating costs and expenses 358,168 9,090 (4,426 ) 362,832 Operating income (loss) 197,886 (4,024 ) (99 ) 193,763 Interest expense and other, net (89,882 ) — — (89,882 ) Other non-operating expense (8,099 ) (234 ) 4,258 (4,075 ) Income (loss) before income taxes 99,905 (4,258 ) 4,159 99,806 Deferred income tax expense (35,511 ) — — (35,511 ) Net income (loss) $ 64,394 $ (4,258 ) $ 4,159 $ 64,295 Condensed consolidating statement of cash flows For the nine months ended September 30, 2015 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany eliminations Consolidated company Net cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities $ 229,065 $ (172 ) $ (3,389 ) $ 225,504 Change in investments between affiliates (101,858 ) 98,469 3,389 — Capital expenditures and other (433,580 ) (98,297 ) — (531,877 ) Net cash flows provided by financing activities 353,455 — — 353,455 Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 47,082 — — 47,082 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 29,320 1 — 29,321 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 76,402 $ 1 $ — $ 76,403 Condensed consolidating statement of cash flows For the nine months ended September 30, 2014 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany eliminations Consolidated company Net cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities $ 373,834 $ (1,756 ) $ 4,258 $ 376,336 Change in investments between affiliates (79,356 ) 83,614 (4,258 ) — Capital expenditures and other (951,890 ) (81,858 ) — (1,033,748 ) Net cash flows provided by financing activities 515,019 — — 515,019 Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (142,393 ) — — (142,393 ) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 198,153 — — 198,153 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 55,760 $ — $ — $ 55,760

Recent accounting pronouncement

Recent accounting pronouncements	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Abstract]
Recent accounting pronouncements	Recent accounting pronouncements In July 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued new guidance in Topic 330, Inventory, which seeks to simplify the measurement of inventory. The amendments in this update apply to inventory that is measured using all methods excluding last-in, first-out and the retail inventory method. The main substantive provision of this guidance is for an entity to change the subsequent measurement of inventory, within the scope of this guidance, from LCM to the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. The amendments in this update are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years and should be applied prospectively with earlier application permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements upon adoption of this standard. In April 2015, the FASB issued new guidance in Subtopic 835-30, Interest-Imputation of Interest, which seeks to simplify the presentation of debt issuance costs. These amendments require that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in an entity's balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected by the amendments in this guidance. Entities should apply the amendments on a retrospective basis, wherein the balance sheet of each individual period presented should be adjusted to reflect the period-specific effects of applying the new guidance. The Company has early-adopted this standard as of September 30, 2015, and has applied its provisions retrospectively. The adoption of this standard resulted in the reclassification of $19.4 million and $21.8 million of unamortized debt issuance costs related to the Company's senior unsecured notes from "Other assets, net" to "Long-term debt, net" within its consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively. Other than this reclassification, the adoption of this standard did not have an impact on the Company's unaudited consolidated financial statements. The effect of this change in accounting principle on previously reported interim periods are decreases to each of total assets and total liabilities of $26.6 million and $20.1 million as of March 31, 2015 and June 30, 2015, respectively. See Notes 2.g and 5.g for additional discussion of debt issuance costs. In May 2014, the FASB issued a comprehensive new revenue recognition standard that supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in Topic 605, Revenue Recognition, and industry-specific guidance in Subtopic 932-605, Extractive Activities—Oil and Gas—Revenue Recognition . The core principle of the new guidance is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring those goods or services. The new standard also requires significantly expanded disclosure regarding the qualitative and quantitative information of an entity's nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The standard creates a five-step model that requires companies to exercise judgment when considering the terms of a contract and all relevant facts and circumstances. The standard allows for several transition methods: (a) a full retrospective adoption in which the standard is applied to all of the periods presented, or (b) a modified retrospective adoption in which the standard is applied only to the most current period presented in the financial statements, including additional disclosures of the standard's application impact to individual financial statement line items. This standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements upon adoption of this standard.

Subsequent events

Subsequent events	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent events	Subsequent events a. Medallion capital call On October 15, 2015, the Company contributed $10.4 million to fund continued expansion activities on existing portions of Medallion's pipeline infrastructure in order to gather additional third-party production. As of September 30, 2015, the Company had recorded a capital contribution payable which included the amount of this capital call. For additional discussion regarding the Senior Secured Credit Facility see Note 5.e. b. Senior secured credit facility On October 30, 2015, in connection with its regular semi-annual redetermination, the Company entered into the Fourth Amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility, pursuant to which, among other things, the borrowing base decreased to $1.15 billion , while the maximum credit amount and aggregate elected commitment remained at $2.0 billion and $1.0 billion , respectively, and the amount of “permitted investments” in Medallion increased to $225.0 million in the aggregate at any time. c. New commodity derivative contracts Subsequent to September 30, 2015, the Company entered into the following new commodity derivative contracts: Aggregate Floor price Contract period Oil (volumes in Bbl): Put (1) 1,296,000 $ 45.00 January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016 _____________________________________________________________ (1) The associated commodity derivatives will be settled based on the WTI NYMEX index oil price. A total of $4.5 million in deferred premiums are associated with these contracts.

Supplementary information

Supplementary information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Industries Disclosures [Abstract]
Supplementary information	Supplementary information Costs incurred in oil and natural gas property acquisition, exploration and development activities Costs incurred in the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and natural gas assets are presented below for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Property acquisition costs: — Evaluated $ — $ — $ — $ 3,873 Unevaluated — — — 9,925 Exploration (1) 7,803 200,711 16,157 217,353 Development costs (2) 64,451 325,118 381,641 733,671 Total costs incurred $ 72,254 $ 525,829 $ 397,798 $ 964,822 ____________________________________________________________________________ (1) The Company acquired significant leasehold interests during the three months ended September 30, 2014 . (2) The costs incurred for oil and natural gas development activities include $0.3 million and $1.6 million in asset retirement obligations for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 , respectively, and $1.3 million and $3.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 , respectively.

Basis of presentation and sig27

Basis of presentation and significant accounting policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of presentation	Basis of presentation The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements were derived from the historical accounting records of the Company and reflect the historical financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods described herein. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). All material intercompany transactions and account balances have been eliminated in the consolidation of accounts. The Company uses the equity method of accounting to record its net interests when the Company holds 20% to 50% of the voting rights and/or has the ability to exercise significant influence but does not control the entity. Under the equity method, the Company's proportionate share of the investee's net income (loss) is included in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations. See Note 14 for additional discussion of the Company's equity method investment. The accompanying consolidated financial statements have not been audited by the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, except that the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2014 is derived from audited consolidated financial statements. See Notes 2.g, 5.g and 18 for discussion regarding the Company's early-adoption of new accounting guidance regarding the presentation of debt issuance costs. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements reflect all necessary adjustments to present fairly the Company's financial position as of September 30, 2015 , results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 and cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 . Certain disclosures have been condensed or omitted from these unaudited consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, these unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the 2014 Annual Report.
Use of estimates in the preparation of interim unaudited consolidated financial statements	Use of estimates in the preparation of interim unaudited consolidated financial statements The preparation of the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions about future events. These estimates and the underlying assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Although management believes these estimates are reasonable, actual results could differ. The interim results reflected in the unaudited consolidated financial statements are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for other interim periods or for the full year. Significant estimates include, but are not limited to, (i) estimates of the Company's reserves of oil, NGL and natural gas, (ii) future cash flows from oil and natural gas properties, (iii) depletion, depreciation and amortization, (iv) asset retirement obligations, (v) stock-based compensation, (vi) deferred income taxes, (vii) fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in an acquisition and (viii) fair values of commodity derivatives, commodity deferred premiums and performance unit awards. As fair value is a market-based measurement, it is determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use. These estimates and assumptions are based on management's best judgment. Management evaluates its estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis using historical experience and other factors, including the current economic environment. Such estimates and assumptions are adjusted when facts and circumstances dictate. Illiquid credit markets and volatile equity and energy markets have combined to increase the uncertainty inherent in such estimates and assumptions. Management believes its estimates and assumptions to be reasonable under the circumstances. As future events and their effects cannot be determined with precision, actual values and results could differ from these estimates. Any changes in estimates resulting from future changes in the economic environment will be reflected in the financial statements in future periods.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications Certain amounts in the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the 2015 presentation. These reclassifications had no impact to previously reported net income or loss, stockholders' equity or cash flows.
Accounts receivable	Accounts receivable The Company sells oil, NGL and natural gas to various customers and participates with other parties in the development and operation of oil and natural gas properties. The Company's accounts receivable are generally unsecured. Accounts receivable for joint interest billings are recorded as amounts billed to customers less an allowance for doubtful accounts. Amounts are considered past due after 30 days. The Company determines joint interest operations accounts receivable allowances based on management's assessment of the creditworthiness of the joint interest owners. Additionally, as the operator of the majority of its wells, the Company has the ability to realize the receivables through netting of anticipated future production revenues. The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses inherent in its accounts receivable portfolio. In establishing the required allowance, management considers historical losses, current receivables aging and existing industry and economic data. The Company reviews its allowance for doubtful accounts quarterly. Past due amounts greater than 90 days and over a specified amount are reviewed individually for collectability. Account balances are charged off against the allowance after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is remote.
Derivatives	Derivatives The Company uses derivatives to reduce exposure to fluctuations in the prices of oil and natural gas. By removing a significant portion of the price volatility associated with future production, the Company expects to mitigate, but not eliminate, the potential effects of variability in cash flows from operations due to fluctuations in commodity prices. These transactions are in the form of collars, swaps, puts and basis swaps. Derivatives are recorded at fair value and are presented net on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets as assets or liabilities. The Company nets the fair value of derivatives by counterparty where the right of offset exists. The Company determines the fair value of its derivatives by utilizing pricing models for substantially similar instruments. Inputs to the pricing models include publicly available prices and forward price curves generated from a compilation of data gathered from third parties (see Notes 8 and 9). The Company's derivatives were not designated as hedges for accounting purposes for any of the periods presented. Accordingly, the changes in fair value are recognized in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations in the period of change. Gains and losses on derivatives are included in cash flows from operating activities (see Note 8).
Full cost method of accounting	The Company uses the full cost method of accounting for its oil and natural gas properties. Under this method, all acquisition, exploration and development costs, including certain related employee costs, incurred for the purpose of finding oil and natural gas are capitalized and amortized on a composite unit of production method based on proved oil, NGL and natural gas reserves. Such amounts include the cost of drilling and equipping productive wells, dry hole costs, lease acquisition costs, delay rentals and other costs related to such activities. Costs, including related employee costs, associated with production and general corporate activities are expensed in the period incurred. Sales of oil and natural gas properties, whether or not being amortized currently, are accounted for as adjustments of capitalized costs, with no gain or loss recognized, unless such adjustments would significantly alter the relationship between capitalized costs and proved reserves of oil, NGL and natural gas. The Company excludes the costs directly associated with acquisition and evaluation of unevaluated properties from the depletion calculation until it is determined whether or not proved reserves can be assigned to the properties. The Company capitalizes a portion of its interest costs on its unevaluated properties. Capitalized interest becomes a part of the cost of the unevaluated properties and is subject to depletion when proved reserves can be assigned to the associated properties. All items classified as unevaluated property are assessed on a quarterly basis for possible impairment or reduction in value. The assessment includes consideration of the following factors, among others: intent to drill, remaining lease term, geological and geophysical evaluations, drilling results and activity, the assignment of evaluated reserves and the economic viability of development if proved reserves are assigned. During any period in which these factors indicate an impairment, the cumulative drilling costs incurred to date for such property and all or a portion of the associated leasehold costs are transferred to the full cost pool and are then subject to depletion. The full cost ceiling is based principally on the estimated future net cash flows from proved oil and natural gas properties discounted at 10% . Full cost companies are required to use the unweighted arithmetic average first-day-of-the-month price for each month within the 12-month period prior to the end of the reporting period ("SEC Prices"), unless prices were defined by contractual arrangements, to calculate the discounted future revenues. In the event the unamortized cost of evaluated oil and natural gas properties being amortized exceeds the full cost ceiling, as defined by the SEC, the excess is charged to expense in the period such excess occurs. Once incurred, a write-down of oil and natural gas properties is not reversible.
Debt issuance costs	Debt issuance costs Debt issuance fees, which are recorded at cost, net of amortization, are amortized over the life of the respective debt agreements utilizing the effective interest and straight-line methods.
Asset retirement obligations	Asset retirement obligations Asset retirement obligations associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets are recognized as a liability in the period in which they are incurred and become determinable. The associated asset retirement costs are part of the carrying amount of the long-lived asset. Subsequently, the asset retirement cost included in the carrying amount of the related long-lived asset is charged to expense through depletion, or for midstream asset retirement cost through depreciation, of the associated asset. Changes in the liability due to the passage of time are recognized as an increase in the carrying amount of the liability and as corresponding accretion expense. The fair value of additions to the asset retirement obligation liability is measured using valuation techniques consistent with the income approach, which converts future cash flows into a single discounted amount. Significant inputs to the valuation include: (i) estimated plug and abandonment cost per well based on Company experience, (ii) estimated remaining life per well based on the reserve life per well, (iii) estimated removal and/or remediation costs for midstream assets, (iv) estimated remaining life of midstream assets, (v) future inflation factors and (vi) the Company's average credit adjusted risk-free rate. Inherent in the fair value calculation of asset retirement obligations are numerous assumptions and judgments including, in addition to those noted above, the ultimate settlement of these amounts, the ultimate timing of such settlement and changes in legal, regulatory, environmental and political environments. To the extent future revisions to these assumptions impact the fair value of the existing asset retirement obligation liability, a corresponding adjustment will be made to the asset balance. The Company is obligated by contractual and regulatory requirements to remove certain pipeline and gas gathering assets and perform other remediation of the sites where such pipeline and gas gathering assets are located upon the retirement of those assets. However, the fair value of the asset retirement obligation cannot currently be reasonably estimated because the settlement dates are indeterminate. The Company will record an asset retirement obligation for pipeline and gas gathering assets in the periods in which settlement dates become reasonably determinable.
Treasury stock	Treasury stock Laredo's employees may elect to have the Company withhold shares of stock to satisfy their tax withholding obligations that arise upon the lapse of restrictions on their stock awards. Such treasury stock is recorded at cost and retired upon acquisition.
Fair value measurements	Fair value measurements The carrying amounts reported in the unaudited consolidated balance sheets for cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, undistributed revenue and royalties, accrued capital expenditures and other accrued assets and liabilities approximate their fair values. See Note 5.f for fair value disclosures related to the Company's debt obligations. The Company carries its derivatives at fair value. Fair value measurements The Company accounts for its oil and natural gas commodity derivatives at fair value. The fair value of derivatives is determined utilizing pricing models for similar instruments. The models use a variety of techniques to arrive at fair value, including quotes and pricing analysis. Inputs to the pricing models include publicly available prices and forward curves generated from a compilation of data gathered from third parties. The Company has categorized its assets and liabilities measured at fair value, based on the priority of inputs to the valuation technique, into a three-level fair value hierarchy. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets are categorized based on inputs to the valuation techniques as follows: Level 1— Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value for which values are based on unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in an active market that management has the ability to access. Active markets are considered to be those in which transactions for the assets or liabilities occur in sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. Level 2— Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value for which values are based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or model inputs that are observable either directly or indirectly for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. Substantially all of these inputs are observable in the marketplace throughout the full term of the price risk management instrument and can be derived from observable data or supported by observable levels at which transactions are executed in the marketplace. Level 3— Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value for which values are based on prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement. Unobservable inputs are not corroborated by market data. These inputs reflect management's own assumptions about the assumptions a market participant would use in pricing the asset or liability. When the inputs used to measure fair value fall within different levels of the hierarchy in a liquid environment, the level within which the fair value measurement is categorized is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The Company conducts a review of fair value hierarchy classifications on an annual basis. Changes in the observability of valuation inputs may result in a reclassification for certain financial assets or liabilities. Transfers between fair value hierarchy levels are recognized and reported in the period in which the transfer occurred. The Company accounts for the impairment of long-lived assets, if any, at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. For purposes of fair value measurement, it was determined that the impairment of long-lived assets is classified as Level 3, based on the use of internally developed cash flow models.
Compensation awards	Compensation awards Stock-based compensation expense, net of amounts capitalized, is included in "General and administrative" in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations over the awards' vesting periods and is based on the awards' grant date fair value. The Company utilizes the closing stock price on the grant date, less an expected forfeiture rate, to determine the fair value of service vesting restricted stock awards and a Black-Scholes pricing model to determine the fair values of service vesting restricted stock option awards. The Company utilizes a Monte Carlo simulation prepared by an independent third party to determine the fair values of the performance share awards and performance unit awards. The Company capitalizes a portion of stock-based compensation for employees who are directly involved in the acquisition, exploration and development of its oil and gas properties into the full cost pool. Capitalized stock-based compensation is included as an addition to "Oil and natural gas properties" in the unaudited consolidated balance sheets.
Long-lived assets	Impairment losses are recorded on property and equipment used in operations and other long-lived assets when indicators of impairment are present and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the assets' carrying amount. Impairment is measured based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the asset.
Materials and supplies and line-fill	Materials and supplies are used in developing oil and natural gas properties, are carried at the lower of cost or market ("LCM") and are included in "Other current assets" and "Other assets, net" on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets. The market price for materials and supplies is determined utilizing the Company's recent prices paid to acquire materials. During the nine months ended September 30, 2015 , the Company reduced materials and supplies by $2.3 million in order to reflect the balance at LCM. The adjustment is included in "Impairment expense" in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations and in "Other operating costs and expenses" for the Company's exploration and production segment presented in Note 16. The Company determined an LCM adjustment was not necessary for materials and supplies during the three months ended September 30, 2015, or during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 . The minimum volume of product in a pipeline system that enables the system to operate is known as line-fill, and is generally not available to be withdrawn from the pipeline system until the expiration of the transportation contract. Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company owns oil line-fill in third-party pipelines, which is accounted for at LCM with cost determined using the weighted-average cost method, and is included in "Other assets, net" on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets. The LCM adjustment is determined utilizing a quoted market price adjusted for regional price differentials (Level 2).
Environmental	Environmental The Company is subject to extensive federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. These laws, among other things, regulate the discharge of materials into the environment and may require the Company to remove or mitigate the environmental effects of the disposal or release of petroleum or chemical substances at various sites. Environmental expenditures are expensed in the period incurred. Liabilities for expenditures of a non-capital nature are recorded when environmental assessment or remediation is probable and the costs can be reasonably estimated. Such liabilities are generally undiscounted unless the timing of cash payments is fixed and readily determinable.
Employee compensation	The Company recognizes the fair value of stock-based compensation awards expected to vest over the requisite service period as a charge against earnings, net of amounts capitalized. The Company's stock-based compensation awards are accounted for as equity instruments and its performance unit awards are accounted for as liability awards. Stock-based compensation is included in "General and administrative" in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations. The Company capitalizes a portion of stock-based compensation for employees who are directly involved in the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties into the full cost pool. Capitalized stock-based compensation is included as an addition to "Oil and natural gas properties" in the unaudited consolidated balance sheets.
Income taxes	Income taxes Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating losses and tax credit carry-forwards. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income (loss) in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is established to reduce deferred tax assets if it is determined that it is more likely than not that the related tax benefit will not be realized. On a quarterly basis, management evaluates the need for and adequacy of valuation allowances based on the expected realizability of the deferred tax assets and adjusts the amount of such allowances, if necessary. The Company evaluates uncertain tax positions for recognition and measurement in the unaudited consolidated financial statements. To recognize a tax position, the Company determines whether it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation, based on the technical merits of the position. A tax position that meets the more-likely-than-not threshold is measured to determine the amount of benefit to be recognized in the unaudited consolidated financial statements. The amount of tax benefit recognized with respect to any tax position is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon settlement.
Credit risk	Credit risk The Company's oil, NGL and natural gas sales are made to a variety of purchasers, including intrastate and interstate pipelines or their marketing affiliates and independent marketing companies. The Company's joint operations accounts receivable are from a number of oil and natural gas companies, partnerships, individuals and others who own interests in the oil and natural gas properties operated by the Company. Management believes that any credit risk imposed by a concentration in the oil and natural gas industry is offset by the creditworthiness of the Company's customer base and industry partners. The Company routinely assesses the recoverability of all material trade and other receivables to determine collectability. The Company uses derivatives to hedge its exposure to oil and natural gas price volatility. These transactions expose the Company to potential credit risk from its counterparties. In accordance with the Company's standard practice, its derivatives are subject to counterparty netting under agreements governing such derivatives; therefore, the credit risk associated with its derivative counterparties is somewhat mitigated.
Net loss per share	Net income (loss) per share Basic net income (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net income (loss) per share reflects the potential dilution of non-vested restricted stock awards, performance share awards and outstanding restricted stock options.
Variable interest entity	Variable interest entity An entity is referred to as a VIE pursuant to accounting guidance for consolidation if it possesses one of the following criteria: (i) it is thinly capitalized, (ii) the residual equity holders do not control the entity, (iii) the equity holders are shielded from the economic losses, (iv) the equity holders do not participate fully in the entity's residual economics, or (v) the entity was established with non-substantive voting interests. In order to determine if a VIE should be consolidated, an entity must determine if it is the primary beneficiary of the VIE. The primary beneficiary of a VIE is that variable interest-holder possessing a controlling financial interest through: (i) its power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance and (ii) its obligation to absorb losses or its right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. In order to determine whether the Company owns a variable interest in a VIE, a qualitative analysis is performed of the entity's design, organizational structure, primary decision makers and relevant agreements. The Company continually monitors its VIE exposure to determine if any events have occurred that could cause the primary beneficiary to change.

