Evolution Petroleum Corp: Form 10-K for the period ended Jun 30, 2023

Note: See Glossary of Selected Petroleum Industry Terms starting on page iv.

General

Evolution Petroleum Corporation (“Evolution,” and together with its consolidated subsidiaries, the “Company”, “our”, “we, “us” or similar terms) is an independent energy company focused on maximizing total returns to its shareholders through the ownership of and investment in onshore oil and natural gas properties in the United States. Our long-term goal is to maximize total shareholder return from a diversified portfolio of long-life oil and natural gas properties built through acquisition and through selective development opportunities, production enhancement, and other exploitation efforts on our oil and natural gas properties.

Recent Developments

Dividend Declaration

On September 11, 2023, Evolution’s Board of Directors approved and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.12 per common share payable September 29, 2023.

Senior Secured Credit Facility

On May 5, 2023, we entered into the Tenth Amendment to our Senior Secured Credit Facility which has a current borrowing base of $50.0 million. This amendment, among other things, extends the maturity of our Senior Secured Credit Facility to April 9, 2026 and converts our benchmark interest rate from London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) to a Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) plus a credit spread adjustment of 0.05%. For further discussion of this amendment and our Senior Secured Credit Facility, see “Liquidity and Capital Resources” within Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations.

Appointment of Chief Operating Officer

On February 23, 2023, we announced that the Board of Directors appointed J. Mark Bunch as Chief Operating Officer (“COO”). Mr. Bunch had been providing consulting services to the Company since 2016. We entered into an offer letter with Mr. Bunch setting forth his compensation as COO on February 21, 2023.

Appointment of Chief Executive Officer

On October 27, 2022, we announced that the Board of Directors selected Kelly W. Loyd as President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”). Mr. Loyd had been serving as Interim CEO since June 2022 and has served as a member of the Board of Directors since 2008. We entered into an offer letter with Mr. Loyd setting forth his compensation as CEO on October 25, 2022. Upon commencing employment, Mr. Loyd no longer receives compensation for his services as a member of the Board of Directors.

Share Repurchase Program

On September 8, 2022, the Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program under which we are authorized to repurchase up to $25.0 million of our common stock in the open market through December 31, 2024. We intend to fund repurchases from available working capital and cash provided by operating activities. As we continue to focus on our goal of maximizing total shareholder return, the Board of Directors and management team believe that a share repurchase program is complimentary to the existing dividend policy and is a tax efficient means to further improve shareholder return. The shares may be repurchased from time to time in open market transactions, through privately negotiated transactions or by other means in accordance with federal securities laws. The timing, as well as the number and value of shares repurchased under the program, will depend on a variety of factors, including management’s assessment of the intrinsic value of our shares, our capital needs and resources, the market price of our common stock, general market and economic conditions, and applicable legal requirements. The value of shares authorized for repurchase by our Board of Directors does not require us to repurchase such shares or guarantee that such shares will be repurchased, and the program may be suspended, modified, or discontinued at any time without prior notice.

Once we completed repayment of borrowings on our Senior Secured Credit Facility and emerged from our blackout period in December 2022, we entered into a Rule 10b5-1 plan that authorized a broker to repurchase shares in the open market subject to pre-defined limitations on trading volume and price. The plan included a 30-day cooling off period that did not allow repurchases to commence until January 2023. The plan was effective until June 30, 2023 and had a maximum authorized amount of $5.0 million over that period. During the year ended June 30, 2023, 0.6 million shares of our common stock were repurchased under the plan at a total cost of approximately $3.9 million, including incremental direct transaction costs. These treasury shares were subsequently cancelled. We may enter into additional Rule 10b5-1 plans in the future, the terms of which will be approved by the Board of Directors.

Business Strategy

Our business strategy is to maximize total shareholder return based on our assessment of the operating environment and marketplace, subject to our obligations to other stakeholders. The key elements of our strategy to accomplish our goal of maximizing shareholder return are:

• Maintaining a strong balance sheet and conservative financial management;
• Growing the asset base through investment in our existing properties, direct acquisitions of new low decline, long-life oil and natural gas properties, selective development opportunities, or accretive acquisitions of similar companies; and
• Returning cash to shareholders by sustaining and growing our dividend payout over time or repurchases of our shares in the open market.

Properties

Our oil and natural gas properties consist of non-operated interests in the following areas: the Jonah Field in Sublette County, Wyoming; the Williston Basin in North Dakota; the Barnett Shale located in North Texas; the Hamilton Dome Field located in Hot Springs County, Wyoming; the Delhi Holt-Bryant Unit in the Delhi Field in Northeast Louisiana; as well as small overriding royalty interests in four onshore central Texas wells.

Jonah Field – Sublette County, Wyoming

Our non-operated interests in the Jonah Field, a natural gas and NGL property in Sublette County, Wyoming, consist of approximately 20% average net working interest and approximately 15% average net revenue interest located on approximately 950 net acres all held by production. The properties are operated by Jonah Energy (“Jonah”), an established operator in the geographic region.

For the year ended June 30, 2023, our average net daily production from the Jonah Field properties was 1.9 MBOEPD consisting of 90% natural gas, 5% NGLs, and 5% oil. Hydrocarbons produced from our Jonah Field properties are sold to West Coast markets.

Williston Basin – Williston, North Dakota

Our non-operated interests in the Williston Basin, oil and natural gas producing properties, consist of approximately 39% average net working interest and approximately 33% average net revenue interest located on approximately 43,300 net acres (approximately 92% held by production) across Billings, Golden Valley, and McKenzie Counties in North Dakota. The properties are operated by Foundation Energy Management (“Foundation”), an established operator in the geographic region.

For the year ended June 30, 2023, our average net daily production from the Willison Basin properties was 0.5 MBOEPD consisting of 78% oil, 13% NGLs, and 9% natural gas. The primary producing reservoirs are the Three Forks, Pronghorn, and Bakken formations. Hydrocarbons produced from the Williston Basin properties are sold to local refineries and purchasers.

Barnett Shale - North Texas

Our non-operated interests in the Barnett Shale, a natural gas and NGL producing shale reservoir, consist of approximately 17% average net working interest and approximately 14% average net revenue interest (inclusive of small overriding royalty interests) located on approximately 21,000 net acres held by production across nine North Texas counties (Bosque, Denton, Erath, Hill, Hood, Johnson, Parker, Somervell, and Tarrant), in the Barnett Shale. The oil and natural gas properties are primarily operated by Diversified Energy Company with approximately 10% of wells operated by six other operators.

For the year ended June 30, 2023, our average net daily production from the Barnett Shale properties was 3.2 MBOEPD consisting of 76% natural gas, 23% NGLs, and 1% oil. The producing reservoir is the Barnett Shale, which is also the source rock. Hydrocarbons produced from our Barnett Shale properties are sold to Gulf Coast markets.

Hamilton Dome – Hot Springs County, Wyoming

Our non-operated interests in the Hamilton Dome Field, a secondary recovery field utilizing water injection wells to pressurize the reservoir, consist of approximately 24% average net working interest, with an associated 20% average net revenue interest (inclusive of a small overriding royalty interest). The approximately 5,900 gross acre unitized field, of which we hold approximately 1,400 net acres, is operated by Merit Energy Company (“Merit”), a private oil and natural gas company, who owns the vast majority of the remaining working interest in the Hamilton Dome Field. The Hamilton Dome Field is located in the southwest region of the Big Horn Basin in northwest Wyoming.

For the year ended June 30, 2023, our average net daily production from the Hamilton Dome Field properties was 0.4 MBOEPD consisting of 100% oil. The primary producing reservoirs in the field are the Tensleep and Phosphoria. Produced oil from the field is subject to Western Canadian Select pricing.

Delhi Field – Enhanced Oil Recovery CO2 Flood – Onshore Louisiana

Our non-operated interests in the Delhi Field, a CO2-EOR project, consist of approximately 24% average net working interest, with an associated 19% revenue interest and separate overriding royalty and mineral interests of approximately

7% yielding a total average net revenue interest of approximately 26%. The field is operated by Denbury Onshore LLC (“Denbury”), a subsidiary of Denbury Inc. The Delhi Field is located in northeast Louisiana in Franklin, Madison, and Richland Parishes and encompasses approximately 14,000 gross unitized acres, or approximately 3,200 net acres.

