SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 11-K
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 1997
OR
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from __________ to __________
Commission file number 1-7792
A. Full title of the plan and the address of the plan, if different from
that of the issuer named below:
TAX-ADVANTAGED SAVINGS PLAN OF POGO PRODUCING COMPANY
B. Name of issuer of the securities held pursuant to the plan and the
address of its principal executive office:
POGO PRODUCING COMPANY
5 GREENWAY PLAZA, SUITE 2700
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77046
Item 4. (a) Financial Statements and Schedules prepared in accordance
with the financial reporting requirements of ERISA.
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
To the Administrative Board,
Tax-Advantaged Savings Plan
of Pogo Producing Company:
We have audited the accompanying statements of net assets available for plan
benefits of the Tax-Advantaged Savings Plan of Pogo Producing Company (the Plan)
as of December 31, 1997 and 1996, and the related statements of changes in net
assets available for plan benefits for the years then ended. These financial
statements and the schedules referred to below are the responsibility of the
administrative board of the Plan. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on
these financial statements and schedules based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with generally accepted auditing
standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material
misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in
all material respects, the net assets available for Plan benefits as of December
31, 1997 and 1996, and the changes in its net assets available for Plan benefits
for the years then ended, in conformity with generally accepted accounting
principles.
Our audits were performed for the purpose of forming an opinion on the basic
financial statements taken as a whole. The supplemental schedules of assets held
for investment purposes as of December 31, 1997, and reportable transactions for
the year then ended are presented for purposes of additional analysis and are
not a required part of the basic financial statements but are supplementary
information required by the Department of Labor's Rules and Regulations for
Reporting and Disclosure under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974. The supplemental schedules have been subjected to the auditing procedures
applied in the audits of the basic financial statements and, in our opinion, are
fairly stated in all material respects in relation to the basic financial
statements taken as a whole.
ARTHUR ANDERSEN LLP
Houston, Texas
May 15, 1998
TAX-ADVANTAGED SAVINGS PLAN OF
POGO PRODUCING COMPANY
STATEMENTS OF NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR PLAN BENEFITS
DECEMBER 31, 1997 AND 1996
1997 1996
----------- -----------
INVESTMENTS, at quoted market value:
Common stock of Pogo Producing Company ........... $ 8,704,772 $13,968,139
Prime Portfolio Money Market Fund ................ 870,442 745,511
Investment Grade Corporate Portfolio Bond Fund ... 527,742 499,790
Vanguard/Wellington Fund ......................... 1,180,000 817,075
Vanguard/Index Trust - 500 Portfolio ............. 758,867 487,959
Vanguard PrimeCap Fund ........................... 2,240,276 1,526,522
CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVABLE:
Participant ...................................... 41,854 34,170
Company .......................................... 28,703 24,033
CASH ............................................... 3,267 2,194
----------- -----------
NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR PLAN BENEFITS ............. $14,355,923 $18,105,393
=========== ===========
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
TAX-ADVANTAGED SAVINGS PLAN OF
POGO PRODUCING COMPANY
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
AVAILABLE FOR PLAN BENEFITS
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1997 AND 1996
1997 1996
------------ ------------
INTEREST/DIVIDEND INCOME ........................... $ 314,465 $ 234,394
------------ ------------
NET APPRECIATION (DEPRECIATION) IN MARKET
VALUE OF INVESTMENTS ............................. (4,632,910) 5,915,258
CONTRIBUTIONS:
Participant ...................................... 743,616 608,525
Company (net of $- and $9,463 of forfeitures by
terminated participants in the respective years) 594,324 470,992
------------ ------------
Total contributions ............... 1,337,940 1,079,517
------------ ------------
WITHDRAWALS AND TERMINATIONS ....................... (768,965) (748,961)
------------ ------------
INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR
PLAN BENEFITS .................................... (3,749,470) 6,480,208
NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR PLAN BENEFITS, beginning of
year ............................................... 18,105,393 11,625,185
------------ ------------
NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR PLAN BENEFITS, end of year $ 14,355,923 $ 18,105,393
============ ============
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
TAX-ADVANTAGED SAVINGS PLAN OF
POGO PRODUCING COMPANY
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAN:
GENERAL
Pogo Producing Company (Pogo) adopted the Employees Stock Purchase Plan
effective January 1, 1978, as amended July 10, 1981. On January 1, 1985, the
Employees Stock Purchase Plan was amended and renamed the Tax-Advantaged Savings
Plan (the Plan). Any salaried employee of Pogo is eligible to be a participant
of the Plan on the first day of the calendar quarter following employment.
John O. McCoy, Jr., an officer of Pogo, serves as trustee of the Plan. The Plan
is administered by an administrative board appointed by Pogo's board of
directors. The members of the administrative board receive no compensation for
their services, and all expenses of the Plan, including brokerage commissions,
are paid by Pogo.
2. SUMMARY OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES:
BASIS OF ACCOUNTING
The records of the Plan are maintained on the cash basis of accounting and are
adjusted to the accrual basis for financial reporting purposes.
Quoted market prices as of the last trading day of the Plan year have been used
to determine the market value of Plan investments.
USE OF ESTIMATES
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles requires management to use estimates and assumptions that
affect the accompanying financial statements and disclosures. Actual results
could differ from those estimates.
