Exhibit 99.1
Gastar Exploration Announces Results of Operations For the Quarter and Year
Ended December 31, 2005; Reports Higher Production, Revenues and EBITDA
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2006--Gastar Exploration Ltd.
(AMEX:GST) (TSX:YGA) reported a net loss attributable to common shares for the
three months ended December 31, 2005 of $4.8 million, or $0.03 per basic and
diluted common share, compared to a net loss of $9.4 million, or $0.08 per basic
and diluted common share, for the three months ended December 31, 2004. The 2004
quarterly loss included an impairment of natural gas and oil properties of $6.3
million. Total revenues for the three months ended December 31, 2005 were $9.9
million, an increase of $5.5 million, as compared to revenues of $4.4 million
for the 2004 comparable period. Of the 2005 quarterly increase in revenues, 45%
was the result of increases in the quarterly production, and 55% was
attributable to higher prices. Average daily production for the three months
ended December 31, 2005 was 13.0 million cubic feet of natural gas equivalents
per day ("MMcfed"), compared to 8.2 MMcfed for the three months ended December
31, 2004. EBITDA, as defined below, for the three months ended December 31, 2005
was $4.7 million, up from EBITDA of $1.1 million for the three months ended
December 31, 2004.
Gastar reported a net loss attributable to common shares for the year ended
December 31, 2005 of $25.7 million, or $0.20 per basic and diluted common share,
compared to a net loss of $12.8 million, or $0.12 per basic and diluted common
share, for the year ended December 31, 2004. The net loss for 2005 and 2004
includes impairment of natural gas and oil properties of $8.7 million and $6.3
million, respectively. Total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2005 were
$27.4 million, an increase of $21.3 million, as compared to revenues of $6.1
million for the 2004 comparable period. Of the 2005 annual increase in revenues,
68% was the result of increases in the production, and 32% was attributable to
higher prices. Average daily production for the year ended December 31, 2005 was
10.5 MMcfe, compared to 3.1 MMcfed for the year ended December 31, 2004. EBITDA
for the year ended December 31, 2005 was $12.3 million, up from EBITDA of
$63,000 for the year ended December 31, 2004.
Total proved reserves as of December 31, 2005 were 33.0 Bcf of natural gas
and 1,000 barrels of oil. The present value of estimated future cash flows
before income taxes as of December 31, 2005, based on the weighted average
natural gas and oil prices after basis adjustments of $56.00 per barrel and
$7.39 per Mcf and discounted at 10% per annum, was $91.3 million.
J. Russell Porter, Gastar's President and Chief Executive Officer, made the
following comment, "We are pleased with our reported increases in production,
revenue and EBITDA. We anticipate continued improvement in operating results
during 2006 as we implement a more active drilling program in the deep Bossier
play and on our Australian coal bed methane properties. Our 2006 Donelson #1
discovery is currently producing at an approximate gross rate of 7.5 MMcfd (net
5.6 MMcfd) and appears to be stabilizing from the initial gross production rate
of 11 MMcfd. The Donelson #1 is our first commercial production in the lower
Bossier sands and appears to support Gastar's overall geologic and geophysical
model in these formations."
Gastar Exploration Ltd. is an independent exploration and production
company focused on finding and developing natural gas assets in North America
and Australia. The Company pursues a balanced strategy combining select higher
risk, deep natural gas exploration prospects with lower risk CBM development
projects. Gastar owns and operates exploration and development acreage in the
Deep Bossier natural gas play of East Texas and in the deep Trenton-Black River
play in the Appalachian Basin. Gastar's CBM activities are conducted within the
Powder River Basin of Wyoming and upon the approximate 3.4 million acres
controlled by Gastar and its joint development partners in PEL 238, located in
the Gunnedah Basin of New South Wales, and in EL 4416, located in the Gippsland
Basin of Victoria, Australia.
Safe Harbor Statement and Disclaimer
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities
Act of 1934. A statement identified by the words "expects," "projects," "plans,"
and certain of the other foregoing statements may be deemed "forward-looking
statements." Although Gastar believes that the expectations reflected in such
forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual future activities and results to be
materially different from those suggested or described in this press release.
These include risks inherent in the drilling of to natural gas and oil wells,
including risks of fire, explosion, blowout, pipe failure, casing collapse,
unusual or unexpected formation pressures, environmental hazards, and other
operating and production risks inherent in oil and natural gas drilling and
production activities, which may temporarily or permanently reduce production or
cause initial production or test results to not be indicative of future well
performance or delay the timing of sales or completion of drilling operations;
risks with respect to natural gas and oil prices, a material decline in which
could cause the Company to delay or suspend planned drilling operations or
reduce production levels; and risks relating to the availability of capital to
fund drilling operations that can be adversely affected by adverse drilling
results, production declines and declines in natural gas and oil prices and
other risk factors as described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov and on the
System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com.