For the year ended June 30, 2023, our average net daily production from the Delhi Field properties was 1.1 MBOEPD consisting of 80% oil and 20% NGLs. The primary producing reservoirs in the field are the Tuscaloosa and Paluxy formations. Produced oil from the field is priced off of Louisiana Light Sweet (“LLS”) crude, which often trades at a premium to West Texas Intermediate (“WTI").

Refer to “Production volumes, average sales price and average production costs” table below for further information regarding our properties and their fiscal year results.

Estimated Oil and Natural Gas Reserves and Estimated Future Net Revenues

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) sets rules related to reserve estimation and disclosure requirements for oil and natural gas companies. These rules require disclosure of oil and natural gas proved reserves by significant geographic area, using the trailing 12-month average price, calculated as the unweighted arithmetic average of the first-day-of-the-month price for each month within the 12-month period prior to the end of the reporting period, rather than year-end prices, and allows the use of new technologies in the determination of proved reserves if those technologies have been demonstrated empirically to lead to reliable conclusions about reserve volumes. Subject to limited exceptions, the rules also require that proved undeveloped reserves may only be classified as such if a development plan has been adopted indicating that they are scheduled to be drilled within five years.

There are numerous uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of proved reserves and estimates of reserves quantities and values must be viewed as being subject to significant change as more data about the properties becomes available.

Summary of Oil & Gas Reserves for Fiscal Year Ended 2023

Our proved reserves as of June 30, 2023, denominated in thousands of barrels of oil equivalent (“MBOE”), were estimated by our independent reservoir engineers, Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. (“NSAI”) and DeGolyer and MacNaughton (“D&M”), both worldwide petroleum consultants.

NSAI evaluated the reserves for our Jonah Field and Williston Basin properties. NSAI began evaluating these properties when we acquired each of them during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. The scope and results of their procedures are summarized in a letter from the firm, which is included as Exhibit 99.1 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

D&M evaluated the reserves for our Barnett Shale, Hamilton Dome, and Delhi Field properties. The scope and results of their procedures are summarized in a letter from the firm, which is included as Exhibit 99.2 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The following table sets forth our estimated proved reserves as of June 30, 2023. For additional reserve information, see our Supplemental Disclosure about Oil and Natural Gas Properties (unaudited) to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. The New York Mercantile Exchange (“NYMEX”) previous 12-month unweighted arithmetic average first-day-of-the-month price used to calculate estimated revenues was $83.23 per barrel of oil and $4.78 per MMBtu of natural gas. The net price per barrel of NGLs was $33.71, which does not have any single comparable reference index price. The NGL price was based on historical prices received. For periods for which no historical price information was available, we used comparable pricing in the geographic area. Pricing differentials were applied based on quality, processing, transportation, location and other pricing aspects for each individual property and product.

Proved Reserves as of June 30, 2023

(1) Equivalent oil reserves are defined as six Mcf of natural gas and 42 gallons of NGLs to one barrel of oil conversion ratio which reflects energy equivalence and not price equivalence. Natural gas prices per Mcf and NGL prices per barrel often differ significantly from the equivalent amount of oil.

Internal Controls Over Reserves Estimation Process and Qualifications of Technical Persons with Oversight for the Company’s Overall Reserve Estimation Process

Our policies regarding internal controls over reserves estimates require such estimates to be prepared by an independent petroleum engineering firm under the supervision of our internal reserve engineering team, which includes our COO. Our internal reserve engineering team has a combined experience of over 80 years in Petroleum Engineering. Our COO, the person responsible for overseeing the preparation of our reserves estimates, has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University, is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas (No. 86704), has over 40 years of oil and natural gas experience including large independents and financial firm services for projects and acquisitions. Our Board of Directors also has oversight of our reserve estimation process and contains a Reserves Committee with an independent director who is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas (No. 47279) with experience in energy company reserve evaluations. Such reserve estimates comply with generally accepted petroleum engineering and evaluation principles, definitions, and guidelines as established by the SEC.

The reserves information in this filing is based on estimates prepared by NSAI and D&M. The person responsible for the preparation of the reserve report at NSAI is Matthew D. Pankey, P.E., Petroleum Engineer. Mr. Pankey, a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Texas (No. 142931), has been practicing consulting petroleum engineering at NSAI since 2019 and has over six years of prior industry experience. The person responsible for the preparation of the reserve report at D&M is Dr. Dilhan Ilk, P.E., Executive Vice President. Dr. Ilk received a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering in 2003 from Istanbul Technical University and a Master’s degree and Doctorate in Petroleum Engineering in 2005 and 2010, respectively, from Texas A&M University, and he has in excess of 13 years of experience in oil and natural gas reservoir studies and evaluations and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Texas (No. 139334).

We provide NSAI and D&M with our property interests, production, current operating costs, current production prices, estimated abandonment costs and other information in order for them to prepare the reserve estimates. This information is reviewed by our senior management team and designated operations personnel to ensure accuracy and completeness of the data prior to submission to the reserve engineers. The scope and results of NSAI’s and D&M’s procedures, as well as their professional qualifications, are summarized in the letters included as Exhibit 99.1 and Exhibit 99.2, respectively, to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Proved Undeveloped Reserves

During the year ended June 30, 2023 our proved undeveloped (“PUD”) reserves changed as follows:

(1) Equivalent oil reserves are defined as six Mcf of natural gas and 42 gallons of NGLs to one barrel of oil conversion ratio which reflects energy equivalence and not price equivalence. Natural gas prices per Mcf and NGL prices per barrel often differ significantly from the equivalent amount of oil.

Our PUD reserves were 3.7 MMBOE as of June 30, 2023, with related future development costs of approximately $71.7 million, which are primarily associated with the Williston Basin properties. The downward revisions were due to adjustments of development timing and economic assumptions at the Williston Basin properties. Extensions of 0.1 MMBOE are associated with two new wells that Denbury, the operator of the Delhi Field, is currently drilling. See “Drilling and Present Activities” below for a further discussion of our expected development of the PUDs for the Williston Basin properties.

Drilling and Present Activities

Currently, none of our oil and natural gas properties are operated by us. We therefore rely on information from our operators regarding near-term drilling programs. As certain of our properties are considered fully developed, there are no plans to drill new wells in fiscal year 2024 in the Jonah Field, the Barnett Shale, and the Hamilton Dome Field. At this time, operators of our properties at Williston Basin, Hamilton Dome Field and Delhi Field are periodically running workover rigs focusing on projects to return wells to production that have experienced mechanical issues.

At Delhi Field, the third-party operator, Denbury, is currently drilling two new down dip wells in the field. Completion and first production of these wells are expected in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024. Denbury is also evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of development of Test Site V. Should they choose to propose proceeding with this project, we anticipate being an active participant based on our current analysis of the project. As of June 30, 2023, Test Site V is not included in our proved reserves due to timing. For fiscal year 2024, at the Williston Basin, we are evaluating drilling two sidetrack locations targeting the Birdbear formation with our operator, Foundation. Efforts to continue evaluating other sidetrack locations and undeveloped drilling locations at the Williston Basin is ongoing.

For further discussion, see “Capital Expenditures” within Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations.

Production volumes, average sales price and average production costs

The following table summarizes our crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids production volumes, average sales price per unit, average daily production on an equivalent basis, production costs, and production costs per unit for the periods indicated:

(1) Equivalent oil reserves are defined as six Mcf of natural gas and 42 gallons of NGLs to one barrel of oil conversion ratio which reflects energy equivalence and not price equivalence. Natural gas prices per Mcf and NGL prices per barrel often differ significantly from the equivalent amount of oil.

(2) Average daily production presented in the table above represents our fiscal year production divided by 365 days in the year. At Williston and Jonah, our average daily production since their respective acquisition dates of January 14, 2022 and April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022, was 0.5 MBOEPD and 2.1 MBOEPD, respectively.

Productive Wells

The following table sets forth the number of productive oil and natural gas wells in which we own a working interest as of June 30, 2023.

