New York, April 07, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") downgraded
Extraction Oil and Gas, Inc.'s (Extraction) Corporate Family
Rating (CFR) to Caa2 from B2 and Probability of Default Rating (PDR) to
Caa2-PD from B2-PD. The ratings on the unsecured
notes were downgraded to Caa3 from B3. The Speculative Grade Liquidity
Rating was downgraded to SGL-4 from SGL-3. The outlook
has been revised to negative from stable.
The rating action reflects Moody's concern about Extraction's
ability to redeem its $190 million preferred stock issue in 2021
at a time when exploration and production companies have limited capital
market access. Refinancing risk is exacerbated by the likelihood
of a significant borrowing base reduction in the upcoming redetermination
due to a severe drop in commodity prices and Moody's expectation
that Extraction will face production declines given its substantially
reduced 2020 capital budget. The downgrade also encompasses Moody's'
concern that the distressed trading levels of Extraction's unsecured
may motivate it to repurchase its notes at deeply discounted prices in
a volume Moody's would deem a distressed exchange.
Downgrades:
..Issuer: Extraction Oil and Gas, Inc.
.... Probability of Default Rating,
Downgraded to Caa2-PD from B2-PD
.... Speculative Grade Liquidity Rating,
Downgraded to SGL-4 from SGL-3
.... Corporate Family Rating, Downgraded
to Caa2 from B2
....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture,
Downgraded to Caa3 (LGD5) from B3 (LGD4)
Outlook Actions:
..Issuer: Extraction Oil and Gas, Inc.
....Outlook, Changed To Negative From
Stable
RATINGS RATIONALE
Extraction's Caa2 CFR reflects heightened restructuring risk given
the distressed levels at which its debt trades and weak commodity prices
expected to persist into 2021, as well as the prospect for a significant
erosion in liquidity due to a likely borrowing base contraction and the
October 2021 redemption date of its $190 million preferred stock
issue. Extraction's decision to cut its 2020 capital budget
by about 40% from its initial guidance (and about 60% from
2019 levels) will likely lead to a meaningful drop in production,
given the company's steep initial decline rates of its shale assets.
The rating is further constrained by the company's single basin focus
and ongoing regulatory uncertainty in Colorado. Extraction benefits
from its large inventory of drilling locations with favorable economics,
ownership Elevation Midstream, LLC (Elevation) and a strong hedge
position that provides meaningful cash flow protection in 2020 and,
to a lesser extent, in 2021.
The rapid and widening spread of the coronavirus outbreak, deteriorating
global economic outlook, falling oil prices, and asset price
declines are creating a severe and extensive credit shock across many
sectors, regions and markets. The combined credit effects
of these developments are unprecedented. The E&P sector has
been one of the sectors most significantly affected by the shock given
its sensitivity to demand and oil prices. More specifically,
the weaknesses in Extraction's credit profile have left it vulnerable
to shifts in market sentiment in these unprecedented operating conditions
and Extraction remains vulnerable to the outbreak continuing to spread
and oil prices remaining weak. We regard the coronavirus outbreak
as a social risk under our ESG framework, given the substantial
implications for public health and safety. Today's action reflects
the impact on Extraction of the breadth and severity of the oil demand
and supply shocks, and the broad deterioration in credit quality
it has triggered.
Extraction's SGL-4 rating is based on our expectation that the
company will have weak liquidity through early 2021. Extraction
had $32 million of cash on its balance sheet and $480 million
available under its revolving credit facility at December 31, 2019.
However, Moody's expects the company's $950 million
borrowing base to be substantially reduced in the upcoming May redetermination
due to very weak commodity prices and the likelihood production will fall
noticeably due to a capital budget that is expected to be about 60%
lower than 2019 levels. Extraction's $190 million
preferred stock issue has an October 2021 redemption date. The
maturity date of the company's revolver accelerates from August
2022 to April 15, 2021 if the preferred remains outstanding as of
that date.
Cash flow is buttressed by the company's commodity hedging program,
with more than 80% of expected oil production for the remainder
of 2020 locked in at or above $55/bbl; however, Extraction's
's hedge position weakens in 2021. Elevation, the company's
unrestricted midstream subsidiary, has considerable value and could
be partially or fully monetized as a source of liquidity. Still,
in the event Extraction is able to redeem or extend the maturity of its
preferred stock, the company will be challenged to extend its revolver
in 2022 given the large balance likely to be drawn and looming notes maturities
in 2024 and 2026. The revolver has two financial covenants --
a maximum leverage (net debt to EBITDAX) of 4.0x and a minimum
current ratio of 1.0x. Moody's forecasts Extraction
will have difficulty maintaining compliance with its leverage covenant
in early 2021.
Extraction's debt is comprised of $400 million of senior
unsecured notes due 2024, $700 million of senior unsecured
notes due 2026 and the secured revolving credit facility due August 2022.
The unsecured notes, which are contractually subordinated to the
secured revolver debt, are rated Caa3, one notch below the
Caa2 CFR. The notes and revolver are guaranteed by Extraction's
existing and future subsidiaries.
The negative outlook reflects Moody's expectation that Extraction's liquidity
will weaken considerably over the next twelve months when the company
will be challenged to address its preferred stock redemption.
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS
Ratings could be downgraded if the company is unable to address the preferred
stock redemption prior to the maturity of the revolver accelerating or
if RCF/debt falls below 10%. An upgrade is unlikely in the
near term and dependent on the company satisfactorily addressing the 2021
maturity and improving its liquidity.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Independent Exploration
and Production Industry published in May 2017 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1056808.
Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of this methodology.
Extraction Oil and Gas, Inc., headquartered in Denver,
Colorado, is a public oil and gas exploration and production (E&P)
company with approximately 159,000 net acres in its focus area of
the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin and a total of approximately 289,000
net acres.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and
sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and
Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's
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John Thieroff
Vice President - Senior Analyst
Corporate Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
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Steven Wood
MD - Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance Group
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