Basis of presentation and sig28

Basis of presentation and significant accounting policies (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Schedule of components of accounts receivable	Accounts receivable consist of the following components for the periods presented: (in thousands) September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 34,512 $ 57,070 Joint operations, net (1) 25,553 33,808 Matured derivatives 21,729 16,098 Purchased oil and other product sales 14,436 18,917 Other 4,445 1,036 Total $ 100,675 $ 126,929 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) Accounts receivable for joint operations are presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts of $0.2 million and $0.8 million as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 , respectively.
Schedule of property and equipment	The following table sets forth the Company's property and equipment for the periods presented: (in thousands) September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 Evaluated oil and natural gas properties $ 4,895,042 $ 4,446,781 Less accumulated depletion and impairment (3,180,822 ) (1,586,237 ) Evaluated oil and natural gas properties, net 1,714,220 2,860,544 Unevaluated properties not being amortized 225,045 342,731 Midstream service assets 149,068 117,052 Less accumulated depreciation (14,057 ) (8,590 ) Midstream service assets, net 135,011 108,462 Depreciable other fixed assets 47,220 42,933 Less accumulated depreciation and amortization (17,315 ) (13,820 ) Depreciable other fixed assets, net 29,905 29,113 Land 14,894 13,232 Total property and equipment, net $ 2,119,075 $ 3,354,082
Schedule of future amortization expense of deferred debt issuance costs	Future amortization expense of debt issuance costs as of September 30, 2015 is as follows: (in thousands) Remaining 2015 $ 1,116 2016 4,503 2017 4,575 2018 4,349 2019 2,915 Thereafter 7,589 Total $ 25,047
Schedule of other current liabilities	Other current liabilities consist of the following components for the periods presented: (in thousands) September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 Capital contribution payable to equity method investee (1) $ 34,322 $ — Accrued interest payable 21,635 37,689 Costs of purchased oil payable 15,047 20,114 Lease operating expense payable 14,117 11,963 Other accrued liabilities 27,083 31,266 Total other current liabilities $ 112,204 $ 101,032
Schedule of reconciliation of asset retirement obligation liability	The following reconciles the Company's asset retirement obligation liability for the periods presented: (in thousands) Nine months ended September 30, 2015 Year ended December 31, 2014 Liability at beginning of period $ 32,198 $ 21,743 Liabilities added due to acquisitions, drilling, midstream service asset construction and other 1,675 6,370 Accretion expense 1,771 1,787 Liabilities settled upon plugging and abandonment (122 ) (450 ) Liabilities removed due to sale of property (2,005 ) — Revision of estimates — 2,748 Liability at end of period $ 33,517 $ 32,198
Schedule of non-cash investing and supplemental cash flow information	The following presents the non-cash investing and supplemental cash flow information for the periods presented: Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 Non-cash investing information: Change in accrued capital expenditures $ (98,958 ) $ 23,945 Change in accrued capital contribution to equity method investee (1) $ 34,322 $ (2,598 ) Capitalized asset retirement cost $ 1,675 $ 4,767 Supplemental cash flow information: Capitalized interest $ 227 $ 51 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) See Notes 14, 15 and 19.a for additional discussion regarding our equity method investee.

Acquisitions and Divestitures D

Acquisitions and Divestitures Divestiture (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Schedule of revenues and expenses for discontinued operations	The following table presents revenues and expenses of the oil and natural gas properties sold included in the accompanying unaudited consolidated statements of operations for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 1,371 $ 5,644 $ 5,419 $ 15,574 Expenses (1) 1,781 3,042 6,565 7,789 _____________________________________________________________________________ (1) Expenses include (i) lease operating expense, (ii) production and ad valorem tax expense, (iii) accretion expense and (iv) depletion.

Debt (Tables)

Debt (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of carrying amount and fair value of debt instruments	The following table presents the carrying amount and fair values of the Company's debt for the periods presented: September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 (in thousands) Carrying value Fair value Carrying value Fair value January 2019 Notes (1) $ — $ — $ 551,295 $ 550,000 January 2022 Notes 450,000 405,000 450,000 396,014 May 2022 Notes 500,000 487,500 500,000 467,529 March 2023 Notes 350,000 318,500 — — Senior Secured Credit Facility 135,000 134,981 300,000 300,279 Total value of debt $ 1,435,000 $ 1,345,981 $ 1,801,295 $ 1,713,822 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) The carrying value of the January 2019 Notes includes the October Notes unamortized bond premium of $1.3 million as of December 31, 2014.
Schedule of debt	The following tables summarize the net presentation of the Company's long-term debt and debt issuance cost on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets for the periods presented: September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 (in thousands) Carrying Debt issuance costs, net Long-term debt, net Carrying Debt issuance costs, net Long-term debt, net January 2019 Notes $ — $ — $ — $ 551,295 $ (7,031 ) $ 544,264 January 2022 Notes 450,000 (6,183 ) 443,817 450,000 (6,916 ) 443,084 May 2022 Notes 500,000 (7,281 ) 492,719 500,000 (7,901 ) 492,099 March 2023 Notes 350,000 (5,970 ) 344,030 — — — Senior Secured Credit Facility (1) 135,000 — 135,000 300,000 — 300,000 Total $ 1,435,000 $ (19,434 ) $ 1,415,566 $ 1,801,295 $ (21,848 ) $ 1,779,447 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) Debt issuance costs related to our Senior Secured Credit Facility are recorded in "Other assets, net" on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets.

