DENVER, July 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PDC Energy ("PDC" or the "Company") today announced that it has closed the previously announced acquisition of core Wattenberg assets from a private party for a purchase price of approximately $327 million subject to certain post-closing adjustments. The acquisition was funded with cash and borrowings under its revolving credit facility. The Company raised approximately $164 million in net proceeds through an equity offering which closed on May 21, 2012 to partially fund the acquisition cost. The effective date of the transaction is April 1, 2012.
The Company also announced its borrowing base under its revolving credit facility has been increased by $100 million to $525 million, effective June 29, 2012. The Company expects to have approximately $250 million drawn on its facility upon closing of the acquisition.
James Trimble, President and Chief Executive Officer of PDC Energy, stated, "We are very excited to have expanded our position in the horizontal Niobrara play. The acquired assets are located almost entirely in the core Wattenberg Field, are largely contiguous with our existing assets, and provide us with an additional 180 horizontal Niobrara drilling locations as well as additional opportunities from Niobrara downspacing and horizontal Codell development. We plan to begin operating a second rig on our horizontal Niobrara acreage in early July. We are also confident the increase in our borrowing base, as a result of the acquisition, will provide us with more than sufficient liquidity to execute our accelerated drilling program in the Wattenberg Field while maintaining strong balance sheet metrics."
Upcoming Conference Presentations
PDC is scheduled to present at EnerCom's Oil & Gas Conference in Denver, Colorado on Tuesday, August 14, 2012. Please see the Company's website at www.petd.com for full details and webcast information.
About PDC Energy
PDC Energy is a domestic independent exploration and production company that acquires, develops, explores, and produces natural gas, NGLs, and crude oil. The Company's Western Operating Region is primarily focused on development in the Wattenberg Field in Colorado, particularly in the liquid-rich horizontal Niobrara play and on the ongoing development of refracture/recompletion of PDC's existing Wattenberg vertical wells. In the Company's Eastern Operating Region, PDC is focused on horizontal development in the Marcellus Shale in northern West Virginia, and recently initiated exploration and development activity in the liquid-rich portion of the Utica Shale play in Ohio. PDC is included in the S&P SmallCap 600 Index and the Russell 3000 Index of Companies.
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 regarding PDC's business, financial condition and results of operations. These statements and all other statements other than statements of historical facts included in and incorporated by reference into this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as expects, anticipates, intends, plans, believes, seeks, estimates, projects and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements herein. Such statements include those regarding the Company's future financial and operating results, including cash flows from Horizontal Niobrara wells and the resulting present values of those wells; future capital projects and expenditures; estimated natural gas and oil production and reserves; future reserve estimates; anticipated increased production from the acquired assets; anticipated synergies as a result of the acquisition, including anticipated strong economic returns; development plans for the acquired acreage; our expectation that the increase in our borrowing base will provide us with sufficient liquidity to execute our accelerated drilling program in the Wattenberg Field; plans to deploy a second horizontal rig beginning in the third quarter to drill in the Core Wattenberg Field and management's strategies, plans and objectives. However, these are not the exclusive means of identifying forward-looking statements herein. Although forward-looking statements contained in this release reflect the Company's good faith judgment, such statements can only be based on facts and factors currently known to PDC. Consequently, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, including known and unknown risks and uncertainties incidental to the exploration for, and the acquisition, development, production and marketing of natural gas and oil, and actual outcomes may differ materially from the results and outcomes discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
- changes in production volumes and worldwide demand;
- volatility of commodity prices for natural gas and oil;
- changes in estimates of proved reserves;
- inaccuracy in reserve estimates and expected production rates;
- declines in the values of PDC's natural gas, NGL, and oil properties resulting in impairments; and/or write-downs of reserves
- the future cash flow, liquidity and financial position of the Company;
- the timing and extent of the Company's success in discovering, acquiring, developing and producing natural gas and oil reserves;
- PDC's ability to acquire leases, drilling rigs, supplies, services and personnel at reasonable prices;
- reductions in the borrowing base under the Company's credit facility;
- risks incident to the drilling and operation of natural gas and oil wells;
- future production and development costs;
- the availability of sufficient pipeline and other transportation facilities to carry PDC's production and the impact of these facilities on price;
- the effect of existing and future laws, governmental regulations and the political and economic climate of the United States;
- changes in environmental laws and the regulations and enforcement related to those laws;
- the impact of weather and the occurrence of disasters such as fires, floods and other events and natural disasters and governmental responses to such events;
- competition in the oil and gas industry;
- the success of prospect development and property acquisition by the Company;
- the success of the Company in marketing oil and gas;
- the effect of natural gas and oil derivative activities and plans;
- conditions in the capital markets;
- unanticipated liabilities assumed as a result of, or other problems with, the transaction;
- losses possible from pending or future litigation; and
- the success of strategic plans, expectations and objectives for future operations of the Company.
Further, PDC urges you to carefully review and consider the cautionary statements made in this press release, the Item 1-A Risk Factors in the 2011 annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 1, 2012, the quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2012, filed with the SEC on May 10, 2012, and other filings with the SEC for further information on risks and uncertainties that could affect the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations, which are incorporated by this reference as though fully set forth herein. The Company cautions you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. PDC undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance occurring after the date of this release or currently unknown facts or conditions or the occurrence of unanticipated events. All forward looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.