Acreage

The following table sets forth certain information regarding our developed and undeveloped lease acreage as of June 30, 2023. Developed acreage refers to acreage on which wells have been drilled or completed to a point that would allow production of oil and natural gas in commercial quantities. Undeveloped acreage refers to acreage on which wells have not been drilled or completed to a point that would permit production of oil and natural gas in commercial quantities whether or not the acreage contains proved reserves.

(1) Except for our undeveloped acreage in Williston Basin, North Dakota (see expiration table below), all acreage, including any undeveloped, nonproductive or undrilled acreage, is held by existing production as long as continuous production is maintained in the unit.

(2) This table excludes acreage attributable to small overriding royalty interests retained in various formations in the Texas Giddings Field area. Except for de minimis production that began on two leases during late fiscal year 2019, none of such acreage is currently producing and our interests are subject to expiration if leases are not maintained by others or commercial production is not established. It does not currently appear likely that we will obtain any significant value from these interests and no reserves have been assigned to any of the Giddings’ interests.

The table below reflects our net undeveloped acreage in Williston Basin, North Dakota as of June 30, 2023 that will expire each year if we do not establish production in paying quantities on the units in which such acreage is included to maintain the lease:

(1) Excluded 2,747 net acres held by existing production as long as continuous production is maintained in the unit.

Markets and Customers

Our production is marketed to third parties in a manner consistent with industry practices. In the United States market where our properties are operated, crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs are readily transportable and marketable. In the

Jonah Field, we take our natural gas and NGL working interest production in-kind and market separately to purchasers on six-month contracts for natural gas and to Enterprise Products Partners L.P. for NGLs. We do not currently market our share of oil, natural gas, or NGLs production from the Williston Basin, the Barnett Shale, the Hamilton Dome Field, or the Delhi Field separately from the operators’ shares of production. Although we have the right to take our working interest production in-kind, we are currently selling our production through the field operators pursuant to the delivery and pricing terms of their sales contracts. Under such arrangements, we typically do not know the identity of the buyers.

As a non-operator, we are highly dependent on the success of our third-party operators and the decisions made in connection with their operations. With the exception of the Jonah Field, our third-party operators sell our oil, natural gas, and NGLs to purchasers, collect the cash, and distribute the cash to us. In the year ended June 30, 2023, approximately 83% of our total revenues were realized from the Jonah Field, Barnett Shale and Delhi Field combined. Diversified, our largest operator at Barnett remitted approximately 26% of our total revenue proceeds to us and at Delhi Field, Denbury, the operator of the Field, remitted approximately 22% of our total revenue proceeds to us. At Jonah Field, where we take our natural gas and NGL production in-kind, during the current year, we sold approximately 17% of our total revenues to Conoco Phillips. In the year ended June 30, 2022, three operators each distributed over 10% of our oil, natural gas and NGL revenues making up approximately 83% of total revenues for the year.

The loss of a purchaser at any of our five major producing properties or disruption to pipeline transportation from these fields could adversely affect our net realized pricing and potentially our near-term production levels.

Market Conditions

Prices we receive for crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs are influenced by many factors that are beyond our control, the exact effect of which is difficult to predict. These factors include changes in supply and demand, the relative strength of the U.S. dollar, government regulation, weather, and actions of major foreign producers.

Oil and natural gas prices over the past few years have been volatile and we expect that volatility to continue. Worldwide factors such as global health pandemics, geopolitical, international trade disruptions and tariffs, macroeconomics, supply and demand, refining capacity, petrochemical production, and derivatives trading, among others, influence prices for oil, natural gas, and NGLs. Local and domestic factors also influence prices for oil, natural gas, and NGLs and include increasing or decreasing production trends, quality differences, regulation, legislation and transportation issues unique to certain producing regions and reservoirs.

Competition

The oil and natural gas industry is highly competitive for prospects, acreage, and capital. Our competitors include major integrated oil and natural gas companies, numerous independent oil and natural gas companies, individuals, and drilling and income programs. Many of our competitors are large, well-established companies with substantially larger operating staff and greater capital resources. Competitors are national, regional, or local in scope and compete on the basis of financial resources, technical prowess or local knowledge. The principal competitive factors in our industry are expertise in given geographical areas and geologic systems and the ability to efficiently conduct operations, achieve technological advantages, identify and acquire economically producible reserves, and obtain capital at rates that allow economic investments.

Risk Management

We are exposed to certain risks relating to our ongoing business operations, including commodity price risk. In accordance with our company policies and the covenants under the Senior Secured Credit Facility, derivative instruments are occasionally utilized to hedge our exposure to price fluctuations and reduce the variability in our cash flows associated with anticipated sales of future oil and natural gas production. We do not enter into derivative contracts for speculative trading purposes.

While there are many different types of derivative instruments available, historically we have used costless collars and fixed-price swaps to attempt to manage price risk. Costless collar agreements are put and call options used to establish floor and ceiling commodity prices for a fixed volume of production during a certain time period. All costless collar agreements provide for payments to counterparties if the settlement price under the agreement exceeds the ceiling and payments from the counterparties if the settlement price under the agreement is below the floor. The fixed-price swap agreements call for payments to, or receipts from, counterparties depending on whether the index price of oil or natural gas for the period is greater or less than the fixed price established for the period contracted under the fixed-price swap agreement.

It is our policy to enter into derivative contracts only with counterparties that are creditworthy financial institutions deemed by management as competent and competitive market makers. We will continue to evaluate the benefit of employing derivatives in the future. Our hedge strategies and objectives may change as our operational profile changes. See Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk and Note 7, “Derivatives” to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for additional information.

Government Regulation

As an oil and natural gas exploration and production company, our interests are subject to numerous legal requirements.

Regulation of Oil and Natural Gas Production

Federal, state and local authorities have promulgated extensive rules covering oil and natural gas exploration, production and related operations. Those regulations require our third-party operator to obtain permits, post bonds and submit reports. They also may address conservation, including unitization or pooling of oil and natural gas properties, well locations, the method of drilling and casing wells, surface use and restoration of properties where wells are drilled, sourcing and disposal of water used in the process of drilling, completion and abandonment, the establishment of maximum rates of production from wells, and plugging and abandonment of wells. The effect of these regulations is to limit the amount of oil and natural gas that we can produce and to limit the number of wells or the locations at which we can produce. Moreover, many states impose a production or severance tax with respect to the production and sale of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids within their jurisdictions. Failure to comply with any applicable legal requirements may result in substantial penalties. Because such regulations are frequently amended or reinterpreted, we are unable to predict future compliance costs or impacts. Significant expenditures may be required to comply with governmental laws and regulations, however, and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Regulation of Transportation of Oil and Natural Gas

The prices for crude oil, condensate and natural gas liquids and natural gas are negotiated and not currently regulated. But Congress, which has been active in oil and natural gas regulation, could impose price controls in the future.

Our sales of crude oil and natural gas are affected by the availability, terms and cost of transportation. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) primarily regulates interstate oil and natural gas transportation rates. In some circumstances, FERC regulations also may affect intrastate pipelines. In addition, states may impose on intrastate pipelines various obligations relating to such matters as safety, environmental protection, nondiscriminatory take and pay rates. The basis for intrastate oil and natural gas pipeline regulation, and the degree of regulatory oversight and scrutiny given to such matters, vary from state to state. To the extent effective interstate and intrastate rates are equally applicable to all comparable shippers, we believe that the regulation of oil and natural gas transportation rates will not affect our business in any way that is of material difference from those of our competitors who are similarly situated.

Environmental Matters

Our properties are subject to extensive and changing federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment, worker safety and human health. Such requirements may address:

• the generation, storage, handling, emission, transportation and disposal of materials;
• reclamation or remediation of sites, including former operating areas;
• the acquisition of a permit or other authorization;
• air emissions;
• protection of water supplies;
• limits on construction, drilling and other activities in wilderness or other environmentally sensitive areas; and
• assessment of environmental impacts.

Failure to comply with such requirements may result in a variety of sanctions, including fines, administrative orders and injunctions. In addition, issuing authorities may revoke, adversely condition or deny permits necessary for our operations. In the opinion of management, our properties are in substantial compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations, and we have no material commitments for capital expenditures to comply with existing environmental requirements. Nevertheless, changes in existing environmental laws and regulations or in interpretations thereof could have a significant impact on our company, as well as the oil and natural gas industry in general. Significant environmental requirements that may affect our operations are described below.