Employee compensation (Tables)

Employee compensation (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Schedule of outstanding restricted stock awards	The following table reflects the outstanding restricted stock awards for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 : (in thousands, except for weighted-average grant date fair values) Restricted stock awards Weighted-average Outstanding as of December 31, 2014 2,205 $ 22.63 Granted 1,894 $ 11.98 Forfeited (519 ) $ 20.90 Vested (1) (984 ) $ 22.39 Outstanding as of September 30, 2015 2,596 $ 15.32 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) The vesting of certain restricted stock awards could result in federal and state income tax expense or benefit related to the difference between the market price of the common stock at the date of vesting and the date of grant. See Note 7 for additional discussion regarding the tax impact of vested restricted stock awards.
Schedule of stock option award activity	The following table reflects the stock option award activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 : (in thousands, except for weighted-average exercise price and contractual term) Restricted stock option awards Weighted-average Weighted-average Outstanding as of December 31, 2014 1,367 $ 20.76 8.17 Granted 632 $ 11.93 Exercised — $ — Expired or canceled (58 ) $ 19.51 Forfeited (139 ) $ 18.17 Outstanding as of September 30, 2015 1,802 $ 17.90 8.05 Vested and exercisable at end of period (1) 569 $ 20.78 6.89 Expected to vest at end of period (2) 1,214 $ 16.49 8.60 _____________________________________________________________________________ (1) The vested and exercisable options as of September 30, 2015 had no aggregate intrinsic value. (2) The options expected to vest as of September 30, 2015 had no aggregate intrinsic value.
Schedule of vesting rights of stock options	In accordance with the LTIP and stock option agreement, the options granted will become exercisable in accordance with the following schedule based upon the number of full years of the optionee's continuous employment or service with the Company, following the date of grant: Full years of continuous employment Incremental percentage of Cumulative percentage of Less than one — % — % One 25 % 25 % Two 25 % 50 % Three 25 % 75 % Four 25 % 100 %
Schedule of stock-based compensation expense	The following has been recorded to stock-based compensation expense for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Restricted stock award compensation, net of amounts capitalized $ 4,588 $ 4,866 $ 11,724 $ 13,303 Restricted stock option award compensation, net of amounts capitalized 925 763 2,740 2,226 Restricted performance share award compensation, net of amounts capitalized 1,364 565 3,469 1,390 Total stock-based compensation, net of amounts capitalized $ 6,877 $ 6,194 $ 17,933 $ 16,919
Restricted Stock Option Awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Schedule of assumptions used to estimate the fair value of restricted stock options	The assumptions used to estimate the fair value of restricted stock options granted on February 27, 2015 are as follows: Risk-free interest rate (1) 1.70 % Expected option life (2) 6.25 years Expected volatility (3) 52.59 % Fair value per stock option $ 6.15 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) U.S. Treasury yields as of the grant date were utilized for the risk-free interest rate assumption, correlating the treasury yield terms to the expected life of the option. (2) As the Company had limited exercise history at the time of valuation relating to terminations and modifications, expected option life assumptions were developed using the simplified method in accordance with GAAP. (3) The Company utilized its own volatility in order to develop the expected volatility.
Performance Share Awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Schedule of assumptions used to estimate the fair value of restricted stock options	The assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the 2015 Performance Share Awards granted on February 27, 2015 are as follows: Risk-free rate (1) 0.95 % Dividend yield — % Expected volatility (2) 53.78 % Laredo stock closing price as of February 27, 2015 $ 11.93 Fair value per performance share $ 16.23 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) The risk-free rate was derived using a zero-coupon yield derived from the Treasury Constant Maturities yield curve on the grant date. (2) The Company utilized a peer historical look-back, weighted with the Company's own volatility, to develop the expected volatility.

Income taxes (Tables)

Income taxes (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of income tax benefit	The Company is subject to corporate income taxes and the Texas franchise tax. Income tax (expense) benefit for the periods presented consisted of the following: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Current taxes $ — $ — $ — $ — Deferred taxes (41,258 ) (45,778 ) 176,945 (35,511 ) Income tax (expense) benefit $ (41,258 ) $ (45,778 ) $ 176,945 $ (35,511 )
Schedule of reconciliation of income tax expense computed by applying the federal income tax rate of 35% to pre-tax income from operations	Income tax (expense) benefit differed from amounts computed by applying the applicable federal income tax rate of 35% to pre-tax earnings as a result of the following: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Income tax benefit (expense) computed by applying the statutory rate $ 282,284 $ (45,215 ) $ 497,782 $ (34,932 ) State income tax, net of federal tax benefit and increase in valuation allowance (5,677 ) 247 190 1,881 Non-deductible stock-based compensation (45 ) (152 ) (151 ) (391 ) Stock-based compensation tax deficiency (330 ) (4 ) (3,168 ) (160 ) Increase in deferred tax valuation allowance (317,391 ) (22 ) (317,407 ) (1,134 ) Other items (99 ) (632 ) (301 ) (775 ) Income tax (expense) benefit $ (41,258 ) $ (45,778 ) $ 176,945 $ (35,511 )
Schedule of income tax deficiency from share-based compensation	The following table presents the tax impact of these shortfalls for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Vesting of restricted stock $ (336 ) $ (4 ) $ (3,225 ) $ (5 ) Exercise of restricted stock options — (1 ) — (158 ) Tax expense due to shortfalls $ (336 ) $ (5 ) $ (3,225 ) $ (163 )
Schedule of significant components of deferred tax assets and liabilities	Significant components of the Company's net deferred tax asset (liability) for the periods presented are as follows: (in thousands) September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 Oil and natural gas properties, midstream service assets and other fixed assets $ (27,816 ) $ (424,712 ) Net operating loss carry-forward 462,324 353,724 Derivatives (107,862 ) (121,365 ) Stock-based compensation 11,051 10,718 Equity method investee (19,079 ) — Accrued bonus 3,448 3,256 Capitalized interest 2,851 3,049 Other 2,628 (316 ) Net deferred tax asset (liability) before valuation allowance 327,545 (175,646 ) Valuation allowance (327,545 ) (1,299 ) Net deferred tax asset (liability) $ — $ (176,945 ) Deferred tax assets and liabilities were classified in the unaudited consolidated balance sheets as follows for the periods presented: (in thousands) September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 Deferred tax asset $ 68,069 $ — Deferred tax liability (68,069 ) (176,945 ) Deferred tax asset (liability) $ — $ (176,945 )

Derivatives (Tables)

Derivatives (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of gains and losses on derivative instruments	The following represents cash settlements received (paid) for derivatives for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Cash settlements received (paid) for matured commodity derivatives $ 66,142 $ 4,531 $ 175,879 $ (1,320 ) Early terminations of commodity derivatives received — — — 76,660 Cash settlements received for derivatives, net $ 66,142 $ 4,531 $ 175,879 $ 75,340
Summary of open positions and derivatives in place	The following table summarizes open positions as of September 30, 2015 , and represents, as of such date, derivatives in place through December 2017 on annual production volumes: Remaining Year 2015 Year 2016 Year 2017 Oil positions: (1) Puts: Hedged volume (Bbl) 114,000 — — Weighted-average price ($/Bbl) $ 75.00 $ — $ — Swaps: Hedged volume (Bbl) 168,000 1,573,800 — Weighted-average price ($/Bbl) $ 96.56 $ 84.82 $ — Collars: Hedged volume (Bbl) 1,641,880 3,654,000 2,628,000 Weighted-average floor price ($/Bbl) $ 79.81 $ 73.99 $ 77.22 Weighted-average ceiling price ($/Bbl) $ 95.41 $ 89.63 $ 97.22 Totals: Total volume hedged with ceiling price (Bbl) 1,809,880 5,227,800 2,628,000 Weighted-average ceiling price ($/Bbl) $ 95.51 $ 88.18 $ 97.22 Total volume hedged with floor price (Bbl) 1,923,880 5,227,800 2,628,000 Weighted-average floor price ($/Bbl) $ 80.99 $ 77.25 $ 77.22 Basis swaps: (2) Hedged volume (Bbl) 920,000 — — Weighted-average price ($/Bbl) $ (1.95 ) $ — $ — Natural gas positions: (3) Collars: Hedged volume (MMBtu) 7,192,000 18,666,000 5,475,000 Weighted-average floor price ($/MMBtu) $ 3.00 $ 3.00 $ 3.00 Weighted-average ceiling price ($/MMBtu) $ 5.96 $ 5.60 $ 4.00 _______________________________________________________________________________ (1) Oil derivatives are settled based on the average of the daily settlement prices for the First Nearby Month of the West Texas Intermediate NYMEX Light Sweet Crude Oil Futures Contract for each NYMEX Trading Day during each month ("WTI NYMEX"). (2) The associated oil basis swaps are settled on the differential between the WTI Midland and the WTI NYMEX index oil prices. (3) Natural gas derivatives are settled based on the Inside FERC index price for West Texas Waha for the calculation period.

Fair value measurements (Tables

Fair value measurements (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of fair value hierarchy for assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis	The following tables summarize the Company's fair value hierarchy by commodity on a gross basis and the net presentation on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets for derivative assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis for the periods presented: (in thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total gross fair value Amounts offset Net fair value presented on the consolidated balance sheets As of September 30, 2015: Assets Current: Oil derivatives $ — $ 180,141 $ — $ 180,141 $ (1,805 ) $ 178,336 Natural gas derivatives — 10,747 — 10,747 — 10,747 Oil deferred premiums — — — — (4,751 ) (4,751 ) Natural gas deferred premiums — — — — (175 ) (175 ) Noncurrent: Oil derivatives $ — $ 100,594 $ — $ 100,594 $ — $ 100,594 Natural gas derivatives — 3,659 — 3,659 — 3,659 Oil deferred premiums — — — — (5,964 ) (5,964 ) Natural gas deferred premiums — — — — (439 ) (439 ) Liabilities Current: Oil derivatives $ — $ (1,805 ) $ — $ (1,805 ) $ 1,805 $ — Natural gas derivatives — — — — — — Oil deferred premiums — — (4,751 ) (4,751 ) 4,751 — Natural gas deferred premiums — — (175 ) (175 ) 175 — Noncurrent: Oil derivatives $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — Natural gas derivatives — — — — — — Oil deferred premiums — — (5,964 ) (5,964 ) 5,964 — Natural gas deferred premiums — — (439 ) (439 ) 439 — Net derivative position $ — $ 293,336 $ (11,329 ) $ 282,007 $ — $ 282,007 (in thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total gross fair value Amounts offset Net fair value presented on the consolidated balance sheets As of December 31, 2014: Assets Current: Oil derivatives $ — $ 190,303 $ — $ 190,303 $ — $ 190,303 Natural gas derivatives — 9,647 — 9,647 — 9,647 Oil deferred premiums — — — — (4,653 ) (4,653 ) Natural gas deferred premiums — — — — (696 ) (696 ) Noncurrent: Oil derivatives $ — $ 117,963 $ — $ 117,963 $ — $ 117,963 Natural gas derivatives — 3,646 — 3,646 — 3,646 Oil deferred premiums — — — — (3,821 ) (3,821 ) Natural gas deferred premiums — — — — — — Liabilities Current: Oil derivatives $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — Natural gas derivatives — — — — — — Oil deferred premiums — — (4,768 ) (4,768 ) 4,653 (115 ) Natural gas deferred premiums — — (696 ) (696 ) 696 — Noncurrent: Oil derivatives $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — Natural gas derivatives — — — — — — Oil deferred premiums — — (3,821 ) (3,821 ) 3,821 — Natural gas deferred premiums — — — — — — Net derivative position $ — $ 321,559 $ (9,285 ) $ 312,274 $ — $ 312,274
Actual cash payments required for deferred premium contracts	The following table presents actual cash payments required for deferred premiums as of September 30, 2015 , and for the calendar years following: (in thousands) Remaining 2015 $ 1,249 2016 4,471 2017 5,418 2018 426 Total $ 11,564
Summary of changes in assets (liability) classified as Level 3 measurements	A summary of the changes in assets classified as Level 3 measurements for the periods presented are as follows: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Balance of Level 3 at beginning of period $ (12,087 ) $ (9,025 ) $ (9,285 ) $ (12,684 ) Change in net present value of deferred premiums for derivatives (53 ) (50 ) (141 ) (170 ) Total purchases and settlements: Purchases (437 ) (3,800 ) (5,821 ) (3,800 ) Settlements 1,248 1,820 3,918 5,599 Balance of Level 3 at end of period $ (11,329 ) $ (11,055 ) $ (11,329 ) $ (11,055 )

Net loss per share (Tables)

Net loss per share (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of calculation of basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding and net income per share	The following is the calculation of basic and diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding and net income (loss) per share for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands, except for per share data) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Net income (loss) (numerator): Net income (loss)—basic and diluted $ (847,783 ) $ 83,407 $ (1,245,289 ) $ 64,295 Weighted-average common shares outstanding (denominator) (1) : Basic 211,204 141,413 195,081 141,261 Non-vested restricted stock awards — 2,334 — 2,246 Outstanding restricted stock options (2) — 66 — 76 Diluted 211,204 143,813 195,081 143,583 Net income (loss) per share: Basic $ (4.01 ) $ 0.59 $ (6.38 ) $ 0.46 Diluted $ (4.01 ) $ 0.58 $ (6.38 ) $ 0.45 ______________________________________________________________________________ (1) For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 , weighted-average common shares outstanding used in the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to stockholders has been computed taking into account the March 2015 Equity Offering. (2) For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the dilutive effect of the Company's then outstanding options that were granted in February 2013 to purchase 780,281 shares of common stock at $17.34 per share was calculated utilizing the treasury stock method.

Related Parties (Tables)

Related Parties (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Schedule of Related Party Transactions	The following table summarizes items included in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations related to Medallion for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Midstream service revenues $ — $ — $ 487 $ — Minimum volume commitments — 675 5,235 1,779 Interest and other income 50 — 158 — The following table summarizes items included in the unaudited consolidated balance sheets related to Medallion for the periods presented: (in thousands) September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 Other assets, net $ 1,269 $ 1,110 Other current liabilities 34,322 3,443 The following table summarizes the net oil, NGL and natural gas sales (oil, NGL and natural gas sales less production taxes) received from Targa and included in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 23,540 $ 24,148 $ 77,183 $ 70,624 The following table summarizes the amounts included in oil, NGL and natural gas sales receivable from Targa in the unaudited consolidated balance sheets for the periods presented: (in thousands) September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014 Accounts receivable, net $ 7,138 $ 12,869

Segments (Tables)