CONTRIBUTIONS
Each participant may contribute up to 10 percent of his compensation to the
Plan. In accordance with provisions of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, each
participant's contributions are subject to certain limitations. This limitation
was $9,500 for 1997 and 1996. Pogo contributes an amount equal to each
participant's contribution, limited to a maximum of 6 percent of the
participant's eligible compensation. Each participant's account is credited with
his or her contribution, the company-matching contribution and an allocation of
Plan earnings. Allocations of earnings are based on the proportion that each
participant's account balance bears to the total of all participant account
balances. Matching funds contributed to the Plan by Pogo are invested only in
Pogo common stock. (See Exhibits 1 and 2 for financial statements by investment
fund.)
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INVESTMENTS
The investment options include the Pogo Common Stock Fund, the Prime Portfolio
Money Market Fund, the Investment Grade Corporate Portfolio Bond Fund, the
Vanguard/Wellington Fund, the Vanguard/Index Trust - 500 Portfolio and the
Vanguard PrimeCap Fund.
The Pogo Common Stock Fund is used to invest in Pogo common stock. All employer
contributions as well as employee-designated monies are placed in this account.
Any dividends are used to purchase additional shares for the Plan.
The Prime Portfolio Money Market Fund (Money Market Fund) invests in
high-quality money market instruments that mature in one year or less.
The Investment Grade Corporate Portfolio Bond Fund (Corporate Bond Fund)
investments are placed in a diversified portfolio of long-term, investment-grade
bonds which, at the time of purchase, were selected from the four highest grades
assigned by Moody's Investors Service or Standard & Poors Corporation (S&P).
The Vanguard/Wellington Fund (Wellington Fund) contributions are invested in a
diversified and balanced program of investing in bonds and common stocks. Bonds
are held for relative stability of income and principal, while the common stocks
are held for potential growth of capital and income. The fund invests
approximately 60 percent to 70 percent of its total assets in common stock.
The Vanguard/Index Trust - 500 Portfolio (Index 500 Fund) investments are placed
in all of the stocks included in the S&P 500 Index in approximately the same
proportions as they are represented in the S&P 500 Index.
The Vanguard PrimeCap Fund (PrimeCap Fund) invests principally in a portfolio of
common stocks selected on the basis of fundamental factors such as above-average
earnings growth and current earnings as compared to the S&P 500 Index,
consistency of earnings growth and earnings quality.
DISTRIBUTIONS AND WITHDRAWALS
Participants are entitled to receive the portion of the Plan equity which
represents their individual contribution. The Plan allows participants to be
fully vested in the portion of the Plan which is represented by Pogo
contributions after two full years of employment with the company.
In the event of death, retirement, disability or termination after vesting, a
participant is entitled to all of his portion of the Plan equity applicable to
Pogo's contributions.
RECONCILIATION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS TO
FORM 5500
The following is a reconciliation of net assets available for Plan benefits per
the financial statements to the Form 5500:
DECEMBER 31
---------------------------
1997 1996
------------ ------------
Net assets available for Plan benefits -
financial statements ........................... $ 14,355,923 $ 18,105,393
Less- Amounts allocated to withdrawing
participants ................................... (385,348) (106,366)
------------ ------------
Net assets available for Plan benefits - Form 5500 $ 13,970,575 $ 17,999,027
============ ============
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The following is a reconciliation of withdrawals and terminations from the
financial statements to the Form 5500:
DECEMBER 31
---------------------------
1997 1996
------------ ------------
Withdrawals and terminations - financial
statements .................................. $ 768,965 $748,961
Add- Amounts allocated to withdrawing
participants, December 31, 1997 and 1996 ... 385,348 106,366
Less- Amounts allocated to withdrawing
participants, December 31, 1996 and 1995 ... (106,366) (340,861)
----------- --------
Benefits paid to participants - Form 5500 ..... $ 1,047,947 $514,466
=========== ========
Amounts allocated to withdrawing participants are recorded on the Form 5500 for
withdrawals that have been processed and approved for payment prior to December
31 but not yet paid as of that date.
FORFEITURES
A participant terminated for reasons other than death, retirement or disability
forfeits the unvested portion of his Plan equity attributable to Pogo's
contribution, and such forfeiture is held in suspense. If the participant
returns to employment prior to incurring a one-year break in service, his
unvested share of Pogo matching contributions is not forfeited. If the
participant is not reemployed prior to incurring a one-year break in service,
his unvested share of Pogo matching contributions is forfeited and used to
reduce future contributions by Pogo. At December 31, 1997 and 1996, there were
no forfeitures held in suspense.
TERMINATION OF THE PLAN
The Plan may be terminated, amended or modified by Pogo's board of directors at
any time. In the event the Plan is terminated, all participants become vested
and entitled to receive the Plan equity attributable to all contributions made
for the participants by Pogo.
3. FEDERAL INCOME TAXES:
The Plan obtained its latest determination letter on February 25, 1996, in which
the Internal Revenue Service stated that the Plan, as then designed, was in
compliance with the applicable requirements of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC).
The administrative board believes that the Plan is currently designed and being
operated in compliance with the applicable requirements of the IRC. Therefore,
the administrative board believes that the Plan was qualified and the related
trust was tax-exempt as of December 31, 1997 and 1996.