The Comprehensive Environmental, Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”) and comparable state statutes impose strict liability, and in some cases joint and several liability, on owners and operators of sites and on persons who arranged for the disposal of “hazardous substances” found at such sites. It is not uncommon for neighboring landowners or other third parties to also file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by any hazardous substances released into the environment. Although CERCLA currently excludes petroleum from its definition of “hazardous substance,” our operations do entail handling other chemicals that may be subject to the statute. In addition, state laws affecting our properties may impose cleanup liability relating to petroleum and petroleum related products. The Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) and comparable state statutes govern the disposal of “solid waste” and “hazardous waste.” Violations may result in substantial fines. Although RCRA currently classifies certain oil field wastes as “non-hazardous,” such exploration and production wastes could be reclassified as hazardous, thereby subjecting our operations to more stringent handling and disposal requirements. In some circumstances, moreover, RCRA authorizes both the federal government and private persons to seek injunctions requiring the cleanup of wastes, whether hazardous or non-hazardous.

The Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) protects fish, wildlife and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered. Under the ESA, exploration and production operations may not significantly impair or jeopardize a protected species or its habitat. The ESA provides for criminal penalties for willful violations. Our operations also may be subject to other statutes that protect animals and plants such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Although we believe that our properties are in compliance with such statutes, any change in these statutes or any reclassification of a species as endangered could subject our company (directly or indirectly through our third-party operators) to significant expenses to modify operations, could force discontinuation of certain operations altogether and could limit the locations our third-party operators may utilize in the future.

The Clean Air Act (“CAA”) is the comprehensive federal law addressing sources of air emissions. Oil and natural gas production and natural gas processing operations are among the many source categories subject to the CAA. Regulated emissions from oil and natural gas operations include sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds (“VOCs”) and hazardous air pollutants such as benzene, among others.

In particular, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued proposed CAA regulations in November 2021, which it strengthened and expanded in November 2022, that would impose more comprehensive restrictions on emissions of methane (a greenhouse gas) and VOCs from new, existing and modified facilities in the oil and gas sector. Among other things, EPA’s proposed new rule would require states to implement plans that meet or exceed established emission reduction guidelines for oil and natural gas facilities. These regulations and proposals and any other new regulations requiring the installation of more sophisticated pollution control equipment could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The Clean Water Act (the “CWA”) is the primary federal law controlling the discharge of produced waters and other pollutants into waters of the United States. Permits must be obtained for such discharges and to conduct construction activities in waters and wetlands. Some states also require permits for discharges or operations that may impact groundwater.

The CAA, CWA and comparable state statutes authorize civil, criminal and administrative penalties for violations. Further, the CWA and Oil Pollution Act may impose liability on owners or operators of onshore facilities that impact surface waters.

Pursuant to the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA (or an authorized state) regulates the construction, operation, permitting, and closure of injection wells used to place oil and natural gas wastes and other fluids underground for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery, storage or disposal. The primary objective of injection well operating requirements is to ensure the mechanical integrity of the injection apparatus and to prevent migration of fluids from the injection zone into underground sources of drinking water. Underground injection associated with oil and gas operations, particularly the disposal of produced water, has been linked in some cases to localized earthquakes. This in turn has led to new legislative and regulatory initiatives, which have the potential to restrict injection in certain wells or limit operations in certain areas.

Certain of the oil and natural gas production in which we have an interest is developed from unconventional sources that require hydraulic fracturing as part of the completion process. Hydraulic fracturing involves the injection into the formation of water, sand and chemicals under pressure to stimulate production. From time to time, legislation has been proposed in the United States Congress to repeal the Safe Drinking Water Act’s exemption for hydraulic fracturing from the definition of “underground injection” and to require federal permitting of hydraulic fracturing. If ever enacted, such legislation would add to costs for hydraulic fracturing.

Scrutiny of hydraulic fracturing activities continues in other ways. Several states where our properties are located have proposed or adopted legislative or regulatory restrictions on hydraulic fracturing. A number of municipalities likewise have enacted bans on hydraulic fracturing. We cannot predict whether any other legislation restricting hydraulic fracturing will be enacted and if so, what its provisions would be. If additional levels of regulation and permits were to be required through the adoption of new laws and regulations at the federal, state or local level, it could lead to delays, increased operating costs and process prohibitions that could materially adversely affect our revenue and results of operations.

The National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions. Among the broad range of actions covered by NEPA are decisions on permit applications and federal land management. Many of the activities of our third-party operators involve federal decisions subject to NEPA. Such federal actions may trigger robust NEPA review, which could lead to delays and increased costs that could materially adversely affect our revenues and results of operations. In 2022, moreover, the Biden Administration reversed changes to NEPA rules enacted under the Trump Administration that had been intended to streamline NEPA review. The revised regulations lay the foundation for additional scrutiny of impacts on climate change, which could affect the assessment of projects ranging from oil and gas leasing to development on public and Indian lands.

Climate Change

Climate change has become a major public concern and policy issue in the United States and around the world. Much of the debate has focused on greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions from oil and natural gas, particularly carbon dioxide and methane.

In the United States, there is no comprehensive federal regulatory statute addressing climate change, although Congress does periodically consider such measures. At the federal level, the United States therefore has primarily addressed climate change through executive actions and regulatory initiatives pursuant to existing statutes. These include rejoining the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Biden Administration’s commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 to 50-52 percent of 2005 levels, various executive orders, limiting land available for oil and gas leasing, the United States Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan (intended to reduce overall methane emissions by 30% below 2020 levels by 2030), and Clean Air Act rules (such as the November 2021 proposal to regulate methane from the oil and gas sector). In addition, several states have already implemented or are considering programs to reduce GHG emissions. These include cap and trade programs, promotion of alternative forms of energy, transportation standards and restrictions on particular GHGs. To the extent that new climate change measures are adopted, and our third-party operators must further control GHG emissions, our business may be adversely impacted.

In addition, recent court decisions have left open the question of whether tort claims alleging property damage may proceed against sources of GHG emissions under state common law. Thus, there is some litigation risk for such claims.

Legislation or regulations that may be adopted to address climate change could also affect the markets for our products by making our products more or less desirable than competing sources of energy. To the extent that our products are competing with higher GHG emitting energy sources, for example, our products would become more desirable in the market with more stringent limitations on GHG emissions. But in 2022, the United States enacted the Inflation Reduction Act that, among other things, creates a series of financial incentives intended to discourage use of oil and natural gas (including imposing a fee on methane emissions) and to promote alternative sources of energy. To the extent that our products are competing with lower GHG emitting energy sources such as solar and wind, our products may become less desirable in the market with such government intervention. We cannot predict with any certainty at this time how these possibilities may affect our operations.

Various studies on climate change indicate that extreme weather conditions and other risks may occur in the future in the areas where we operate. Although we have not experienced any material impact from such extreme conditions to date, no assurance can be given that they will not have a material adverse effect on our business in the future.

See discussion captioned “Government regulation and liability for oil and natural gas operations and environmental matters may adversely affect our business and results of operations” in Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Insurance

We maintain insurance on our oil and natural gas properties and operations for risks and in amounts customary in the industry. Such insurance includes, but is not limited to, general liability, excess liability, control of well, operators extra expense, casualty, fraud, and directors and officer’s liability coverage. Not all losses are insured, and we retain certain risks of loss through deductibles, limits, and self-retentions. We do not carry business interruption or lost profits coverage.

Human Capital, Sustainability, and ESG

Employees

As of June 30, 2023, we had eleven full-time employees, not including contract personnel and outsourced service providers. Due to our current focus on non-operating properties, our staff is disproportionately weighted towards higher wage professionals. We believe that we have positive relations with our employees. Our team is broadly experienced in oil and natural gas operations, development, acquisitions, and financing. We follow a strategy of outsourcing most of our property accounting, human resources, administrative, and other non-core functions. For our full-time employees, our benefits package, as determined by our Board of Directors, includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, short-term disability, 401(k) contributions based on a portion of the employee’s base salary, short and long-term performance-based and service-based incentive pay (i.e., annual bonuses and stock awards), and paid time off.