Segments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of segment reporting information, by segment	(in thousands) Exploration and production Midstream and marketing Eliminations Consolidated Nine months ended September 30, 2015: Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 348,915 $ 1,086 $ (1,722 ) $ 348,279 Midstream service revenues — 15,962 (11,054 ) 4,908 Sales of purchased oil — 130,178 — 130,178 Total revenues 348,915 147,226 (12,776 ) 483,365 Lease operating expenses, including production tax 120,799 — (7,620 ) 113,179 Midstream service expenses, including minimum volume commitments 4,399 9,580 (4,481 ) 9,498 Costs of purchased oil — 132,578 — 132,578 General and administrative (1) 61,838 6,138 — 67,976 Depletion, depreciation and amortization (2) 204,908 5,923 — 210,831 Other operating costs and expenses (3) 1,404,306 834 — 1,405,140 Operating loss $ (1,447,335 ) $ (7,827 ) $ (675 ) $ (1,455,837 ) Other financial information: Income from equity method investee $ — $ 4,585 $ — $ 4,585 Interest expense (4) $ (75,962 ) $ (3,770 ) $ — $ (79,732 ) Loss on early redemption of debt (4) $ (30,056 ) $ (1,481 ) $ — $ (31,537 ) Capital expenditures $ (498,834 ) $ (35,293 ) $ — $ (534,127 ) Gross property and equipment (6) $ 5,178,245 $ 314,138 $ (908 ) $ 5,491,475 Nine months ended September 30, 2014: Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 556,054 $ 619 $ (1,097 ) $ 555,576 Midstream service revenues — 4,447 (3,428 ) 1,019 Total revenues 556,054 5,066 (4,525 ) 556,595 Lease operating expenses, including production tax 109,096 — (3,807 ) 105,289 Midstream service expenses, including minimum volume commitments — 5,994 (619 ) 5,375 General and administrative (1) 79,203 5,081 — 84,284 Depletion, depreciation and amortization (2) 163,527 3,078 — 166,605 Other operating costs and expenses (3) 1,251 28 — 1,279 Operating income (loss) $ 202,977 $ (9,115 ) $ (99 ) $ 193,763 Other financial information: Loss from equity method investee $ — $ (86 ) $ — $ (86 ) Interest expense (4) $ (87,687 ) $ (2,505 ) $ — $ (90,192 ) Capital expenditures (5) $ (938,719 ) $ (45,277 ) $ — $ (983,996 ) Gross property and equipment (6) $ 4,489,599 $ 146,483 $ (99 ) $ 4,635,983 _______________________________________________________________________________ (1) General and administrative costs were allocated based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 . However, payroll, deferred compensation, vehicle costs and the capitalization of payroll and deferred compensation associated with land and geology, which are components of general and administrative, are based on actual costs for each segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 . (2) Depletion, depreciation and amortization is based on actual costs for each segment with the exception of the allocation of other fixed assets, which is based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 . (3) Includes accretion of asset retirement obligations and impairments for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and accretion of asset retirement obligations for the nine months ended September 30, 2014. These expenses are based on actual costs and are not allocated. See Notes 2.f and 2.m for discussion of the Company's impairments. (4) Interest expense and loss on early redemption of debt are allocated based on gross property and equipment and total contributions to the Company's equity method investee as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 . (5) Capital expenditures excludes acquisition of mineral interests and acquisition of oil and natural gas properties for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 . (6) Gross property and equipment includes investment in equity method investee totaling $160.2 million and $ 40.8 million as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 , respectively. Other fixed assets were allocated based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 . The following tables present selected financial information regarding the Company's operating segments for the periods presented: (in thousands) Exploration and production Midstream and marketing Eliminations Consolidated company Three months ended September 30, 2015: Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 105,025 $ 753 $ (1,171 ) $ 104,607 Midstream service revenues — 7,917 (6,044 ) 1,873 Sales of purchased oil — 43,860 — 43,860 Total revenues 105,025 52,530 (7,215 ) 150,340 Lease operating expenses, including production tax 35,531 — (2,524 ) 33,007 Midstream service expenses — 5,240 (4,148 ) 1,092 Costs of purchased oil — 46,961 — 46,961 General and administrative (1) 20,713 2,200 — 22,913 Depletion, depreciation and amortization (2) 64,664 2,113 — 66,777 Other operating costs and expenses (3) 906,968 481 — 907,449 Operating loss $ (922,851 ) $ (4,465 ) $ (543 ) $ (927,859 ) Other financial information: Income from equity method investee $ — $ 2,104 $ — $ 2,104 Interest expense (4) $ (22,030 ) $ (1,318 ) $ — $ (23,348 ) Capital expenditures $ (117,962 ) $ (979 ) $ — $ (118,941 ) Gross property and equipment (5) $ 5,178,245 $ 314,138 $ (908 ) $ 5,491,475 Three months ended September 30, 2014: Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 199,968 $ 619 $ (1,097 ) $ 199,490 Midstream service revenues — 1,875 (1,124 ) 751 Total revenues 199,968 2,494 (2,221 ) 200,241 Lease operating expenses, including production tax 39,218 — (1,503 ) 37,715 Midstream service expenses, including minimum volume commitments — 2,519 (619 ) 1,900 General and administrative (1) 25,145 1,933 — 27,078 Depletion, depreciation and amortization (2) 62,298 1,644 — 63,942 Other operating costs and expenses (3) 414 28 — 442 Operating income (loss) $ 72,893 $ (3,630 ) $ (99 ) $ 69,164 Other financial information: Loss from equity method investee $ — $ (61 ) $ — $ (61 ) Interest expense (4) $ (29,584 ) $ (965 ) $ — $ (30,549 ) Capital expenditures $ (518,388 ) $ (19,052 ) $ — $ (537,440 ) Gross property and equipment (5) $ 4,489,599 $ 146,483 $ (99 ) $ 4,635,983 _______________________________________________________________________________ (1) General and administrative costs were allocated based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 . However, payroll, deferred compensation, vehicle costs and the capitalization of payroll and deferred compensation associated with land and geology, which are components of general and administrative, are based on actual costs for each segment for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 . (2) Depletion, depreciation and amortization is based on actual costs for each segment with the exception of the allocation of other fixed assets, which is based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 . (3) Includes accretion of asset retirement obligations and impairments for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and accretion of asset retirement obligations for the three months ended September 30, 2014. These expenses are based on actual costs and are not allocated. See Notes 2.f and 2.m for discussion of the Company's impairments. (4) Interest expense is allocated based on gross property and equipment and total contributions to the Company's equity method investee as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 . (5) Gross property and equipment includes investment in equity method investee totaling $160.2 million and $ 40.8 million as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 , respectively. Other fixed assets were allocated based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 .

Subsidiary guarantees (Tables)

Subsidiary guarantees (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Condensed Financial Information of Parent Company Only Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of condensed consolidating balance sheet	Condensed consolidating balance sheet September 30, 2015 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany eliminations Consolidated company Accounts receivable, net $ 84,918 $ 15,757 $ — $ 100,675 Other current assets 274,460 307 — 274,767 Total oil and natural gas properties, net 1,930,771 9,402 (908 ) 1,939,265 Total midstream service assets, net — 135,011 — 135,011 Total other fixed assets, net 44,444 355 — 44,799 Investment in subsidiaries and equity method investee 267,498 160,206 (267,498 ) 160,206 Total other long-term assets 173,277 4,495 — 177,772 Total assets $ 2,775,368 $ 325,533 $ (268,406 ) $ 2,832,495 Accounts payable $ 23,049 $ 598 $ — $ 23,647 Other current liabilities 213,178 54,724 — 267,902 Long-term debt, net 1,415,566 — — 1,415,566 Other long-term liabilities 33,985 2,713 — 36,698 Stockholders' equity 1,089,590 267,498 (268,406 ) 1,088,682 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 2,775,368 $ 325,533 $ (268,406 ) $ 2,832,495 Condensed consolidating balance sheet December 31, 2014 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany eliminations Consolidated company Accounts receivable, net $ 107,860 $ 19,069 $ — $ 126,929 Other current assets 238,300 24 — 238,324 Total oil and natural gas properties, net 3,196,231 7,277 (233 ) 3,203,275 Total midstream service assets, net — 108,462 — 108,462 Total other fixed assets, net 42,046 299 — 42,345 Investment in subsidiaries and equity method investee 163,349 58,288 (163,349 ) 58,288 Total other long-term assets 128,582 4,496 — 133,078 Total assets $ 3,876,368 $ 197,915 $ (163,582 ) $ 3,910,701 Accounts payable $ 38,453 $ 555 $ — $ 39,008 Other current liabilities 354,217 31,800 — 386,017 Long-term debt, net 1,779,447 — — 1,779,447 Other long-term liabilities 140,817 2,211 — 143,028 Stockholders' equity 1,563,434 163,349 (163,582 ) 1,563,201 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 3,876,368 $ 197,915 $ (163,582 ) $ 3,910,701
Schedule of condensed consolidating statement of operations	Condensed consolidating statement of operations For the three months ended September 30, 2015 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany eliminations Consolidated company Total operating revenues $ 104,920 $ 52,635 $ (7,215 ) $ 150,340 Total operating costs and expenses 1,030,143 54,728 (6,672 ) 1,078,199 Operating loss (925,223 ) (2,093 ) (543 ) (927,859 ) Interest expense and other, net (23,256 ) — — (23,256 ) Other non-operating income 142,497 2,013 80 144,590 Loss before income taxes (805,982 ) (80 ) (463 ) (806,525 ) Deferred income tax expense (41,258 ) — — (41,258 ) Net loss $ (847,240 ) $ (80 ) $ (463 ) $ (847,783 ) Condensed consolidating statement of operations For the nine months ended September 30, 2015 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany Consolidated Total operating revenues $ 348,753 $ 147,388 $ (12,776 ) $ 483,365 Total operating costs and expenses 1,802,810 148,493 (12,101 ) 1,939,202 Operating loss (1,454,057 ) (1,105 ) (675 ) (1,455,837 ) Interest expense and other, net (79,344 ) — — (79,344 ) Other non-operating income 111,842 4,494 (3,389 ) 112,947 Income (loss) before income taxes (1,421,559 ) 3,389 (4,064 ) (1,422,234 ) Deferred income tax benefit 176,945 — — 176,945 Net income (loss) $ (1,244,614 ) $ 3,389 $ (4,064 ) $ (1,245,289 ) Condensed consolidating statement of operations For the three months ended September 30, 2014 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany eliminations Consolidated company Total operating revenues $ 199,968 $ 2,494 $ (2,221 ) $ 200,241 Total operating costs and expenses 129,062 4,137 (2,122 ) 131,077 Operating income (loss) 70,906 (1,643 ) (99 ) 69,164 Interest expense and other, net (30,516 ) — — (30,516 ) Other non-operating income (expense) 88,894 (157 ) 1,800 90,537 Income (loss) before income taxes 129,284 (1,800 ) 1,701 129,185 Deferred income tax expense (45,778 ) — — (45,778 ) Net income (loss) $ 83,506 $ (1,800 ) $ 1,701 $ 83,407 Condensed consolidating statement of operations For the nine months ended September 30, 2014 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany Consolidated Total operating revenues $ 556,054 $ 5,066 $ (4,525 ) $ 556,595 Total operating costs and expenses 358,168 9,090 (4,426 ) 362,832 Operating income (loss) 197,886 (4,024 ) (99 ) 193,763 Interest expense and other, net (89,882 ) — — (89,882 ) Other non-operating expense (8,099 ) (234 ) 4,258 (4,075 ) Income (loss) before income taxes 99,905 (4,258 ) 4,159 99,806 Deferred income tax expense (35,511 ) — — (35,511 ) Net income (loss) $ 64,394 $ (4,258 ) $ 4,159 $ 64,295
Schedule of condensed consolidating statement of cash flows	Condensed consolidating statement of cash flows For the nine months ended September 30, 2015 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany eliminations Consolidated company Net cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities $ 229,065 $ (172 ) $ (3,389 ) $ 225,504 Change in investments between affiliates (101,858 ) 98,469 3,389 — Capital expenditures and other (433,580 ) (98,297 ) — (531,877 ) Net cash flows provided by financing activities 353,455 — — 353,455 Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 47,082 — — 47,082 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 29,320 1 — 29,321 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 76,402 $ 1 $ — $ 76,403 Condensed consolidating statement of cash flows For the nine months ended September 30, 2014 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Laredo Subsidiary Guarantors Intercompany eliminations Consolidated company Net cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities $ 373,834 $ (1,756 ) $ 4,258 $ 376,336 Change in investments between affiliates (79,356 ) 83,614 (4,258 ) — Capital expenditures and other (951,890 ) (81,858 ) — (1,033,748 ) Net cash flows provided by financing activities 515,019 — — 515,019 Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (142,393 ) — — (142,393 ) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 198,153 — — 198,153 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 55,760 $ — $ — $ 55,760

Subsequent Event (Tables)

Subsequent Event (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Schedule of Derivative Instruments	Subsequent to September 30, 2015, the Company entered into the following new commodity derivative contracts: Aggregate Floor price Contract period Oil (volumes in Bbl): Put (1) 1,296,000 $ 45.00 January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016 _____________________________________________________________ (1) The associated commodity derivatives will be settled based on the WTI NYMEX index oil price. A total of $4.5 million in deferred premiums are associated with these contracts.

Supplementary information (Tabl

Supplementary information (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Industries Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of costs incurred in the development of oil and natural gas properties	Costs incurred in the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and natural gas assets are presented below for the periods presented: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (in thousands) 2015 2014 2015 2014 Property acquisition costs: — Evaluated $ — $ — $ — $ 3,873 Unevaluated — — — 9,925 Exploration (1) 7,803 200,711 16,157 217,353 Development costs (2) 64,451 325,118 381,641 733,671 Total costs incurred $ 72,254 $ 525,829 $ 397,798 $ 964,822 ____________________________________________________________________________ (1) The Company acquired significant leasehold interests during the three months ended September 30, 2014 . (2) The costs incurred for oil and natural gas development activities include $0.3 million and $1.6 million in asset retirement obligations for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 , respectively, and $1.3 million and $3.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 , respectively.

Organization (Details)

Organization (Details)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015segment
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Number of operating segments	2

Basis of presentation and sig42

Basis of presentation and significant accounting policies - Current assets and liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounts receivable
Term of accounts receivable to be considered as past due (in days)		30 days
Term of past due balances to be reviewed individually for collectability (in days)		90 days
Oil, NGL and natural gas sales		$ 34,512	$ 57,070
Joint operations, net	[1]	25,553	33,808
Matured derivatives		21,729	16,098
Purchased oil and other product sales		14,436	18,917
Other		4,445	1,036
Total		100,675	126,929
Allowance for doubtful accounts of accounts receivable for joint operations		200	800
Other current liabilities
Capital contribution payable to equity method investee	[2]	34,322	0
Accrued interest payable		21,635	37,689
Oil and Gas Sales Payable		15,047	20,114
Lease operating expense payable		14,117	11,963
Other accrued liabilities		27,083	31,266
Total other current liabilities		$ 112,204	$ 101,032
[1]	Accounts receivable for joint operations are presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts of $0.2 million and $0.8 million as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.
[2]	(1)See Notes 14, 15 and 19.a for additional discussion regarding our equity method investee.