In connection with the filing of Gastar's Annual Report on Form 10-K with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company is also filing on SEDAR at
www.sedar.com its annual certifications of the Chief Executive Officer and the
Chief Financial Officer as to the effectiveness of the Company's controls over
financial reporting and the fair presentation of the Company's financial
statements; the report of the independent qualified reserves evaluator; the
report of Gastar's directors and management on reserve data; and the Company's
Annual Report on Form 10-K; with specific sections of the Form 10-K regarding
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations and a reconciliation of accounting principles generally accepted in
the United States to accounting principles generally accepted in Canada being
set out separately.
The American Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange have not
reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release.
GASTAR EXPLORATION LTD.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
For the Three For the
Months Ended Years Ended
December 31, December 31,
--------------------- ---------------------
2005 2004 2005 2004
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
(unaudited)
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
REVENUES $9,946 $4,371 $27,442 $6,059
EXPENSES:
Lease operating,
transportation and
selling 2,886 1,063 6,910 2,000
Depletion, depreciation
and amortization 4,851 2,483 13,914 3,233
Impairment of natural
gas and oil properties - 6,306 8,697 6,306
Accretion of asset
retirement obligations 31 15 109 52
Mineral resource
properties 2 - 65 32
General and
administrative 2,713 2,107 8,710 4,023
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
Total Expenses 10,483 11,974 38,405 15,646
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
LOSS FROM OPERATIONS (537) (7,603) (10,963) (9,587)
OTHER (EXPENSES) INCOME:
Interest expense (4,554) (1,719) (15,261) (3,248)
Investment income and
other 405 41 492 56
Foreign exchange gain
(loss) (85) (104) 40 3
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
Loss before income taxes (4,771) (9,385) (25,692) (12,776)
Provision for income
taxes - - - -
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
NET LOSS $(4,771) $(9,385) $(25,692) $(12,776)
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
NET LOSS PER SHARE:
Basic and diluted $(0.03) $(0.08) $(0.20) $(0.12)
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
WEIGHTED AVERAGE COMMON
SHARES OUTSTANDING:
Basic and diluted 153,558 113,390 129,399 111,374
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
PRODUCTION, PRICES, OPERATING EXPENSES AND EBITDA
For the Three For the
Months Ended Years Ended
December 31, December 31,
----------------- -----------------
2005 2004 2005 2004
-------- -------- -------- --------
Production:
Natural gas (MMcf) 1,195.2 755.0 3,810.0 1,108.0
Oil and condensate (MBbls) 0.3 0.7 1.9 1.8
Total (MMcfe) 1,197.0 759.2 3,821.5 1,118.8
Natural gas (MMcfd) 13.0 8.2 10.5 3.0
Oil and condensate (MBod) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Total (MMcfed) 13.0 8.2 10.5 3.1
Average sales price:
Natural gas (per Mcf) $8.31 $5.75 $7.18 $5.40
Oil and condensate (per Bbl) $54.03 $43.74 $50.85 $40.08
EBITDA (in thousands) $4,665 $1,138 $12,289 $63
(1) EBITDA represents earnings before interest expense, accretion of
asset retirement obligations, depletion, depreciation and
amortization, impairment of natural gas and oil properties and
provision for income taxes. We have reported EBITDA because we
believe EBITDA is a measure commonly reported and widely used by
investors as an indicator of a company's operating performance and
ability to incur and service debt. We believe EBITDA assists
investors in comparing a company's performance on a consistent
basis without regard to depreciation, depletion and amortization,
impairment of natural gas and oil properties and exploration
expenses, which can vary significantly depending upon accounting
methods. EBITDA is not a calculation based on U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles and should not be considered an
alternative to net income (loss) in measuring our performance or
used as an exclusive measure of cash flow because it does not
consider the impact of working capital growth, capital
expenditures, debt principal reductions and other sources and uses
of cash, which are disclosed in our statements of cash flows.
Investors should carefully consider the specific items included in
our computation of EBITDA. While we have disclosed our EBITDA to
permit a more complete comparative analysis of our operating
performance and debt servicing ability relative to other
companies, investors should be cautioned that EBITDA as reported
by us may not be comparable in all instances to EBITDA as reported
by other companies. EBITDA amounts may not be fully available for
management's discretionary use, due to requirements to conserve
funds for capital expenditures, debt service, preferred stock
dividends and other commitments.
A reconciliation of net loss to EBITDA for the periods indicated
is presented below.
For the Three For the
Months Ended Years Ended
December 31, December 31,
------------------- -------------------
2005 2004 2005 2004
--------- --------- --------- ---------
(in thousands)
Net loss for the period $(4,771) $(9,385) $(25,692) $(12,776)
Interest expense 4,554 1,719 15,261 3,248
Accretion of asset retirement
obligations 31 15 109 52
Depletion, depreciation and
amortization 4,851 2,483 13,914 3,233
Impairment of natural gas and
oil properties - 6,306 8,697 6,306
Provision for income taxes - - - -
--------- --------- --------- ---------
EBITDA $4,665 $1,138 $12,289 $63
--------- --------- --------- ---------
--------- --------- --------- ---------
CONTACT: Gastar Exploration Ltd., Houston
J. Russell Porter, 713-739-1800
fax: 713-739-0458
email: rporter@gastar.com
website: www.gastar.com