Our workforce is provided with annual training and is expected to sign an acknowledgement regarding our policies and disclosures which include, but are not limited to, the Corporate Sustainability Report (“CSR”), employee handbook, human rights, code of ethics, health and safety, emergency procedures, conflicts of interest, insider trading, bribery, kickbacks, discrimination, diversity, equality, and inclusion.

Sustainability and ESG

In fiscal year 2023, we formed a Sustainability Committee which is responsible for overseeing our Environmental Social Governance (“ESG”) initiatives. In fiscal year 2021-2022, under the supervision of our Board of Directors, the Nominating and Corporate Governance committee, and senior management, the foundation of our sustainability efforts and CSR were led by an ESG Task Force. Evolution’s most recent CSR was published in October 2022. This report is accessible on our website at www.evolutionpetroleum.com (http://www.evolutionpetroleum.com).

The ESG Task Force formalized our existing ESG programs, proposed and implemented new ESG initiatives, monitored adherence to our internal and third-party sustainability standards, and provided public disclosures for our stakeholders. Each year, we continue to disclose, enhance, implement, and provide training for a number of new and existing policies and procedures. These include, but are not limited to: implementing a charitable donation program and employee volunteer initiative, an annual company-wide ESG training program for both the Board of Directors and our workforce, implementation of safety inspections and health and safety coordinators, and incorporating ESG considerations into our compensation structure.

We are committed to high standards of conduct and ethics in order to contribute to the sustainability of our business. Our core values are the base to support our strategy and long-term success. We believe integrity is paramount and we are committed to developing and producing energy resources in environmentally, socially, and ethically respectful and responsible ways. Our people are critical to our success and as such we promote and maintain a safe and inclusive work environment. We strategically plan for the long-term and strive to maintain capital discipline, stakeholder transparency, and continuous focus on returning capital to shareholders. We work with third-party operators that share our desire to operate and work responsibly, particularly for the natural environments in which they operate.

Denbury Inc., the operator of our Delhi Field property, is an industry leader in Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage with a network of CO2 EOR operations and the United States’ largest operated system of CO2 transmission pipelines. As of year-end 2022, Denbury reportedly injects over three million tons of captured industrial-sourced CO2 annually, and has a goal to reach Net Zero for Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 CO2 emissions by 2030, primarily through increasing the amount of captured industrial-sourced CO2 used in their operations.

Jonah Energy, the operator of our Jonah Field property, is one of the leading sustainable natural gas producers in the U.S. In 2021, Jonah was the first and only U.S. company to achieve the Gold Standard Rating, announced by the United Nations Environment Programme International Methane Emissions Observatory.

As a non-operator of our current properties, we do not have direct control over environmental initiatives at a property-level. However, we believe it is important to partner with third-party operators that share our core values and are committed to being environmental stewards as they responsibly produce energy resources. We recognize that the expectations, requirements, and responsibilities of operators regarding safeguarding the environment and environmental stewardship continue to evolve. We are, and will continue to be, committed to supporting our third-party operators as they respond to these expectations, requirements, and responsibilities.

In fiscal year 2023, we implemented our first annual voluntary Environmental Operator Questionnaire to collect various environmental metrics on behalf of our third-party operators. In addition, we host regular operations meetings with our third-party operators in which we discuss asset level operations, expenses, any environmental issues and compliance, including ESG and health and safety related topics.

We do not report Scope 1 GHG, or direct, emissions to the EPA as we are not the operator of our properties, nor do we have financial control over our oil and natural gas properties and operations. We prefer to partner with third-party operators that work to reduce their Scope 1 GHG emissions, and we encourage them to accelerate their efforts as appropriate in this regard. The Company reports in its CSR the estimated Scope 2 GHG emissions for its corporate office located in Houston, Texas. Scope 2 GHG emissions are based on indirect emissions representing purchased electricity. We are one of many tenants leasing space in our corporate office building and do not know the actual amount of electricity used in our space. As such, we estimate our consumption by multiplying the electricity purchased for the entire building by the percentage of the floor area that we occupy. Water use is also reported in the CSR and is calculated in a similar fashion.

We maintain a hotline which operates 24/7/365 and allows anonymous and confidential reporting for employees, consultants, partners, and contractors, including the ability to report concerns or violations of our policies through the phone or internet (Phone: 877-628-7489 / Website: www.epm.alertline.com (http://www.epm.alertline.com)).

Additional Information

We file Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other reports with the SEC. Our reports filed with the SEC are available free of charge to the general public through our website at www.evolutionpetroleum.com (http://www.evolutionpetroleum.com). These reports are accessible on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after being filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. This Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings can also be obtained by contacting: Corporate Secretary, 1155 Dairy Ashford Road, Suite 425, Houston, Texas 77079, or calling (713) 935-0122. These reports are also available at the SEC Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

Our business involves a high degree of risk. If any of the following risks, or any risk described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, actually occurs, our business, financial condition, or results of operations could suffer. The risks described below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks not presently known to us or which we currently consider to be immaterial also may adversely affect us.

Risks Related to Our Business:

A substantial or extended decline in oil and natural gas prices may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and our ability to meet our capital expenditure obligations and financial commitments.

The price we receive for our oil and natural gas significantly influences our revenue, profitability, access to capital, capital spending, and future rate of growth. At June 30, 2023, approximately 32% of our proved reserves were oil reserves, 49% were natural gas and 19% were NGLs. Oil, natural gas and NGLs are commodities and their prices are subject to wide fluctuations in response to relatively minor changes in supply and demand. Historically, the markets for oil, natural gas, and NGLs have been volatile and these markets will likely continue to be volatile in the future. The prices we receive for our production depend on numerous factors beyond our control, including, but not limited to the following:

• changes in global supply and demand for oil and natural gas;
• worldwide and regional economic conditions impacting the global supply and demand for oil and natural gas;
• social unrest, political instability or armed conflict in major oil and natural gas producing regions outside the United States, such as the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and acts of terrorism or sabotage;
• the ability and willingness of the members of OPEC+ to agree and maintain oil price and production controls;
• the price and quantity of imports of foreign oil and natural gas;
• governmental, scientific, and public concern over the threat of climate change arising from greenhouse gas emissions;
• the relative strength or weakness of the U.S. dollar compared to other currencies;
• the level of global oil and natural gas exploration and production;
• the level of global oil and natural gas inventories;
• localized supply and demand fundamentals of regional, domestic, and international transportation availability;
• weather conditions, natural disasters, and seasonal trends;
• domestic and foreign governmental regulations, including embargoes, sanctions, tariffs, and environmental regulations;
• speculation as to the future price of oil and the speculative trading of oil and natural gas futures contracts;
• price and availability of competitors’ supplies of oil and natural gas;
• technological advances affecting energy consumption;
• increasing attention to ESG matters; and
• the price, availability and use of alternative fuels.

Substantially all of our production is sold to purchasers under short-term (less than 12-month) contracts at market-based prices. A decline in oil, natural gas, and NGL prices will reduce our cash flows, borrowing ability, the present value of our reserves, and our ability to develop future reserves. We may be unable to obtain needed capital or financing on satisfactory terms. Low oil, natural gas, and NGL prices may also reduce the amount of oil, natural gas, and NGL that we can produce economically, which could lead to a decline in our oil, natural gas and NGL reserves. Generally, we hedge substantially less than all of our anticipated oil and natural gas production and typically only with the requirements of our Senior Secured Credit Facility. To the extent that we have not hedged production, any significant and extended decline in oil, natural gas, and NGL prices may adversely affect our financial position.

Our existing developed oil and natural gas production will decline; we may be unable to acquire or develop the additional oil and natural gas reserves that are required in order to sustain our production and business operations.

The volume of production from developed oil and natural gas properties declines as reserves are depleted, with the rate of decline depending on reservoir characteristics. Environmental issues, operating problems, or lack of extended future investment in any of our properties would cause our net production of oil, natural gas, and NGLs to decline significantly over time, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

The types of resources we focus on have substantial operational risks.