Basis of presentation and sig43

Basis of presentation and significant accounting policies - Property and equipment (Details) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)$ / bbl$ / MMBTU	Jun. 30, 2015$ / bbl$ / MMBTU	Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)$ / Boe	Jun. 30, 2015USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2014$ / Boe	Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)$ / Boe	Sep. 30, 2014$ / Boe	Dec. 31, 2014USD ($)
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net, by Type [Abstract]
Evaluated oil and natural gas properties	$ 4,895,042		$ 4,895,042			$ 4,895,042		$ 4,446,781
Less accumulated depletion and impairment	(3,180,822)		(3,180,822)			(3,180,822)		(1,586,237)
Evaluated oil and natural gas properties, net	1,714,220		1,714,220			1,714,220		2,860,544
Unevaluated properties not being amortized	225,045		225,045			225,045		342,731
Midstream service assets	149,068		149,068			149,068		117,052
Other fixed assets	62,114		62,114			62,114		56,165
Total property and equipment, net	$ 2,119,075		$ 2,119,075			$ 2,119,075		3,354,082
Depletion expense in dollars per BOE | $ / Boe			15.32		20.25	15.87	19.83
Discount rate full cost ceiling (percent)						10.00%
Full cost ceiling impairment before tax benefit			$ 906,400	$ 488,000		$ 1,390,000
Crude Oil
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net, by Type [Abstract]
Full cost method, unweighted arithmetic average rate (dollar per MMBtu and dollar per bbl) | $ / bbl	55.73	68.17
Natural Gas Liquids
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net, by Type [Abstract]
Full cost method, unweighted arithmetic average rate (dollar per MMBtu and dollar per bbl) | $ / bbl	21.87	26.73
Natural Gas
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net, by Type [Abstract]
Full cost method, unweighted arithmetic average rate (dollar per MMBtu and dollar per bbl) | $ / MMBTU	2.89	3.22
Midstream Service Assets
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net, by Type [Abstract]
Midstream service assets	$ 149,068		149,068			149,068		117,052
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	(14,057)		(14,057)			(14,057)		(8,590)
Total property and equipment, net	135,011		135,011			135,011		108,462
Other fixed assets
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net, by Type [Abstract]
Other fixed assets	47,220		47,220			47,220		42,933
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	(17,315)		(17,315)			(17,315)		(13,820)
Total property and equipment, net	29,905		29,905			29,905		29,113
Land
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net, by Type [Abstract]
Other fixed assets	$ 14,894		$ 14,894			$ 14,894		$ 13,232

Basis of presentation and sig44

Basis of presentation and significant accounting policies - Debt issuance costs and Asset retirement obligations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Debt issuance costs
Capitalization of debt issuance costs			$ 6,759	$ 7,791
Debt issuance costs, net	$ 25,047		25,047		$ 28,500
Accumulated amortization of debt issuance costs	15,900		15,900		19,400
Write-off of debt issuance costs	0	$ 0	0	124
Debt issuance costs, net	19,434		19,434		21,848
Future amortization expense of debt issuance costs
Remaining 2,015	1,116		1,116
2,016	4,503		4,503
2,017	4,575		4,575
2,018	4,349		4,349
2,019	2,915		2,915
Thereafter	7,589		7,589
Total	25,047		25,047		28,500
Reconciliation of asset retirement obligations liability
Liability at beginning of period			32,198	21,743	21,743
Liabilities added due to acquisitions, drilling, midstream service asset construction and other			1,675		6,370
Accretion expense	599	$ 442	1,771	$ 1,279	1,787
Liabilities settled upon plugging and abandonment			(122)		(450)
Liabilities removed due to sale of property			(2,005)		0
Revision of estimates			0		2,748
Liability at end of period	33,517		33,517		32,198
Adjustments for New Accounting Principle, Early Adoption
Debt issuance costs
Debt issuance costs, net	$ 19,434		19,434		$ 21,848
Senior Notes | January 2019 Notes Issued January 2011
Debt issuance costs
Write-off of debt issuance costs			$ 6,600

Basis of presentation and sig45

Basis of presentation and significant accounting policies - Long-lived assets, materials and supplies and line-fill (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Impaired Long-Lived Assets Held and Used [Line Items]
Impairment expense	$ 906,850	$ 0	$ 1,397,327	$ 0
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring | Level 2 | Materials and Supplies
Impaired Long-Lived Assets Held and Used [Line Items]
Impairment expense			2,300
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring | Level 2 | Line-fill
Impaired Long-Lived Assets Held and Used [Line Items]
Impairment expense	$ 400		$ 500

Basis of presentation and sig46

Basis of presentation and significant accounting policies - Supplemental cash flow information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Non-cash investing information:
Change in accrued capital expenditures		$ (98,958)	$ 23,945
Change in accrued capital contribution to equity method investee	[1]	34,322	(2,598)
Capitalized asset retirement cost		1,675	4,767
Supplemental cash flow information:
Capitalized interest		$ 227	$ 51
[1]	See Notes 14, 15 and 19.a for additional discussion regarding our equity method investee.

Equity offering (Details)

Equity offering (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	Mar. 05, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of offering costs	$ 754,200		$ 754,163	$ 0
Common Stock
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Equity issuance, net of offering costs (in shares)	69,000,000	0		0
Share price (in dollars per share)	$ 11.05
Common Stock | Warburg Pincus LLC
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Equity issuance, net of offering costs (in shares)	29,800,000
Ownership percentage held by largest equity investor (percentage)	41.00%

Acquisitions and Divestitures

Acquisitions and Divestitures Acquisition and Divestitures (Details) $ in Thousands		Aug. 28, 2014USD ($)a	Jun. 23, 2014USD ($)a	Jun. 11, 2014USD ($)a	Feb. 25, 2014USD ($)a	Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2014USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2014USD ($)	Sep. 15, 2015USD ($)aproperty
Acquisition and Divestitures [Abstract]
Payments to acquire oil and natural gas properties								$ 490,351	$ 925,121
Acquisition of mineral interests								0	7,305
Midland Basin
Acquisition and Divestitures [Abstract]
Area of land | a		8,156
Payments to acquire oil and natural gas properties		$ 192,500
Proved and Unproved Oil and Natural Gas Properties in Glasscock County Texas
Acquisition and Divestitures [Abstract]
Area of land | a			24		278
Acquisition of mineral interests					$ 7,300
Acquisition of oil and natural gas properties			$ 1,800
Proved and Unproved Oil and Natural Gas Properties in Reagan County Texas
Acquisition and Divestitures [Abstract]
Area of land | a				460
Acquisition of oil and natural gas properties				$ 4,700
Non-strategic Assets
Acquisition and Divestitures [Abstract]
Area of land | a										6,060
Number of properties | property										123
Discontinued operation, sale price										$ 65,500
Discontinued operation, consideration										$ 65,200
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Income Statement Disclosures [Abstract]
Oil, NGL and natural gas sales						$ 1,371	$ 5,644	5,419	15,574
Expenses	[1]					$ 1,781	$ 3,042	$ 6,565	$ 7,789
[1]	Expenses include (i) lease operating expense, (ii) production and ad valorem tax expense, (iii) accretion expense and (iv) depletion.

Debt - March 2023 Notes (Detail

Debt - March 2023 Notes (Details) - USD ($)	Mar. 18, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt		$ 1,435,000,000	$ 1,801,295,000
Senior Notes | March 2023 Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt	$ 350,000,000	$ 350,000,000	$ 0
Interest rate (as a percent)	6.25%
Net proceeds from offering	$ 343,600,000
Senior Notes | March 2023 Notes | Prior to March 15, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument redemption price percentage of principal amount that can be redeemed by equity offering	35.00%
Debt instrument redemption principal amount outstanding threshold (percentage)	65.00%
Debt instrument redemption principal amount outstanding threshold (in days)	180 days
Debt instrument, redemption period, start date	Mar. 18, 2015
Debt instrument, redemption period, end date	Mar. 15, 2018
Senior Notes | March 2023 Notes | Prior to March 15, 2018 | Equity Offering
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, redemption price percentage	106.25%
Senior Notes | March 2023 Notes | Prior to March 15, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, redemption price percentage	110.00%
Debt instrument, redemption period, start date	Mar. 18, 2015
Debt instrument, redemption period, end date	Mar. 15, 2016

Debt - Details of debt outstand

Debt - Details of debt outstanding (Details) - USD ($)		Apr. 06, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015		Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014		Jan. 23, 2014	Apr. 27, 2012	Oct. 19, 2011	Jan. 20, 2011
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt			$ 1,435,000,000		$ 1,435,000,000			$ 1,801,295,000
Gains (losses) on extinguishment of debt			0	$ 0	(31,537,000)	[1]	$ 0
Senior Secured Credit Facility | Line of Credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt	[2]		135,000,000		135,000,000			300,000,000
Maximum borrowing capacity			2,000,000,000		2,000,000,000
Current borrowing capacity			1,250,000,000		1,250,000,000
Aggregate elected commitment			1,000,000,000		1,000,000,000
Outstanding amount			135,000,000		$ 135,000,000
Credit facility, Interest rate in period (as a percent)					1.75%
Senior Secured Credit Facility | Line of Credit | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, unused capacity, commitment fee percentage					0.375%
Senior Secured Credit Facility | Line of Credit | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, unused capacity, commitment fee percentage					0.50%
Senior Secured Credit Facility | Letter of Credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity			20,000,000		$ 20,000,000
Letters of credit outstanding			0	$ 0	0		$ 0
Senior Notes | January 2022 Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt			450,000,000		450,000,000			450,000,000		$ 450,000,000
Interest rate (as a percent)										5.625%
Senior Notes | May 2022 Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt			500,000,000		500,000,000			500,000,000			$ 500,000,000
Interest rate (as a percent)											7.375%
Senior Notes | January 2019 Notes Issued January 2011
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt													$ 350,000,000
Interest rate (as a percent)													9.50%
Senior Notes | January 2019 Notes Issued October 2011
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt												$ 200,000,000
Interest rate (as a percent)												9.50%
Senior Notes | January 2019 Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt			$ 0		$ 0			$ 551,295,000	[3]
Repurchased face amount		$ 550,000,000
Debt instrument, redemption price percentage		104.75%
Gains (losses) on extinguishment of debt		$ (31,500,000)
[1]	Interest expense and loss on early redemption of debt are allocated based on gross property and equipment and total contributions to the Company's equity method investee as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[2]	Debt issuance costs related to our Senior Secured Credit Facility are recorded in "Other assets, net" on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets.
[3]	The carrying value of the January 2019 Notes includes the October Notes unamortized bond premium of $1.3 million as of December 31, 2014.

Debt - Fair value of debt (Deta

Debt - Fair value of debt (Details) - USD ($)		Sep. 30, 2015	Mar. 18, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014		Jan. 23, 2014	Apr. 27, 2012	Oct. 19, 2011
Fair value of debt
Carrying value		$ 1,435,000,000		$ 1,801,295,000
Senior Notes | January 2019 Notes
Fair value of debt
Carrying value		0		551,295,000	[1]
Senior Notes | January 2019 Notes Issued October 2011
Fair value of debt
Carrying value								$ 200,000,000
Unamortized bond premium				1,300,000
Senior Notes | January 2022 Notes
Fair value of debt
Carrying value		450,000,000		450,000,000		$ 450,000,000
Senior Notes | May 2022 Notes
Fair value of debt
Carrying value		500,000,000		500,000,000			$ 500,000,000
Senior Notes | March 2023 Notes
Fair value of debt
Carrying value		350,000,000	$ 350,000,000	0
Senior Secured Credit Facility | Line of Credit
Fair value of debt
Carrying value	[2]	135,000,000		300,000,000
Carrying value
Fair value of debt
Debt		1,435,000,000		1,801,295,000
Carrying value | Senior Notes | January 2019 Notes
Fair value of debt
Debt	[1]	0
Carrying value | Senior Notes | January 2022 Notes
Fair value of debt
Debt		450,000,000
Carrying value | Senior Notes | May 2022 Notes
Fair value of debt
Debt		500,000,000
Carrying value | Senior Notes | March 2023 Notes
Fair value of debt
Debt		350,000,000		0
Carrying value | Senior Secured Credit Facility | Line of Credit
Fair value of debt
Debt		135,000,000
Fair value
Fair value of debt
Debt		1,345,981,000		1,713,822,000
Fair value | Senior Notes | January 2019 Notes
Fair value of debt
Debt	[1]	0		550,000,000
Fair value | Senior Notes | January 2022 Notes
Fair value of debt
Debt		405,000,000		396,014,000
Fair value | Senior Notes | May 2022 Notes
Fair value of debt
Debt		487,500,000		467,529,000
Fair value | Senior Notes | March 2023 Notes
Fair value of debt
Debt		318,500,000		0
Fair value | Senior Secured Credit Facility | Line of Credit
Fair value of debt
Debt		$ 134,981,000		$ 300,279,000
[1]	The carrying value of the January 2019 Notes includes the October Notes unamortized bond premium of $1.3 million as of December 31, 2014.
[2]	Debt issuance costs related to our Senior Secured Credit Facility are recorded in "Other assets, net" on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets.

Debt - Debt issuance costs (Det

Debt - Debt issuance costs (Details) - USD ($)		Sep. 30, 2015	Mar. 18, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014		Jan. 23, 2014	Apr. 27, 2012
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying value		$ 1,435,000,000		$ 1,801,295,000
Debt issuance costs, net		(19,434,000)		(21,848,000)
Long-term debt, net		1,415,566,000		1,779,447,000
Senior Notes | January 2019 Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying value		0		551,295,000	[1]
Debt issuance costs, net		0		(7,031,000)
Long-term debt, net		0		544,264,000
Senior Notes | January 2022 Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying value		450,000,000		450,000,000		$ 450,000,000
Debt issuance costs, net		(6,183,000)		(6,916,000)
Long-term debt, net		443,817,000		443,084,000
Senior Notes | May 2022 Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying value		500,000,000		500,000,000			$ 500,000,000
Debt issuance costs, net		(7,281,000)		(7,901,000)
Long-term debt, net		492,719,000		492,099,000
Senior Notes | March 2023 Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying value		350,000,000	$ 350,000,000	0
Debt issuance costs, net		(5,970,000)		0
Long-term debt, net		344,030,000		0
Senior Secured Credit Facility | Line of Credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying value	[2]	135,000,000		300,000,000
Debt issuance costs, net	[2]	0		0
Long-term debt, net	[2]	$ 135,000,000		$ 300,000,000
[1]	The carrying value of the January 2019 Notes includes the October Notes unamortized bond premium of $1.3 million as of December 31, 2014.
[2]	Debt issuance costs related to our Senior Secured Credit Facility are recorded in "Other assets, net" on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets.

