Approximately $17.5 billion of rated debt affected
New York, March 23, 2018 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") changed
ConocoPhillips' (COP) rating outlook to positive from stable. Moody's
simultaneously affirmed the company's Baa1 issuer and senior unsecured
ratings, as well as all the other debt ratings at various COP guaranteed
subsidiaries. Moody's also affirmed the Prime-2 short-term
commercial paper ratings of ConocoPhillips and ConocoPhillips Qatar Funding
Ltd.
"The positive outlook reflects COP's significant progress towards
debt reduction, lowering its cost structure and improving overall
financial flexibility that should enable healthier margins and returns
and a more defensible credit profile," said Sajjad Alam,
Moody's Senior Analyst. "Since year-end 2016,
the company has repaid roughly $10 billion of debt, divested
over $16 billion of low margin assets, aggressively slashed
operating and capital costs, and consistently generated free cash
flow. Management remains committed to further deleveraging,
keeping its focus on high-return projects and increasing free cash
flow through 2019."
Debt List:
Affirmations:
..Issuer: Burlington Resources Finance Company
....Senior Unsecured Notes, Affirmed
Baa1
..Issuer: Burlington Resources, Inc.
....Senior Unsecured Notes, Affirmed
Baa1
..Issuer: Conoco Funding Company
....Senior Unsecured Notes, Affirmed
Baa1
..Issuer: ConocoPhillips
....Issuer Rating, Affirmed Baa1
....Senior Unsecured Shelf, Affirmed
(P)Baa1
....Senior Unsecured Notes, Affirmed
Baa1
....Senior Unsecured Commercial Paper,
Affirmed P-2
..Issuer: ConocoPhillips Canada Funding Company II
....Senior Unsecured Notes, Affirmed
Baa1
..Issuer: ConocoPhillips Company
....Issuer Rating, Affirmed Baa1
....Senior Unsecured Notes, Affirmed
Baa1
....Senior Unsecured Shelf, Affirmed
(P)Baa1
..Issuer: ConocoPhillips Holding Company (Assumed
by ConocoPhillips Company)
....Senior Unsecured Notes, Affirmed
Baa1
..Issuer: Louisiana Land & Exploration Company
....Senior Unsecured Notes, Affirmed
Baa1
..Issuer: Polar Tankers, Inc.
....Senior Unsecured Notes, Affirmed
Baa1
..Issuer: Tosco Corporation
....Senior Unsecured Notes, Affirmed
Baa1
..Issuer: Valdez (City of) AK
....Senior Unsecured Revenue Bonds,
Affirmed Baa1 (VMIG-2)
..Issuer: ConocoPhillips Qatar Funding Ltd.
....Senior Unsecured Commercial Paper,
Affirmed P-2
Outlook Actions:
..Issuer: Burlington Resources Finance Company
....Outlook, Changed To Positive from
Stable
..Issuer: Burlington Resources, Inc.
....Outlook, Changed To Positive from
Stable
..Issuer: Conoco Funding Company
....Outlook, Changed To Positive from
Stable
..Issuer: ConocoPhillips
....Outlook, Changed To Positive from
Stable
..Issuer: ConocoPhillips Canada Funding Company II
....Outlook, Changed To Positive from
Stable
..Issuer: ConocoPhillips Company
....Outlook, Changed To Positive from
Stable
..Issuer: Louisiana Land & Exploration Company
....Outlook, Changed To Positive from
Stable
..Issuer: Polar Tankers, Inc.