Our business plan focuses on the acquisition and development of known resources in partially depleted, naturally fractured, or low permeability reservoirs. Our Hamilton Dome Field and Delhi Field properties produce from relatively shallow reservoirs, while our Jonah Field, Williston Basin and Barnett Shale properties produce from deeper reservoirs. Shallower reservoirs usually have lower pressure, which generally translates into lower reserves volumes in place. Deeper reservoirs have higher pressures and usually more reserves volumes in place, but capturing those reserves often comes at increased drilling and completion costs and risks and, generally, a higher rate of initial production decline. Low permeability reservoirs require substantial stimulation for development of commercial production. Naturally fractured reservoirs require penetration of sufficient un-depleted fractures to establish commercial production. Depleted reservoirs require successful application of newer, or more expensive, technologies to produce incremental reserves. Our approach on the development and application of technologies on these different types of reservoirs could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

The CO2-EOR project in the Delhi Field, operated by Denbury, requires significant amounts of CO2 reserves, development capital, and technical expertise, the sources of which to date have been committed by the operator. On July 13, 2023, Exxon Mobil Corporation (“Exxon”) announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Denbury. Exxon’s plans with respect to the Delhi Field are unknown. Additional capital remains to be invested to fully develop the EOR project and maximize the value of the properties. The operator’s failure to manage these and other technical, environmental, operational, strategic, financial, and logistical risks may ultimately cause enhanced recoveries from the planned CO2-EOR project to fall short of our expectations in volume and/or timing. Such occurrences could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

We have limited control over the activities on properties we do not operate.

All of our property interests are operated by third-party working interest owners, not by us. As a result, we have limited ability to influence or control the operations or future development of such properties, including compliance with environmental, safety, and other standards, or the amount of capital expenditures that we will be required to fund with respect to such properties. Operators of these properties may act in ways that are not in our best interest. Moreover, we are dependent on the other working interest owners of such projects to fund their contractual share of the capital expenditures of such projects. These limitations and our dependence on the operator and other working interest owners for these projects could cause us to incur unexpected future costs, result in lower production, and materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We will be subject to risks in connection with acquisitions.

We periodically evaluate acquisitions of reserves, properties, prospects, leaseholds, and other strategic transactions that appear to fit within our overall business strategy. The successful acquisition of producing properties requires an assessment of several factors, including, but not limited to:

• recoverable reserves;
• future oil and natural gas prices and their appropriate differentials;
• development and operating costs;
• potential for future drilling and production;
• validity of the seller’s title to properties, which may be less than expected at closing; and
• potential environmental issues, litigation, and other liabilities.

The accuracy of these assessments is inherently uncertain. In connection with these assessments, we perform a review of the subject properties that we believe to be generally consistent with industry practices. Our review will not reveal all existing or potential problems nor will it permit us to become sufficiently familiar with the properties to fully assess their deficiencies and potential recoverable reserves. Inspections may not always be performed on every well, and environmental problems are not necessarily observable at the ground surface or otherwise when an inspection is performed. Even when problems are identified, the seller may be unwilling or unable to provide effective contractual protection against all or part of the problems. Moreover, in the event of such an acquisition, there is a risk that we could ultimately be liable for unknown obligations related to acquisitions and, importantly, that our assumptions regarding future oil and natural gas prices, differentials, reserves, or production could prove materially inaccurate and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

We may encounter difficulties integrating the operations of newly acquired oil and natural gas properties or businesses.

Increasing our reserve base through acquisitions has been an important part of our business strategy. We may encounter difficulties integrating newly acquired oil and natural gas properties or businesses. In particular, we may face significant challenges in consolidating functions and integrating procedures, personnel, and business operations in an effective manner. The failure to successfully integrate such properties or businesses into our Company may adversely affect our business and results of operations. Any acquisition we make may involve numerous risks, including:

• a significant increase in our indebtedness and working capital requirements;
• the inability to timely and effectively integrate the operations of recently acquired businesses or assets;
• the incurrence of substantial costs to address unforeseen environmental and other liabilities arising out of the acquired businesses or assets;
• liabilities arising from the operation of the acquired businesses or assets before our acquisition;
• our lack of drilling or operational history in the areas in which the acquired business operates;
• customer or key employee loss from the acquired business;
• increased administration of new personnel;
• additional costs due to increased scope and complexity of our business;
• potential disruption of our ongoing business; and
• assumptions made on estimated development by the operator may not be accurate or may change.

Additionally, significant acquisitions can change the nature of our operations and business depending upon the character of the acquired properties, which may have substantially different operating and geological characteristics or be in different geographic locations than our existing properties. To the extent that we acquire properties substantially different from the properties we currently own or that require different technical expertise, we may not be able to realize the economic benefits of these acquisitions as effectively as with acquisitions within our current footprint and expertise. We may not be successful in addressing these risks or any other problems encountered in connection with any acquisition we may make.

Oil and natural gas development, re-completion of wells from one reservoir to another reservoir, restoring wells to production, and drilling and completing new wells are speculative activities which involve numerous risks and substantial uncertain costs.

Our growth will be partially dependent upon the success of future development programs on our properties. Drilling for oil and natural gas and extracting NGLs and re-working existing wells involve numerous risks. The cost of drilling, completing, and operating wells is substantial and uncertain; drilling operations may be curtailed, delayed, or canceled as a result of a variety of factors beyond our control, including, but not limited to:

• unexpected drilling conditions;
• pressure fluctuations or irregularities in reservoir formations;
• equipment failures or accidents;
• well blowouts and other releases of hazardous materials;
• inability to obtain or maintain leases on economic terms, where applicable;
• the cost and availability of goods and services, such as drilling rigs, fracture stimulation services, and tubulars;
• adverse weather conditions;
• compliance with governmental requirements; and
• shortages or delays in the availability of drilling rigs or crews and the delivery of equipment.

Drilling or re-working is a highly speculative activity. Even when fully and correctly utilized, modern well completion and production techniques, such as Horizontal Drilling or CO2 injection, do not guarantee that we will find and produce oil and/or natural gas in economic quantities. Our future drilling, completion and production activities may not be successful and, if unsuccessful, such failure would have an adverse effect on our future results of operations and financial condition.

We may also identify and develop prospects through a number of methods, some of which may include Horizontal Drilling or tertiary injectants, and some of which may be unproven. The drilling and results for these prospects may be particularly uncertain. We cannot ensure that these projects can be successfully developed or that wells will, if drilled, encounter reservoirs of commercially productive oil or natural gas.

Our oil and natural gas reserves are only estimates and may prove to be inaccurate.

There are numerous uncertainties inherent in estimating oil and natural gas reserves and their estimated values. Our reserves are only estimates that may prove to be inaccurate because of these inherent uncertainties. Reservoir engineering is a subjective process of estimating underground accumulations of oil and natural gas that cannot always be measured in an exact manner. Estimates of economically recoverable oil and natural gas reserves depend upon a number of variable factors. These factors include historical production from the area compared with production from other comparable producing areas, assumptions concerning effects of regulations by governmental agencies, future oil and natural gas product prices, future operating costs, severance and excise taxes, development costs, workover costs, and remedial costs. Some or all of these assumptions utilized in estimating reserve volumes may vary considerably from actual results. For these reasons, estimates of the economically recoverable quantities of reserves, classifications of such reserves based on risk of recovery, and estimates of the future net cash flows expected from reserves may vary substantially depending on the timing and different engineers preparing reserves estimates.

Accordingly, reserve estimates may be subject to downward or upward adjustments. Actual production, revenue, and expenditures with respect to our reserves will likely vary from estimates; such variances may be material. The information regarding discounted future net cash flows included in this report should not be considered as the current market value of the estimated oil and natural gas reserves attributable to our properties. The estimated discounted future net cash flows from proved reserves are based on the 12-month average price, calculated as the unweighted arithmetic average of the first-day-of-the-month price for each month within the 12-month period prior to the end of the reporting period, and costs as of the date of the estimate, while actual future prices and costs may be materially higher or lower. Actual future net cash flows also will be affected by factors such as the amount and timing of actual production, supply and demand for oil and natural gas, increases or decreases in consumption, and changes in governmental regulations or taxation. In addition, the 10% discount factor, which is required by the SEC to be used in calculating discounted future net cash flows for reporting purposes, is not necessarily the most appropriate discount factor. Interest rates in effect vary from time to time based on risks associated with us or the oil and natural gas industry in general. The Standardized Measure does not necessarily correspond to market value.