Employee compensation - Narrati

Employee compensation - Narrative (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)shares	Mar. 31, 2015$ / sharesshares	Sep. 30, 2014USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)anniversaryinstallmentshares	Sep. 30, 2014USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014shares
Equity and stock-based compensation
Net stock-based compensation expense		$ 6,877		$ 6,194	$ 17,933	$ 16,919
Restricted Stock Awards
Equity and stock-based compensation
Stock-based compensation not yet recognized		$ 26,400			$ 26,400
Stock-based compensation not yet recognized, period for recognition (in years)					1 year 10 months 24 days
Outstanding shares | shares		2,596,000			2,596,000		2,205,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period | shares	[1]				984,000
Net stock-based compensation expense		$ 4,588		4,866	$ 11,724	13,303
Restricted Stock Option Awards
Equity and stock-based compensation
Stock-based compensation not yet recognized, period for recognition (in years)					2 years 6 months 4 days
Requisite service period of the awards					4 years
Share-based compensation, not yet recognized, stock options		8,000			$ 8,000
Share-based compensation, expiration period					10 years
Share-based compensation arrangement by share based payment award, vested awards, expiration period, termination caused by death					1 year
Share-based compensation arrangement by share based payment award, vested awards, expiration period, termination without cause					90 days
Net stock-based compensation expense		925		763	$ 2,740	2,226
Performance Share Awards
Equity and stock-based compensation
Net stock-based compensation expense		1,364		565	3,469	1,390
Performance Unit Awards
Equity and stock-based compensation
Equity instruments other than options, cash paid per unit | $ / shares			$ 100
Net stock-based compensation expense		$ 1,000		$ 400	$ 2,700	$ 800
Performance Unit Awards | February 15, 2013
Equity and stock-based compensation
Outstanding shares | shares		44,481			44,481
Performance Unit Awards | February 3, 2012
Equity and stock-based compensation
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period | shares			27,381
Reorganization Grant Date | Restricted Stock Awards
Equity and stock-based compensation
Share-based compensation arrangement by share-based payment award, award vesting rights (percentage)					20.00%
Annually After Reorganization Grant Date | Restricted Stock Awards
Equity and stock-based compensation
Share-based compensation arrangement by share-based payment award, award vesting rights (percentage)					20.00%
One Year From Grant Date | Restricted Stock Awards
Equity and stock-based compensation
Share-based compensation arrangement by share-based payment award, award vesting rights (percentage)					33.00%
Two Years From Grant Date | Restricted Stock Awards
Equity and stock-based compensation
Share-based compensation arrangement by share-based payment award, award vesting rights (percentage)					33.00%
Three Years From Grant Date | Restricted Stock Awards
Equity and stock-based compensation
Share-based compensation arrangement by share-based payment award, award vesting rights (percentage)					34.00%
Vesting In Two Years | Restricted Stock Awards
Equity and stock-based compensation
Share-based compensation arrangement by share-based payment award, award vesting rights (percentage)					50.00%
Vesting In Three Years | Restricted Stock Awards
Equity and stock-based compensation
Share-based compensation arrangement by share-based payment award, award vesting rights (percentage)					50.00%
One Year From Grant Date | Restricted Stock Awards
Equity and stock-based compensation
Share-based compensation arrangement by share-based payment award, award vesting rights (percentage)					100.00%
Three Years From Grant Date | Restricted Stock Awards
Equity and stock-based compensation
Share-based compensation arrangement by share-based payment award, award vesting rights (percentage)					100.00%
Long-Term Incentive Plan
Equity and stock-based compensation
Shares available for issuance | shares		10,000,000			10,000,000
Long-Term Incentive Plan | Restricted Stock Option Awards
Equity and stock-based compensation
Number of installments over which awards vest and are exercisable | installment					4
Number of anniversaries over which awards vest and are exercisable | anniversary					4
[1]	The vesting of certain restricted stock awards could result in federal and state income tax expense or benefit related to the difference between the market price of the common stock at the date of vesting and the date of grant. See Note 7 for additional discussion regarding the tax impact of vested restricted stock awards.

Employee compensation - Restric

Employee compensation - Restricted Stock Awards - outstanding restricted stock awards (Details) - Restricted Stock Awards shares in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015$ / sharesshares
Restricted stock awards
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares)	2,205
Granted (in shares)	1,894
Forfeited (in shares)	(519)
Vested (in shares)	(984)	[1]
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)	2,596
Weighted-average grant date fair value (per award)
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 22.63
Granted (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	11.98
Forfeited (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	20.90
Vested (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	22.39	[1]
Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 15.32
[1]	The vesting of certain restricted stock awards could result in federal and state income tax expense or benefit related to the difference between the market price of the common stock at the date of vesting and the date of grant. See Note 7 for additional discussion regarding the tax impact of vested restricted stock awards.

Employee compensation - Restr55

Employee compensation - Restricted Stock Option Awards - stock option award activity (Details) - Restricted Stock Option Awards - USD ($)		3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Restricted stock option awards
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares)			1,367,000
Granted (in shares)			632,000
Exercised (in shares)		0	0
Expired or canceled (in shares)			(58,000)
Forfeited (in shares)			(139,000)
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)		1,802,000	1,802,000	1,367,000
Vested and exercisable at end of period (in shares)	[1]	569,000	569,000
Expected to vest at end of period (in shares)	[2]	1,214,000	1,214,000
Weighted-average exercise price (per option)
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)			$ 20.76
Granted (in dollars per share)			11.93
Exercised (in dollars per share)			0
Expired or cancelled (in dollars per share)			19.51
Forfeited (in dollars per share)			18.17
Outstanding at end of the period (in dollars per share)		$ 17.90	17.90	$ 20.76
Vested and exercisable at end of period (in dollars per share)	[1]	20.78	20.78
Expected to vest at end of period (in dollars per share)	[2]	$ 16.49	$ 16.49
Weighted-average remaining contractual term (years)
Outstanding at the beginning of the period			8 years 18 days	8 years 1 month 30 days
Outstanding at the end of the period			8 years 18 days	8 years 1 month 30 days
Vested and exercisable at the end of the period	[2]		6 years 10 months 21 days
Expected to vest at end of period			8 years 7 months 6 days
Aggregate intrinsic value of vested and exercisable options		$ 0	$ 0
Aggregate intrinsic value of expected to vest options		$ 0	$ 0
[1]	The vested and exercisable options as of September 30, 2015 had no aggregate intrinsic value.
[2]	The options expected to vest as of September 30, 2015 had no aggregate intrinsic value.

Employee compensation - Restr56

Employee compensation - Restricted Stock Option Awards - assumptions used to estimate fair value (Details) - Restricted Stock Option Awards	Feb. 27, 2015$ / shares
Assumptions used to estimate the fair value of options granted
Risk-free interest rate (as a percent)	1.70%	[1]
Expected option life	6 years 3 months	[2]
Expected volatility (as a percent)	52.59%	[3]
Fair value per option (in dollars per share)	$ 6.15
[1]	U.S. Treasury yields as of the grant date were utilized for the risk-free interest rate assumption, correlating the treasury yield terms to the expected life of the option.
[2]	As the Company had limited exercise history at the time of valuation relating to terminations and modifications, expected option life assumptions were developed using the simplified method in accordance with GAAP.
[3]	The Company utilized its own volatility in order to develop the expected volatility.

Employee compensation - Restr57

Employee compensation - Restricted Stock Option Awards - percentage of options exercisable (Details) - Restricted Stock Option Awards	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Less than one year of continuous employment
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Incremental percentage of option exercisable	0.00%
Cumulative percentage of option exercisable	0.00%
One year of continuous employment
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Incremental percentage of option exercisable	25.00%
Cumulative percentage of option exercisable	25.00%
Two years of continuous employment
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Incremental percentage of option exercisable	25.00%
Cumulative percentage of option exercisable	50.00%
Three years of continuous employment
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Incremental percentage of option exercisable	25.00%
Cumulative percentage of option exercisable	75.00%
Four years of continuous employment
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Incremental percentage of option exercisable	25.00%
Cumulative percentage of option exercisable	100.00%

Employee compensation - Perform

Employee compensation - Performance Share Awards (Details) - Performance Share Awards - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions		Feb. 27, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015
Assumptions used to estimate the fair value of awards granted
Risk-free interest rate (as a percent)	[1]	0.95%
Dividend yield (as a percent)		0.00%
Expected volatility (as a percent)	[2]	53.78%
Laredo stock closing price as of February 27, 2015 (in dollars per share)		$ 11.93
Fair value per performance share (in dollars per share)		$ 16.23
2014 and 2015 Performance Share Awards | February 27 2014 and February 27, 2015
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Requisite service period of the awards			3 years
Stock-based compensation not yet recognized			$ 11.4
Stock-based compensation not yet recognized, period for recognition			2 years 1 month 2 days
2015 Performance Share Awards | February 27, 2015
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (in shares)			602,501
2014 Performance Share Awards | February 27, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Outstanding shares			271,667
[1]	The risk-free rate was derived using a zero-coupon yield derived from the Treasury Constant Maturities yield curve on the grant date.
[2]	The Company utilized a peer historical look-back, weighted with the Company's own volatility, to develop the expected volatility.

Employee compensation - Stock-b

Employee compensation - Stock-based Compensation Award Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total stock-based compensation, net of amounts capitalized	$ 6,877	$ 6,194	$ 17,933	$ 16,919
Restricted Stock Awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total stock-based compensation, net of amounts capitalized	4,588	4,866	11,724	13,303
Restricted Stock Option Awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total stock-based compensation, net of amounts capitalized	925	763	2,740	2,226
Restricted Performance Shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total stock-based compensation, net of amounts capitalized	$ 1,364	$ 565	$ 3,469	$ 1,390

Income taxes - Current and defe

Income taxes - Current and deferred income tax benefit (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Current taxes	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Deferred taxes	(41,258)	(45,778)	176,945	(35,511)
Income tax (expense) benefit	$ (41,258)	$ (45,778)	$ 176,945	$ (35,511)

Income taxes - Reconciliation o

Income taxes - Reconciliation of income tax benefit (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Amount [Abstract]
Income tax benefit (expense) computed by applying the statutory rate	$ 282,284	$ (45,215)	$ 497,782	$ (34,932)
State income tax, net of federal tax benefit and increase in valuation allowance	(5,677)	247	190	1,881
Non-deductible stock-based compensation	(45)	(152)	(151)	(391)
Stock-based compensation tax deficiency	(330)	(4)	(3,168)	(160)
Increase in deferred tax valuation allowance	(317,391)	(22)	(317,407)	(1,134)
Other items	(99)	(632)	(301)	(775)
Income tax (expense) benefit	$ (41,258)	$ (45,778)	$ 176,945	$ (35,511)

Income taxes - Tax impact of sh

Income taxes - Tax impact of shortfalls (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Deferred income tax stock-based compensation tax deficiency	$ (336)	$ (5)	$ (3,225)	$ (163)
Restricted Stock Awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Deferred income tax stock-based compensation tax deficiency	(336)	(4)	(3,225)	(5)
Restricted Stock Option Awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Deferred income tax stock-based compensation tax deficiency	$ 0	$ (1)	$ 0	$ (158)

Income taxes - Deferred tax ass

Income taxes - Deferred tax assets and liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Significant components of deferred tax assets (liabilities)
Oil and natural gas properties, midstream service assets and other fixed assets	$ (27,816)	$ (424,712)
Net operating loss carry-forward	462,324	353,724
Derivatives	(107,862)	(121,365)
Stock-based compensation	11,051	10,718
Equity method investee	(19,079)	0
Accrued bonus	3,448	3,256
Capitalized interest	2,851	3,049
Other	2,628
Other		(316)
Net deferred tax asset (liability) before valuation allowance	327,545
Net deferred tax asset (liability) before valuation allowance		(175,646)
Valuation allowance	(327,545)	(1,299)
Net deferred tax asset (liability)	0
Net deferred tax asset (liability)		(176,945)
Net deferred tax assets and liabilities
Deferred tax asset	68,069	0
Deferred tax liability	(68,069)	(176,945)
Net deferred tax asset (liability)	$ 0
Net deferred tax asset (liability)		$ (176,945)

Income taxes - Additional Infor

Income taxes - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Potential adjustments to additional paid in capital for income tax benefit from share-based compensation			$ 4,500,000
Operating loss carry-forward
Deferred tax assets, valuation allowance	$ 327,545,000		327,545,000		$ 1,299,000
Unrecognized tax benefits	0		$ 0		$ 0
Effective income tax rate, federal (percent)			35.00%
Effective income tax rate (percent)		35.00%		36.00%
Valuation allowance adjustment			$ 326,200,000	$ 0
Charitable Contribution Carryforward
Operating loss carry-forward
Deferred tax assets, valuation allowance	327,500,000		327,500,000
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) | Federal
Operating loss carry-forward
Net operating loss carry-forwards	1,300,000,000		1,300,000,000
State of Oklahoma | State
Operating loss carry-forward
Net operating loss carry-forwards	$ 58,900,000		$ 58,900,000
Restricted Stock Option Awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock options exercised (in shares)	0		0

Derivatives - Gain (loss) on de

Derivatives - Gain (loss) on derivatives (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Derivative financial instruments
Cash settlements received (paid) for matured commodity derivatives				$ (175,879)	$ 1,320
Early terminations of commodity derivatives received				0	(76,660)
Commodity derivatives | Derivatives not designated as hedges
Derivative financial instruments
Cash settlements received (paid) for matured commodity derivatives	$ 66,142	$ 4,531		175,879	(1,320)
Early terminations of commodity derivatives received	0	0	$ 76,700	0	76,660
Cash settlements received for derivatives, net	$ 66,142	$ 4,531		$ 175,879	$ 75,340

