OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORP quarterly report, Q2 FY2009

Occidental Petroleum Corporation — Form 10-Q Summary

Reporting period: Three and six months ended June 30, 2009. The unaudited filing covers Occidental’s oil and gas, chemical, and midstream, marketing and other segments.

Financial Performance and Position

MetricQ2 2009Q2 2008Six months 2009Six months 2008
Net sales$3.687 billion$7.116 billion$6.760 billion$13.136 billion
Net income attributable to common stock$682 million$2.297 billion$1.050 billion$4.143 billion
Diluted EPS$0.84$2.78$1.29$5.00
Net income margin18.5%32.3%15.5%31.5%
Operating cash flowNot separately provided for the quarter$2.201 billion$5.031 billion
  • At June 30, 2009, cash and cash equivalents were $1.755 billion, compared with $1.777 billion at December 31, 2008.
  • Total current assets were $6.658 billion and current liabilities were $5.411 billion. Total debt, including current maturities, was approximately $3.485 billion, compared with approximately $2.747 billion at year-end 2008.
  • Available but unused committed bank credit totaled approximately $1.5 billion.
  • Capital expenditures were $1.902 billion for the first six months, including $1.5 billion for oil and gas. Full-year 2009 capital spending was estimated at approximately $3.6 billion.
  • Dividends paid during the first six months were $520 million; dividends declared were $0.33 per share in the second quarter and $0.65 per share year to date.

Material Changes Versus the Prior Comparable Period

  • Second-quarter net sales declined 48% and six-month net sales declined 49%, primarily because of sharply lower oil and natural gas prices.
  • Second-quarter net income attributable to common stock fell 70%, while six-month net income fell 75%. Diluted EPS declined from $2.78 to $0.84 in the quarter and from $5.00 to $1.29 year to date.
  • Oil and gas segment earnings decreased to $1.083 billion in the quarter and $1.628 billion year to date, from $3.806 billion and $6.694 billion, respectively.
  • Worldwide oil and liquids sales volumes increased to 496,000 barrels per day in the quarter from 455,000 barrels per day. Worldwide sales volumes on a BOE basis rose to 649,000 BOE per day from 588,000 BOE per day.
  • Worldwide realized oil price declined to $52.97 per barrel in the quarter from $110.12; worldwide realized natural gas price declined to $2.34 per Mcf from $7.71.
  • Chemical segment earnings declined to $115 million in the quarter from $144 million, reflecting weak housing, automotive, and durable-goods markets.
  • Midstream, marketing and other earnings declined to $63 million from $161 million because of lower gas-processing, marketing, and power-generation margins.
  • Operating cash flow decreased to $2.201 billion from $5.031 billion, primarily because of lower commodity prices and a $555 million use of working capital.
  • Investing cash outflows declined to $2.442 billion from $4.210 billion, mainly because 2008 included larger acquisition and signing-bonus payments.
  • Financing activities provided $219 million in 2009, compared with a $1.279 billion use in 2008. The 2009 amount included $740 million of net debt proceeds; 2008 included $860 million of share repurchases.

Guidance, Outlook, Risks, and Unusual Items

  • Management stated that cash on hand and operating cash flow were expected to fund operating needs, planned capital expenditures, and dividends.
  • In May 2009, Occidental issued $750 million of 4.125% senior unsecured notes, receiving $740 million of net proceeds. The notes mature June 1, 2016.
  • Management reported $40 million of pre-tax severance charges, $15 million of railcar lease charges related to a customer bankruptcy reorganization, and $8 million of rig termination costs during the first six months. After-tax charges for these items were approximately $26 million, $10 million, and $5 million, respectively.
  • In July 2009, Dolphin refinanced current debt with longer-term debt; Occidental repaid approximately $600 million of its portion, which had been classified as current maturities at June 30.
  • Occidental announced a Kern County, California discovery on July 22, 2009. The company was producing more than 18,000 gross BOE per day from the area and held approximately an 80% interest. Approximately two-thirds of the discovery was believed to be natural gas.
  • Under a new Bahrain development and production sharing agreement, Occidental expected its net production share to reach approximately 28,000 BOE per day in 2010 and 56,000 BOE per day by 2015.
  • Environmental remediation reserves totaled $407 million for 167 sites. Management estimated reasonably possible additional environmental losses of up to $400 million beyond recorded reserves.
  • Outstanding derivatives had gross fair values of $929 million of assets and $1.167 billion of liabilities. Approximately $73 million of after-tax derivative losses in accumulated other comprehensive income were expected to be reclassified into income over the following 12 months.
  • Key risks include commodity-price volatility, unsuccessful exploration, production interruptions, political and geopolitical risks, environmental liabilities, litigation, tax audits, regulatory changes, and execution risk on development projects.
  • Management concluded that disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of June 30, 2009, with no material change in internal control over financial reporting during the quarter.

Investor Verification Checklist

  • Verify the sustainability of cash flow and dividends under lower oil and natural gas prices, including the filing’s sensitivity estimates of approximately $39 million of quarterly pre-tax impact per $1.00 change in oil prices and $20 million per $0.50 change in domestic natural gas prices.
  • Review debt maturities, including the approximately $600 million Dolphin-related repayment and the 2016 senior notes issuance.
  • Assess whether the $3.6 billion 2009 capital-spending estimate remained within operating cash flow and liquidity capacity.
  • Evaluate the potential effect of environmental claims, the $407 million reserve, and up to $400 million of reasonably possible additional losses.
  • Monitor the Kern County discovery and Bahrain development agreement against stated production expectations.
  • Reconcile segment earnings declines with realized commodity prices, production growth, DD&A rates, and midstream and chemical margins.
  • Review derivative exposures, collateral provisions, hedge losses, and the expected reclassification of accumulated losses into future earnings.