Regulatory and accounting requirements may require substantial reductions in reporting proven reserves.

On a periodic basis, we review the carrying value of our oil and natural gas properties under the applicable rules of various regulatory agencies, including the SEC. Under the full cost method of accounting that we use, the after-tax carrying value of our oil and natural gas properties may not exceed the present value of estimated future net after-tax cash flows from proved reserves, discounted at 10%. Application of this “ceiling” test requires pricing future revenues at the previous 12-month average beginning-of-month price and requires a write-down of the carrying value for accounting purposes if the ceiling is exceeded. We may in the future be required to write down the carrying value of our oil and natural gas properties when oil and natural gas prices are depressed or unusually volatile. Whether we will be required to take such a charge will depend in part on the prices of oil and natural gas during the previous period and the effect of reserve additions or revisions and capital expenditures during such period. If a write-down is required, it would result in a current charge to our earnings but would not impact our current cash flow from operating activities. A large write-down could adversely affect our compliance with the current financial covenants under our credit facility, could limit our access to future borrowings under that facility, or require repayment of any amounts that might be outstanding at the time.

Our derivative activities could result in financial losses or could reduce our income.

Under the terms of our Senior Secured Credit Facility, we are required to hedge a certain portion of our anticipated oil and natural gas production for future periods when we reach a defined utilization percentage. We may also elect to hedge additional production volumes from time to time based upon our view of the attractiveness of commodity futures and the risks that downward price fluctuations might pose to our business plans. When we engage in hedging transactions, we may utilize costless collars, fixed price swaps or purchased floors to cost-effectively provide us with some protection against price changes. We have not historically designated any of our derivative instruments as hedges for accounting purposes and record all derivative instruments on our balance sheet at fair value. Changes in the fair value of our derivative instruments are recognized in earnings. Accordingly, our earnings may fluctuate significantly as a result of changes in the fair value of our future derivative instruments. Derivative arrangements may also expose us to the risk of financial loss in some circumstances, including, but not limited to, if:

• actual production is less than the volume covered by the derivative instruments;
• the counterparty to the derivative instrument defaults on its contract obligations; or
• there is a change in the expected differential between the underlying price in the derivative instrument and actual price received.

In addition, in a rising commodity price environment, derivative arrangements may limit the extent to which we might benefit from increases in prices of oil and natural gas and may expose us to cash margin requirements.

Our operations may require significant amounts of capital and additional financing may be necessary in order for us to continue our exploitation activities.

Cash flow from our production may not be sufficient to fund our ongoing activities at all times. From time to time, we may require additional financing in order to carry out oil and natural gas acquisitions, exploitation, and development activities. If our revenues decrease as a result of decreases in production, lower oil and natural gas prices or otherwise, it will affect our ability to expend the necessary capital to replace our reserves or to maintain our current production. If our cash flow from operations is not sufficient to satisfy our capital expenditure requirements, there can be no assurance that additional debt or equity financing will be available to meet these requirements or be available to us on favorable terms.

Government regulation and liability for oil and natural gas operations and environmental matters may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Oil and natural gas operations are subject to extensive federal, state, and local government regulations, which may change from time to time. Matters subject to regulation include discharge permits for drilling operations, drilling bonds, reports concerning operations, the spacing of wells, unitization and pooling of properties, and taxation. From time to time, regulatory agencies have imposed price controls and limitations on production by restricting the rate of flow of oil and natural gas from wells below actual production capacity in order to conserve supplies of oil and natural gas. There are federal, state, and local laws and regulations addressing protection of human health and the environment that apply to the development, production, handling, storage, and transportation of oil, natural gas, and their by-products; the disposal of related wastes; the emission of CO2, other greenhouse gases, and volatile organic compounds; and the management of other substances and materials released, produced or used in connection with oil and natural gas operations. These laws and regulations may affect the costs, manner, and feasibility of our operations by, among other things, requiring us to make significant expenditures in order to comply and restricting the areas available for oil and gas production. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in substantial liabilities to third-parties or governmental entities. In addition, we may be liable for significant environmental damages and cleanup costs, without regard to fault, for releases of hazardous materials on or from property we own or operate, even if we did not cause or contribute to the release. We are also subject to changing and extensive tax laws, the effects of which cannot be predicted. The implementation of new, or the modification of existing, laws or regulations, could have a material adverse effect on us, such as by imposing new emission controls, penalties, fines and/or fees, taxes and tariffs on carbon that could have the effect of raising prices to the end user and thereby reducing the demand for our products.

The risks arising out of the threat of climate change, including transition risks and physical risks, may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The threat of climate change poses both transition risks and physical risks that could have a material adverse effect on us. Transition risks may arise from political and regulatory, legal, technological or financial changes as society tries to safeguard the climate, while physical risks may result from extreme weather events or other shifts in the natural world.

We have been facing increased political and regulatory risks as federal, state and local governments have adopted new measures to restrict sources of greenhouse gas emissions and promote energy alternatives. Many such measures have been proposed, and still more can be expected. From time to time, there are proposals to ban hydraulic fracturing of oil and natural gas wells and to remove more lands, both onshore and offshore, from new hydrocarbon production. Many other actions could be pursued such as more rigorous requirements for drilling and construction permits, stricter greenhouse gas emissions standards for both new and existing sources, further limits on construction of new pipelines, reinstatement of the ban on oil exports, enhanced reporting obligations, taxing carbon emissions and creating further incentives for use of alternative energy sources. These actions may cause operational delays or restrictions, increased operating costs and additional regulatory burdens.

Litigation risks are also increasing for oil and natural gas companies. A number of suits alleging, among other things, that oil and natural gas companies created public nuisances by producing fuels that contributed to climate change have been brought in state or federal court.

Technological changes may drive market demand for products other than oil and natural gas. Wider adoption of hybrid engines and electric cars, for example, would reduce demand for our products. At the same time, our capital and operating costs may increase if we need to add new emission reduction technologies.

There are also financial risks for the petroleum industry. It may become more difficult for us to access the capital markets if the threat of climate change discourages new investment. Institutional lenders who provide financing to fossil-fuel energy companies also have become more attentive to sustainable lending practices, and some of them may elect not to provide funding for fossil fuel energy companies. Limitation of investments in and financings for the energy industry could result in the restriction, delay or cancellation of drilling programs or development or production activities.

The threat of climate change also may subject our operations and business to severe weather or other natural hazards, such as flooding, drought, wildfires, and extreme temperatures. Any such event could halt production or exploration activities, damage equipment, disrupt transportation, reduce consumer demand and significantly increase our costs.

Poor general economic, business, or industry conditions may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, liquidity, and financial condition.

During the last few years, concerns over inflation, energy costs, volatile oil and natural gas prices, geopolitical issues, the availability and cost of credit, the United States mortgage market, uncertainties with regard to European sovereign debt, the slowdown in economic growth in large emerging and developing markets, such as China, regional or worldwide increases in tariffs or other trade restrictions, and other issues have contributed to increased economic uncertainty and diminished expectations for the global economy. Concerns about global economic conditions have had a significant adverse impact on domestic and international financial markets and commodity prices. If uncertain or poor economic, business, or industry conditions in the United States or abroad remain prolonged, demand for petroleum products could diminish or stagnate, and production costs could increase. These situations could impact the price at which we can sell our oil, natural gas, and NGLs, affect our vendors’, suppliers’, and customers’ ability to continue operations, and ultimately adversely impact our results of operations, liquidity, and financial condition.

Events outside of our control, including a pandemic or broad outbreak of an infectious disease, such as the global outbreak of a novel strain of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”), may materially adversely affect our business.

We face risks related to pandemics, outbreaks, or other public health events that are outside of our control and could significantly disrupt our operations and adversely affect our financial condition. In December 2019, COVID-19 was identified in Wuhan, China and rapidly spread around the world. This virus and its variants, and governmental actions to contain it, had material adverse economic impacts globally. These and other actions could, among other things, impact the ability of our employees and contractors to perform their duties, cause increased technology and security risk due to extended and company-wide telecommuting, and lead to disruptions in our permitting activities and critical business relationships. Additionally, governmental restrictions intended to contain COVID-19 or future pandemics have in the past, and may in the future, significantly impact economic activity and markets and dramatically reduce actual or anticipated demand for oil and natural gas, adversely impacting the prices we receive for our production. The severity and duration of any such events are uncertain and difficult to predict, as is the extent that such events may have on our business.

