Calgary-based Advantage Oil & Gas (
TSX:T.AAV,
Stock Forum) have announced the
end of their strategic alternatives initiative and confirmed a determination to stay the current course with their current program of growing cashflow, reducing debt, and streamlining operations.
The company, which sought options to return shareholder value including a corporate sale or other asset transaction, decided “none of [the] proposals were determined to be in the best interests of the Corporation and do not adequately reflect the intrinsic value of the Corporation based upon its assets, operations and prospects for growth.”
During the process, Advantage says it “continued to achieve significant operational and financial success during the strategic alternatives review period and is now well positioned as a low cost, focused Montney operator with a clear strategy to drive strong per share growth.”
One of those moves included an agreement to sell 21.15 million Advantage-owned Longview Oil (
TSX:T.LNV,
Stock Forum) common shares at a price of CDN $4.45 per share, for gross proceeds of CDN $94.1 million, money which was applied to debt.
Key accomplishments the company says position it well going forward include:
- Strengthened its balance sheet by repaying debt and increasing the size of the Corporation's borrowing base from $230 million to $300 million;
- Reduced its bank debt by 58% to $64 million and reduced total debt by 31% to $199 million based on Advantage's estimated bank debt and total debt at December 31, 2013 pro forma net proceeds from the sale of Longview common shares
- Improved well productivity in the Upper, Middle and Lower Montney through modified drilling and completion techniques resulting in robust well economics across Glacier;
- Reducing Glacier operating costs from approximately $3.00/mcfe to $0.28/mcfe, combined with an attractive low royalty rate of approximately 5% for the life of a Glacier well. G&A cash costs are expected to be reduced to approximately $0.20/mcfe in the latter half of 2014 and less than $0.20/mcfe in 2015;
- Acquired an additional 43.25 net sections (27,680 net acres) of Montney land holdings (100% working interest) in the Valhalla and Wembley areas that will complement its core Glacier holding of 77.1 net (49,344 net acres) Montney sections and;
- Secured natural gas hedges that will reduce volatility of future cash flows to March 2016.
The Longview shares will be picked up by
a syndicate of underwriters led by RBC Capital Markets and FirstEnergy Capital Corporation at a price of $4.45 per share for gross proceeds of CDN$94.1 million. Closing of the offering is anticipated to be on or about February 26, 2014.