....Outlook, Changed To Positive from
Stable
..Issuer: Tosco Corporation
....Outlook, Changed To Positive from
Stable
RATINGS RATIONALE
ConocoPhillips' Baa1 rating reflects its large resource base, globally
diversified operations in mostly developed markets, well balanced
commodity mix, deep technical and project management expertise,
as well as its improving balance sheet. COP remains the largest
E&P company within Moody's rated universe with almost 1.2
million barrels of oil equivalent of daily production despite selling
large blocks of assets in 2017. The remaining asset portfolio is
largely comprised of low-cost unconventional assets, low-decline
conventional oil and natural gas properties and long-life liquefied
natural gas assets. The company has a growing exposure to short-cycle
unconventional assets in the Eagle Ford and Permian Shale plays,
where management plans to invest heavily over the next several years and
further improve capital efficiency. COP generates very strong cash
margins compared to its peers, and its earnings are highly correlated
with oil prices given the company's liquids-weighted production
base (~60%), unhedged product sales, and strong exposure
to Brent-linked pricing. The disposition of low-margin
Canadian bitumen and North American natural gas assets in 2017,
high-graded drilling program, and the lowering of operating
and capital costs since 2016 have also contributed to margin expansion.
COP's ratings are constrained by its weak retained cash flow to
debt (RCF/debt), which was only 23% at December 31,
2017, historically inconsistent full-cycle returns,
and significant off-balance sheet liabilities relative to other
investment grade E&P companies. While leverage and return metrics
have improved following a series of drastic management actions since 2016,
future rating increases will be primarily driven by the company's
ability to demonstrate sustained capital discipline, profitable
growth, free cash flow generation and conservative financial management.
Moody's expects COP to reach its $15 billion balance sheet
debt target and prioritize debt reduction over share repurchases through
2019 as it continues to work towards its long term objective of securing
a strong credit profile.
The affirmation of the short term Prime-2 ratings reflects COP's
excellent liquidity. The company should generate over $2
billion of free cash flow after covering capital expenditures and cash
dividends even if Brent crude averages $55 per barrel. COP
also plans to buy back $2 billion in shares in 2018. The
company had roughly $5.6 billion in cash and cash equivalents
at December 31, 2017 pro forma for the $2.25 billion
of debt repayment and the $400 million Alaska acquisition in early
2018. COP also has a $6.75 billion multi-year
committed bank credit facility maturing in June 2019 that is fully available
today. Additionally, COP will receive $262 million
in legal settlements payments from the Ecuador government in April and
has 208 million shares of Cenovus Energy Inc. (Ba2 stable) that
had a market value of $1.75 billion at March 22, 2018.
The revolver backstops a $6.25 billion commercial paper
(CP) program at COP and a $500 million CP program at ConocoPhillips
Qatar Funding Ltd., both of which had no borrowings as of
December 31, 2017.
COP's ratings could be upgraded if the company improves its leverage
metrics and capital efficiency while delivering reliable free cash flow.
More specifically, if the company can sustain the RCF/debt ratio
above 40%, the leveraged full-cycle ratio (LFCR) above
2x and the debt/PD reserves ratio near $5 per boe, an upgrade
would be considered. Ratings are unlikely to be downgraded in 2018
barring a sharp and sustained drop in oil prices. Longer term,
if the LFCR falls below 1x or the RCF/debt ratio falls below 20%,
the Baa1 rating would come under pressure.
ConocoPhillips is the largest E&P company in the world and is headquartered
in Houston, Texas.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Independent Exploration
and Production Industry published in May 2017. Please see the Rating
Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this
methodology.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For ratings issued on a program, series or category/class of debt,
this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation
to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series
or category/class of debt or pursuant to a program for which the ratings
are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's
rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider,
this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation
to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to
each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their
credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating.
For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory
disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and
in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to
the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction
structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive
rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further
information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the
respective issuer on www.moodys.com.
For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit
support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action,
and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action,
the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity.
Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures,
if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure
to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.
Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit
rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating
review.
Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to
the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued
the rating.
Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com
for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.
Sajjad Alam
Vice President - Senior Analyst
Corporate Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376
Client Service: 1 212 553 1653
Steven Wood
MD - Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance Group
JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376
Client Service: 1 212 553 1653
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376
Client Service: 1 212 553 1653