Derivatives - Derivative positi

Derivatives - Derivative positions (Details) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)contract	Sep. 30, 2014USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2014USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)MMBTUcontract$ / bbl$ / MMBTUbbl	Sep. 30, 2014USD ($)
Derivative financial instruments
Cash settlements received for early terminations of derivatives, net | $					$ 0	$ (76,660)
Derivatives not designated as hedges
Derivative financial instruments
Number of open derivative contracts | contract		37			37
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Remaining Year 2015 | Crude Oil | Puts
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl	[1]				114,000
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)	[1]				75
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Remaining Year 2015 | Crude Oil | Swaps
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl	[1]				168,000
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)	[1]				96.56
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Remaining Year 2015 | Crude Oil | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl	[1]				1,641,880
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Remaining Year 2015 | Crude Oil | Basis Swaps
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl	[2]				920,000
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)	[2]				(1.95)
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Remaining Year 2015 | Natural Gas | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (MMbtu) | MMBTU	[3]				7,192,000
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Remaining Year 2015 | Floor | Crude Oil
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl					1,923,880
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)					80.99
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Remaining Year 2015 | Floor | Crude Oil | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)	[1]				79.81
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Remaining Year 2015 | Floor | Natural Gas | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu) | $ / MMBTU	[3]				3
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Remaining Year 2015 | Ceiling | Crude Oil
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl					1,809,880
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)					95.51
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Remaining Year 2015 | Ceiling | Crude Oil | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)	[1]				95.41
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Remaining Year 2015 | Ceiling | Natural Gas | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu) | $ / MMBTU	[3]				5.96
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2016 | Crude Oil | Puts
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl	[1]				0
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)	[1]				0
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2016 | Crude Oil | Swaps
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl	[1]				1,573,800
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)	[1]				84.82
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2016 | Crude Oil | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl	[1]				3,654,000
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2016 | Crude Oil | Basis Swaps
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl	[2]				0
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2016 | Natural Gas | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (MMbtu) | MMBTU	[3]				18,666,000
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2016 | Floor | Crude Oil
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl					5,227,800
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)					77.25
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2016 | Floor | Crude Oil | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)	[1]				73.99
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2016 | Floor | Natural Gas | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu) | $ / MMBTU	[3]				3
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2016 | Ceiling | Crude Oil
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl					5,227,800
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)					88.18
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2016 | Ceiling | Crude Oil | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)	[1]				89.63
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2016 | Ceiling | Natural Gas | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu) | $ / MMBTU	[3]				5.60
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2017 | Crude Oil | Puts
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl	[1]				0
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)	[1]				0
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2017 | Crude Oil | Swaps
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl	[1]				0
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2017 | Crude Oil | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl	[1]				2,628,000
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2017 | Crude Oil | Basis Swaps
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl	[2]				0
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2017 | Natural Gas | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (MMbtu) | MMBTU	[3]				5,475,000
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2017 | Floor | Crude Oil
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl					2,628,000
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)					77.22
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2017 | Floor | Crude Oil | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)	[1]				77.22
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2017 | Floor | Natural Gas | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu) | $ / MMBTU	[3]				3
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2017 | Ceiling | Crude Oil
Derivative financial instruments
Hedged Volume (Bbl) | bbl					2,628,000
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)					97.22
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2017 | Ceiling | Crude Oil | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu)	[1]				97.22
Derivatives not designated as hedges | Year 2017 | Ceiling | Natural Gas | Collars
Derivative financial instruments
Weighted-average price (Bbl/MMbtu) | $ / MMBTU	[3]				4
Commodity derivatives | Derivatives not designated as hedges
Derivative financial instruments
Cash settlements received for early terminations of derivatives, net | $		$ 0	$ 0	$ 76,700	$ 0	$ 76,660
[1]	Oil derivatives are settled based on the average of the daily settlement prices for the First Nearby Month of the West Texas Intermediate NYMEX Light Sweet Crude Oil Futures Contract for each NYMEX Trading Day during each month ("WTI NYMEX").
[2]	The associated oil basis swaps are settled on the differential between the WTI Midland and the WTI NYMEX index oil prices.
[3]	Natural gas derivatives are settled based on the Inside FERC index price for West Texas Waha for the calculation period.

Fair value measurements - Fair

Fair value measurements - Fair value hierarchy (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative asset, current	$ 184,157	$ 194,601
Derivative asset, noncurrent	97,850	117,788
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liability, current	0	(115)
Recurring
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Net derivative position	282,007	312,274
Recurring | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative asset, current	178,336	190,303
Derivative asset, noncurrent	100,594	117,963
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liability, current	0	0
Derivative liability, noncurrent	0	0
Recurring | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative asset, current	(4,751)	(4,653)
Derivative asset, noncurrent	(5,964)	(3,821)
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liability, current	0	(115)
Derivative liability, noncurrent	0	0
Recurring | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative asset, current	10,747	9,647
Derivative asset, noncurrent	3,659	3,646
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liability, current	0	0
Derivative liability, noncurrent	0	0
Recurring | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative asset, current	(175)	(696)
Derivative asset, noncurrent	(439)	0
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liability, current	0	0
Derivative liability, noncurrent	0	0
Recurring | Current Assets | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amounts offset	(1,805)	0
Recurring | Current Assets | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amounts offset	(4,751)	(4,653)
Recurring | Current Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amounts offset	0	0
Recurring | Current Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amounts offset	(175)	(696)
Recurring | Noncurrent Assets | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amounts offset	0	0
Recurring | Noncurrent Assets | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amounts offset	(5,964)	(3,821)
Recurring | Noncurrent Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amounts offset	0	0
Recurring | Noncurrent Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amounts offset	(439)	0
Recurring | Current Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amount offset	1,805	0
Recurring | Current Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amount offset	4,751	4,653
Recurring | Current Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amount offset	0	0
Recurring | Current Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amount offset	175	696
Recurring | Noncurrent Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amount offset	0	0
Recurring | Noncurrent Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amount offset	5,964	3,821
Recurring | Noncurrent Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amount offset	0	0
Recurring | Noncurrent Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Amount offset	439	0
Recurring | Fair value
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Net derivative position	282,007	312,274
Recurring | Fair value | Current Assets | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	180,141	190,303
Recurring | Fair value | Current Assets | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Fair value | Current Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	10,747	9,647
Recurring | Fair value | Current Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Fair value | Noncurrent Assets | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	100,594	117,963
Recurring | Fair value | Noncurrent Assets | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Fair value | Noncurrent Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	3,659	3,646
Recurring | Fair value | Noncurrent Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Fair value | Current Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	(1,805)	0
Recurring | Fair value | Current Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	(4,751)	(4,768)
Recurring | Fair value | Current Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Fair value | Current Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	(175)	(696)
Recurring | Fair value | Noncurrent Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Fair value | Noncurrent Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	(5,964)	(3,821)
Recurring | Fair value | Noncurrent Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Fair value | Noncurrent Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	(439)	0
Recurring | Level 1
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Net derivative position	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Current Assets | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Current Assets | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Current Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Current Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Noncurrent Assets | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Noncurrent Assets | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Noncurrent Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Noncurrent Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Current Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Current Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Current Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Current Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Noncurrent Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Noncurrent Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Noncurrent Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 1 | Noncurrent Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 2
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Net derivative position	293,336	321,559
Recurring | Level 2 | Current Assets | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	180,141	190,303
Recurring | Level 2 | Current Assets | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 2 | Current Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	10,747	9,647
Recurring | Level 2 | Current Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 2 | Noncurrent Assets | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	100,594	117,963
Recurring | Level 2 | Noncurrent Assets | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 2 | Noncurrent Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	3,659	3,646
Recurring | Level 2 | Noncurrent Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 2 | Current Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	(1,805)	0
Recurring | Level 2 | Current Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 2 | Current Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 2 | Current Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 2 | Noncurrent Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 2 | Noncurrent Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 2 | Noncurrent Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 2 | Noncurrent Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 3
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Net derivative position	(11,329)	(9,285)
Recurring | Level 3 | Current Assets | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 3 | Current Assets | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 3 | Current Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 3 | Current Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 3 | Noncurrent Assets | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 3 | Noncurrent Assets | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 3 | Noncurrent Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 3 | Noncurrent Assets | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Assets, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative assets before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 3 | Current Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 3 | Current Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	(4,751)	(4,768)
Recurring | Level 3 | Current Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 3 | Current Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	(175)	(696)
Recurring | Level 3 | Noncurrent Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 3 | Noncurrent Liabilities | Crude Oil | Oil deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	(5,964)	(3,821)
Recurring | Level 3 | Noncurrent Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas derivatives
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	0	0
Recurring | Level 3 | Noncurrent Liabilities | Natural Gas | Natural gas deferred premiums
Liabilities, Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative liabilities before netting	$ (439)	$ 0

Fair value measurements - Narra

Fair value measurements - Narrative (Details) - Recurring - Level 3 - Commodity derivatives	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Minimum
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Discount rate	1.69%
Maximum
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Discount rate	3.56%

Fair value measurements - Cash

Fair value measurements - Cash payments required for deferred premium contracts (Details) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Remaining 2,015	$ 1,249
2,016	4,471
2,017	5,418
2,018	426
Total	$ 11,564

Fair value measurements - Summa

Fair value measurements - Summary of changes in assets (liabilities) classified as Level 3 (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Changes in assets classified as Level 3 measurements
Change in net present value of deferred premiums for derivatives			$ 141	$ 170
Deferred Premiums
Changes in assets classified as Level 3 measurements
Balance of Level 3 at beginning of period	$ (12,087)	$ (9,025)	(9,285)	(12,684)
Change in net present value of deferred premiums for derivatives	(53)	(50)	(141)	(170)
Purchases	(437)	(3,800)	(5,821)	(3,800)
Settlements	1,248	1,820	3,918	5,599
Balance of Level 3 at end of period	$ (11,329)	$ (11,055)	$ (11,329)	$ (11,055)

Commitments and contingencies (

Commitments and contingencies (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation [Line Items]
Well service expense	$ 0	$ 500,000	$ 0	$ 0
Deferred tax assets, valuation allowance	327,545,000	$ 1,299,000
Drilling Contracts
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation [Line Items]
Future commitments	$ 18,400,000

Restructuring (Details)

Restructuring (Details) $ in Thousands	Jan. 20, 2015employee	Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2014USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2014USD ($)
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring expenses		$ 0	$ 0	$ 6,042	$ 0
Reduction in Force (RIF)
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring expenses				$ 6,000
Workforce Reduction | Reduction in Force (RIF)
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected number of positions eliminated | employee	75
Contract Termination | Reduction in Force (RIF)
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected number of positions eliminated | employee	24

Net loss per share (Details)

Net loss per share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands		1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
		Feb. 28, 2014	Feb. 28, 2013	Feb. 29, 2012	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, Other Disclosures [Abstract]
Net income (loss)—basic and diluted					$ (847,783)	$ 83,407	$ (1,245,289)	$ 64,295
Weighted-average common shares outstanding-basic (in shares)	[1]				211,204,000	141,413,000	195,081,000	141,261,000
Weighted-average common shares outstanding-diluted (in shares)	[1]				211,204,000	143,813,000	195,081,000	143,583,000
Net loss per share-basic (in dollars per share)					$ (4.01)	$ 0.59	$ (6.38)	$ 0.46
Net loss per share-diluted (in dollars per share)					$ (4.01)	$ 0.58	$ (6.38)	$ 0.45
Restricted Stock Awards
Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, Other Disclosures [Abstract]
Restricted stock					0	2,334,000	0	2,246,000
Awards granted (in shares)							1,894,000
Restricted Stock Option Awards
Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, Other Disclosures [Abstract]
Restricted stock	[2]				0	66,000	0	76,000
Awards granted (in shares)		336,140	780,281	306,177
Share price (in dollars per share)		$ 25.60	$ 17.34	$ 24.11
[1]	For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, weighted-average common shares outstanding used in the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to stockholders has been computed taking into account the March 2015 Equity Offering.
[2]	For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the dilutive effect of the Company's then outstanding options that were granted in February 2013 to purchase 780,281 shares of common stock at $17.34 per share was calculated utilizing the treasury stock method.

Variable interest entity (Detai

Variable interest entity (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Contributions to equity method investee				$ 63,011	$ 37,581
Minimum volume commitments	$ 0		$ 675	5,235	1,779
Medallion Gathering And Processing LLC | Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Contributions to equity method investee	$ 48,500		$ 18,100	$ 63,000	$ 37,600
Ownership percentage	49.00%			49.00%
Equity method investment ownership percentage held by investment partner	51.00%			51.00%
Voting percentage required for key decisions				75.00%
Minimum volume commitments		$ 3,000

Related Parties - Consolidated

Related Parties - Consolidated Statement of Operations related to Medallion (Details) - Equity Method Investee - Medallion Gathering And Processing LLC - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Midstream service revenues
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related party revenues	$ 0	$ 0	$ 487	$ 0
Minimum volume commitments
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related party revenues	0	675	5,235	1,779
Interest and other income
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related party revenues	$ 50	$ 0	$ 158	$ 0

Related Parties - Balance Sheet

Related Parties - Balance Sheet related to Medallion (Details) - Equity Method Investee - Medallion Gathering And Processing LLC - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Other assets, net
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related party assets and liabilities	$ 1,269	$ 1,110
Other current liabilities
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related party assets and liabilities	$ 34,322	$ 3,443

Related Parties - Consolidate77

Related Parties - Consolidated Statement of Operations related to Targa Resources (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Affiliated Entity | Targa Resources Corp. | Oil, NGL and natural gas sales
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related party revenues	$ 23,540	$ 24,148	$ 77,183	$ 70,624

Related Parties - Balance She78

Related Parties - Balance Sheet related to Targa Resources (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Affiliated Entity | Targa Resources Corp.
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Accounts receivable, net	$ 7,138	$ 12,869

Segments - Selected financial i

Segments - Selected financial information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2015		Sep. 30, 2014		Sep. 30, 2015		Sep. 30, 2014
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Oil, NGL and natural gas sales		$ 104,607		$ 199,490		$ 348,279		$ 555,576
Midstream service revenues		1,873		751		4,908		1,019
Sales of purchased oil		43,860		0		130,178		0
Total revenues		150,340		200,241		483,365		556,595
Lease operating expenses, including production tax		33,007		37,715		113,179		105,289
Midstream service expenses		1,092		1,900		9,498		5,375
Costs of purchased oil		46,961		0		132,578		0
General and administrative		22,913	[1]	27,078	[1]	67,976	[2]	84,284	[2]
Depletion, depreciation and amortization		66,777	[3]	63,942	[3]	210,831	[4]	166,605	[4]
Other operating costs and expenses		907,449	[5]	442	[5]	1,405,140	[6]	1,279	[6]
Operating income (loss)		(927,859)		69,164		(1,455,837)		193,763
Income (loss) from equity method investee		2,104		(61)		4,585		(86)
Interest expense		(23,348)	[7]	(30,549)	[7]	(79,732)	[8]	(90,192)	[8]
Loss on early redemption of debt		0		0		(31,537)	[8]	0
Capital expenditures		(118,941)		(537,440)		(534,127)		(983,996)	[9]
Gross property and equipment	[10],[11]	5,491,475		4,635,983		5,491,475		4,635,983
Operating Segments | Exploration and production
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Oil, NGL and natural gas sales		105,025		199,968		348,915		556,054
Midstream service revenues		0		0		0		0
Sales of purchased oil		0				0
Total revenues		105,025		199,968		348,915		556,054
Lease operating expenses, including production tax		35,531		39,218		120,799		109,096
Midstream service expenses		0		0		4,399		0
Costs of purchased oil		0				0
General and administrative		20,713	[1]	25,145	[1]	61,838	[2]	79,203	[2]
Depletion, depreciation and amortization		64,664	[3]	62,298	[3]	204,908	[4]	163,527	[4]
Other operating costs and expenses		906,968	[5]	414	[5]	1,404,306	[6]	1,251	[6]
Operating income (loss)		(922,851)		72,893		(1,447,335)		202,977
Income (loss) from equity method investee		0		0		0		0
Interest expense		(22,030)	[7]	(29,584)	[7]	(75,962)	[8]	(87,687)	[8]
Loss on early redemption of debt	[8]					(30,056)
Capital expenditures		(117,962)		(518,388)		(498,834)		(938,719)	[9]
Gross property and equipment	[10],[11]	5,178,245		4,489,599		5,178,245		4,489,599
Operating Segments | Midstream and marketing
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Oil, NGL and natural gas sales		753		619		1,086		619
Midstream service revenues		7,917		1,875		15,962		4,447
Sales of purchased oil		43,860				130,178
Total revenues		52,530		2,494		147,226		5,066
Lease operating expenses, including production tax		0		0		0		0
Midstream service expenses		5,240		2,519		9,580		5,994
Costs of purchased oil		46,961				132,578
General and administrative		2,200	[1]	1,933	[1]	6,138	[2]	5,081	[2]
Depletion, depreciation and amortization		2,113	[3]	1,644	[3]	5,923	[4]	3,078	[4]
Other operating costs and expenses		481	[5]	28	[5]	834	[6]	28	[6]
Operating income (loss)		(4,465)		(3,630)		(7,827)		(9,115)
Income (loss) from equity method investee		2,104		(61)		4,585		(86)
Interest expense		(1,318)	[7]	(965)	[7]	(3,770)	[8]	(2,505)	[8]
Loss on early redemption of debt	[8]					(1,481)
Capital expenditures		(979)		(19,052)		(35,293)		(45,277)	[9]
Gross property and equipment	[10],[11]	314,138		146,483		314,138		146,483
Eliminations
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Oil, NGL and natural gas sales		(1,171)		(1,097)		(1,722)		(1,097)
Midstream service revenues		(6,044)		(1,124)		(11,054)		(3,428)
Sales of purchased oil		0				0
Total revenues		(7,215)		(2,221)		(12,776)		(4,525)
Lease operating expenses, including production tax		(2,524)		(1,503)		(7,620)		(3,807)
Midstream service expenses		(4,148)		(619)		(4,481)		(619)
Costs of purchased oil		0				0
General and administrative		0	[1]	0	[1]	0	[2]	0	[2]
Depletion, depreciation and amortization		0	[3]	0	[3]	0	[4]	0	[4]
Other operating costs and expenses		0	[5]	0	[5]	0	[6]	0	[6]
Operating income (loss)		(543)		(99)		(675)		(99)
Income (loss) from equity method investee		0		0		0		0
Interest expense		0	[7]	0	[7]	0	[8]	0	[8]
Loss on early redemption of debt	[8]					0
Capital expenditures		0		0		0		0	[9]
Gross property and equipment	[10],[11]	$ (908)		$ (99)		$ (908)		$ (99)
[1]	General and administrative costs were allocated based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014. However, payroll, deferred compensation, vehicle costs and the capitalization of payroll and deferred compensation associated with land and geology, which are components of general and administrative, are based on actual costs for each segment for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[2]	General and administrative costs were allocated based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014. However, payroll, deferred compensation, vehicle costs and the capitalization of payroll and deferred compensation associated with land and geology, which are components of general and administrative, are based on actual costs for each segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[3]	Depletion, depreciation and amortization is based on actual costs for each segment with the exception of the allocation of other fixed assets, which is based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[4]	Depletion, depreciation and amortization is based on actual costs for each segment with the exception of the allocation of other fixed assets, which is based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[5]	Includes accretion of asset retirement obligations and impairments for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and accretion of asset retirement obligations for the three months ended September 30, 2014. These expenses are based on actual costs and are not allocated. See Notes 2.f and 2.m for discussion of the Company's impairments.
[6]	Includes accretion of asset retirement obligations and impairments for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and accretion of asset retirement obligations for the nine months ended September 30, 2014. These expenses are based on actual costs and are not allocated. See Notes 2.f and 2.m for discussion of the Company's impairments.
[7]	Interest expense is allocated based on gross property and equipment and total contributions to the Company's equity method investee as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[8]	Interest expense and loss on early redemption of debt are allocated based on gross property and equipment and total contributions to the Company's equity method investee as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[9]	Capital expenditures excludes acquisition of mineral interests and acquisition of oil and natural gas properties for the nine months ended September 30, 2014.
[10]	Gross property and equipment includes investment in equity method investee totaling $160.2 million and $40.8 million as of September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Other fixed assets were allocated based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.
[11]	Gross property and equipment includes investment in equity method investee totaling $160.2 million and $40.8 million as of September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Other fixed assets were allocated based on the number of employees in the respective segment as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.

Segments - Additional Informati

Segments - Additional Information (Details) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)segment	Dec. 31, 2014USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2014USD ($)
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of operating segments | segment	2
Investment in equity method investee	$ 160,206	$ 58,288	$ 40,800

Subsidiary guarantees - Condens

Subsidiary guarantees - Condensed consolidating balance sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Subsidiary guarantees
Accounts receivable, net	$ 100,675	$ 126,929
Other current assets	274,767	238,324
Total oil and natural gas properties, net	1,939,265	3,203,275
Total midstream service assets, net	135,011	108,462
Total other fixed assets, net	44,799	42,345
Investment in subsidiaries and equity method investee	160,206	58,288
Total other long-term assets	177,772	133,078
Total assets	2,832,495	3,910,701
Accounts payable	23,647	39,008
Other current liabilities	267,902	386,017
Long-term debt, net	1,415,566	1,779,447
Other long-term liabilities	36,698	143,028
Stockholders' equity	1,088,682	1,563,201
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	2,832,495	3,910,701
Intercompany eliminations
Subsidiary guarantees
Accounts receivable, net	0	0
Other current assets	0	0
Total oil and natural gas properties, net	(908)	(233)
Total midstream service assets, net	0	0
Total other fixed assets, net	0	0
Investment in subsidiaries and equity method investee	(267,498)	(163,349)
Total other long-term assets	0	0
Total assets	(268,406)	(163,582)
Accounts payable	0	0
Other current liabilities	0	0
Long-term debt, net	0	0
Other long-term liabilities	0	0
Stockholders' equity	(268,406)	(163,582)
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	(268,406)	(163,582)
Laredo | Reportable Legal Entities
Subsidiary guarantees
Accounts receivable, net	84,918	107,860
Other current assets	274,460	238,300
Total oil and natural gas properties, net	1,930,771	3,196,231
Total midstream service assets, net	0	0
Total other fixed assets, net	44,444	42,046
Investment in subsidiaries and equity method investee	267,498	163,349
Total other long-term assets	173,277	128,582
Total assets	2,775,368	3,876,368
Accounts payable	23,049	38,453
Other current liabilities	213,178	354,217
Long-term debt, net	1,415,566	1,779,447
Other long-term liabilities	33,985	140,817
Stockholders' equity	1,089,590	1,563,434
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	2,775,368	3,876,368
Subsidiary Guarantors | Reportable Legal Entities
Subsidiary guarantees
Accounts receivable, net	15,757	19,069
Other current assets	307	24
Total oil and natural gas properties, net	9,402	7,277
Total midstream service assets, net	135,011	108,462
Total other fixed assets, net	355	299
Investment in subsidiaries and equity method investee	160,206	58,288
Total other long-term assets	4,495	4,496
Total assets	325,533	197,915
Accounts payable	598	555
Other current liabilities	54,724	31,800
Long-term debt, net	0	0
Other long-term liabilities	2,713	2,211
Stockholders' equity	267,498	163,349
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$ 325,533	$ 197,915

Subsidiary guarantees - Conde82

Subsidiary guarantees - Condensed consolidating statement of operations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Subsidiary guarantees
Total operating revenues	$ 150,340	$ 200,241	$ 483,365	$ 556,595
Total operating costs and expenses	1,078,199	131,077	1,939,202	362,832
Operating income (loss)	(927,859)	69,164	(1,455,837)	193,763
Interest expense and other, net	(23,256)	(30,516)	(79,344)	(89,882)
Other non-operating income	144,590	90,537	112,947	(4,075)
Income (loss) before income taxes	(806,525)	129,185	(1,422,234)	99,806
Deferred income tax (expense) benefit	(41,258)	(45,778)	176,945	(35,511)
Net income (loss)	(847,783)	83,407	(1,245,289)	64,295
Intercompany eliminations
Subsidiary guarantees
Total operating revenues	(7,215)	(2,221)	(12,776)	(4,525)
Total operating costs and expenses	(6,672)	(2,122)	(12,101)	(4,426)
Operating income (loss)	(543)	(99)	(675)	(99)
Interest expense and other, net	0	0	0	0
Other non-operating income	80	1,800	(3,389)	4,258
Income (loss) before income taxes	(463)	1,701	(4,064)	4,159
Deferred income tax (expense) benefit	0	0	0	0
Net income (loss)	(463)	1,701	(4,064)	4,159
Laredo | Reportable Legal Entities
Subsidiary guarantees
Total operating revenues	104,920	199,968	348,753	556,054
Total operating costs and expenses	1,030,143	129,062	1,802,810	358,168
Operating income (loss)	(925,223)	70,906	(1,454,057)	197,886
Interest expense and other, net	(23,256)	(30,516)	(79,344)	(89,882)
Other non-operating income	142,497	88,894	111,842	(8,099)
Income (loss) before income taxes	(805,982)	129,284	(1,421,559)	99,905
Deferred income tax (expense) benefit	(41,258)	(45,778)	176,945	(35,511)
Net income (loss)	(847,240)	83,506	(1,244,614)	64,394
Subsidiary Guarantors | Reportable Legal Entities
Subsidiary guarantees
Total operating revenues	52,635	2,494	147,388	5,066
Total operating costs and expenses	54,728	4,137	148,493	9,090
Operating income (loss)	(2,093)	(1,643)	(1,105)	(4,024)
Interest expense and other, net	0	0	0	0
Other non-operating income	2,013	(157)	4,494	(234)
Income (loss) before income taxes	(80)	(1,800)	3,389	(4,258)
Deferred income tax (expense) benefit	0	0	0	0
Net income (loss)	$ (80)	$ (1,800)	$ 3,389	$ (4,258)

Subsidiary guarantees - Conde83

Subsidiary guarantees - Condensed consolidating statement of cash flows (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Subsidiary guarantees
Net cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities	$ 225,504	$ 376,336
Change in investments between affiliates	0	0
Capital expenditures and other	(531,877)	(1,033,748)
Net cash flows provided by financing activities	353,455	515,019
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	47,082	(142,393)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	29,321	198,153
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	76,403	55,760
Intercompany eliminations
Subsidiary guarantees
Net cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities	(3,389)	4,258
Change in investments between affiliates	3,389	(4,258)
Capital expenditures and other	0	0
Net cash flows provided by financing activities	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	0	0
Laredo | Reportable Legal Entities
Subsidiary guarantees
Net cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities	229,065	373,834
Change in investments between affiliates	(101,858)	(79,356)
Capital expenditures and other	(433,580)	(951,890)
Net cash flows provided by financing activities	353,455	515,019
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	47,082	(142,393)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	29,320	198,153
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	76,402	55,760
Subsidiary Guarantors | Reportable Legal Entities
Subsidiary guarantees
Net cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities	(172)	(1,756)
Change in investments between affiliates	98,469	83,614
Capital expenditures and other	(98,297)	(81,858)
Net cash flows provided by financing activities	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	1	0
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 1	$ 0

Recent accounting pronounceme84

Recent accounting pronouncements Recent accounting pronouncements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Debt issuance costs, net	$ (19,434)			$ (21,848)
Adjustments for New Accounting Principle, Early Adoption
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Debt issuance costs, net	$ (19,434)			$ (21,848)
Effect of change in accounting principle on assets		$ (20,100)	$ (26,600)
Effect of change in accounting principle on liabilities		$ 20,100	$ 26,600

Subsequent Events (Details)

Subsequent Events (Details) - USD ($)	Oct. 15, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Oct. 30, 2015
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Investment in equity method investee		$ 63,011,000	$ 37,581,000
Senior Secured Credit Facility | Line of Credit
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Current borrowing capacity		1,250,000,000
Maximum borrowing capacity		2,000,000,000
Aggregate elected commitment		$ 1,000,000,000
Subsequent Event | Senior Secured Credit Facility | Line of Credit
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Current borrowing capacity				$ 1,150,000,000
Maximum borrowing capacity				2,000,000,000
Aggregate elected commitment				1,000,000,000
Subsequent Event | Senior Secured Credit Facility | Line of Credit, Permitted Investments
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity				$ 225,000,000
Subsequent Event | Medallion Gathering And Processing LLC
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Investment in equity method investee	$ 10,400,000

Subsequent events - New Commodi

Subsequent events - New Commodity Derivatives Contract (Details) - Crude Oil - Puts - Subsequent Event $ in Millions	Nov. 02, 2015USD ($)bbl$ / bbl
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Aggregate volumes (Bbl) | bbl	1,296,000	[1]
Floor Price (dollars per Bbl) | $ / bbl	45	[1]
Derivative, deferred premium	$ 4.5
[1]	The associated commodity derivatives will be settled based on the WTI NYMEX index oil price. A total of $4.5 million in deferred premiums are associated with these contracts

Supplementary information (Deta

Supplementary information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Property acquisition costs:
Evaluated		$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 3,873
Unevaluated		0	0	0	9,925
Exploration	[1]	7,803	200,711	16,157	217,353
Development costs	[2]	64,451	325,118	381,641	733,671
Total costs incurred		72,254	525,829	397,798	964,822
Asset Retirement Obligations
Property acquisition costs:
Total costs incurred		$ 300	$ 1,600	$ 1,300	$ 3,100
[1]	The Company acquired significant leasehold interests during the three months ended September 30, 2014.
[2]	The costs incurred for oil and natural gas development activities include $0.3 million and $1.6 million in asset retirement obligations for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and $1.3 million and $3.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.