Our business could be negatively affected by security threats. A cyber-attack or similar incident could occur and result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption, damage to our reputation, and/or financial loss.

The oil and natural gas industry has become increasingly dependent on digital technologies to conduct certain exploration, development, production, processing, and financial activities. We depend on digital technology to estimate quantities of oil and natural gas reserves, manage operations, process and record financial and operating data, analyze seismic and drilling information, and communicate with our employees and third-party operators. Our technologies, systems, networks, seismic data, reserves information, or other proprietary information, and those of our operators, vendors, suppliers, customers, and other business partners may become the target of cyber-attacks or information security breaches. Cyber-attacks or information security breaches could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of proprietary and other information, or could otherwise lead to the disruption of our business operations or other operational disruptions in our exploration or production operations. Cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated and certain cyber incidents, such as surveillance, may remain undetected for an extended period and could lead to disruptions in critical systems or the unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information. These events could lead to financial losses from remedial actions, loss of business, disruption of operations, damage to our reputation, or potential liability. Also, computers control nearly all of the oil and natural gas distribution systems in the United States and abroad. Computers are necessary to transport our oil and natural gas production to market. A cyber-attack directed at oil and natural gas distribution systems could damage critical distribution and storage assets or the environment, delay or prevent delivery of production to markets and make it difficult or impossible to accurately account for production and settle transactions. Cyber incidents have increased, and the United States government has issued warnings indicating that energy assets may be specific targets of cybersecurity threats. Our systems and insurance coverage for protecting against cybersecurity risks may not be sufficient. Further, as cyber-attacks continue to evolve, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to cyber-attacks.

Our insurance may not protect us against all of the operating risks to which our business is exposed.

The oil and natural gas business involves numerous operating hazards such as well blowouts, mechanical failures, explosions, uncontrollable flows of oil, natural gas, or well fluids, fires, formations with abnormal pressures, hurricanes and storms, flooding, pollution, releases of toxic gas, and other environmental hazards and risks, which can result in (1) damage to or destruction of wells and/or production facilities, (2) damage to or destruction of formations, (3) injury to persons, (4) loss of life, or (5) damage to property, the environment or natural resources. While we carry general liability, control of well, and operator’s extra expense coverage typical in our industry, we are not fully insured against all risks incidental to our business. Should we experience any losses, the costs of our premiums may rise, which could in turn reduce the amount of insurance we are able to carry.

The loss of key personnel could adversely affect us.

We depend to a large extent on the services of certain key management personnel, including our executive officers. The loss of one or more key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our operations. In particular, our future success is dependent upon the abilities of our executive officers to source, evaluate, and close deals, raise capital, and oversee our development activities and operations. Presently, we are not a beneficiary of any key man life insurance.

Oilfield service and materials prices may increase, and the availability of such services and materials may be inadequate to meet our needs.

Our business plan to develop or redevelop oil and natural gas resources requires third-party oilfield service vendors and various material providers, which we do not control. We also rely on third-party carriers for the transportation and distribution of our oil and natural gas production. As our production increases, so does our need for such services and materials. Generally, we do not have long-term agreements with our service and materials providers. Accordingly, there is a risk that any of our service providers could discontinue providing services for any reason or we may not be able to source the services or materials we need. Any delay in locating, establishing relationships, and training our sources could result in production shortages and maintenance problems, resulting in loss of revenue to us. In addition, if costs for such services and materials increase, it may render certain or all of our projects uneconomic, as compared to the earlier prices we may have assumed when deciding to redevelop newly purchased or existing properties. Further adverse economic outcomes may result from the long lead times often necessary to execute and complete our redevelopment plans.

We may assume risks and financial responsibility for drilling and completing wells on our Williston Basin properties if our third-party operator declines to drill wells and it or other joint interest owners elect not to participate.

As discussed elsewhere in this report, pursuant to agreements related to our interests in the Williston Basin properties, we have the ability to propose to the operator a drilling plan for certain wells, which the operator may accept or reject. In the event the operator rejects our proposed drilling plan, we have the right to undertake all necessary activities to drill and complete the wells and related facilities in accordance with our proposed drilling plan. In the event we undertake to do so, and the operator and other joint interest owners elect not to participate, we will bear the entire liability and expense associated with drilling and completing the wells and related facilities, subject only to our right to recoup costs incurred on behalf of non-participating joint interest owners to the extent a well generates sufficient revenues to do so. We thus may be required to bear a share of such expenses to an extent that is disproportionate to our economic interest in the property. If we elect to proceed to drill and complete wells we have proposed and the operator has rejected, we also will bear many of the other risks highlighted elsewhere herein, including, without limitation, failing to find economic quantities of oil and natural gas, drilling accidents, potential environmental liabilities, unavailability of insurance at a reasonable cost to cover associated liabilities, and price increases and delivery delays for required drilling and completion equipment, products and services. Ongoing operations of any wells we elect to drill will be turned over to the operator of the property upon completion.

We cannot market the oil and natural gas that we produce without the assistance of third-parties.

The marketability of the oil and natural gas that we produce depends upon the proximity of our reserves and production to, and the capacity of, facilities and third-party services, including oil and natural gas gathering systems, pipelines, trucking or terminal facilities, and processing facilities necessary to make the products marketable for end use. The unavailability or lack of capacity of such services and facilities could result in the shut-in of producing wells or the delay or discontinuance of development plans for properties. A shut-in, delay, or discontinuance could adversely affect our financial condition.

We face strong competition from larger oil and natural gas companies.

Our competitors include major integrated oil and natural gas companies, numerous larger independent oil and natural gas companies, individuals, and drilling and income programs. Many of our competitors are large, well-established companies with substantially larger operating staffs and greater capital resources. We may not be able to successfully conduct our operations, evaluate and select suitable properties, or consummate transactions in this highly competitive environment. Specifically, these larger competitors may be able to pay more for development projects and productive oil and natural gas properties and may be able to define, evaluate, bid for, and purchase a greater number of properties and prospects than our financial or human resources permit. In addition, such companies may be able to expend greater resources on hiring contract service providers, obtaining oilfield equipment, and acquiring the existing and changing technologies that we believe are, and will be, increasingly important to attaining success in our industry.

We have been, and in the future may become, involved in legal proceedings related to our properties or operations and, as a result, may incur substantial costs in connection with those proceedings.

From time to time we may be a defendant or plaintiff in various lawsuits. The nature of our operations exposes us to further possible litigation claims in the future. There is risk that any matter in litigation could be decided unfavorably against us regardless of our belief, opinion, and position, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flow. Litigation can be very costly, and the costs associated with defending litigation could also have a material adverse effect on our financial condition. Adverse litigation decisions or rulings may damage our business reputation.

Ownership of our oil, natural gas, and mineral production depends on good title to our property.

Good and clear title to our oil, natural gas, and mineral properties is important to our business. Although title reviews will generally be conducted prior to the purchase of most oil, natural gas, and mineral producing properties or the commencement of drilling wells, such reviews do not assure that an unforeseen defect in the chain of title will not arise to defeat our claim. This could result in a reduction or elimination of the revenue received by us from such properties.

Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or laws or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to tax by U.S. federal, state, and local tax authorities. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including:

• changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities;
• expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances;
• tax effects of stock-based compensation;
• costs related to intercompany restructurings; or
• changes in tax laws, regulations, or interpretations thereof.

For example, in previous years, legislation has been proposed to eliminate or defer certain key U.S. federal income tax deductions historically available to oil and natural gas exploration and production companies. Such proposed changes have included: (1) a repeal of the percentage depletion allowance for oil and natural gas properties; (2) the elimination of deductions for intangible drilling and exploration and development costs; (3) the elimination of the deduction for certain production activities; and (4) an extension of the amortization period for certain geological and geophysical expenditures. Under the current Administration there is an increased risk of the enactment of legislation that alters, eliminates, or defers these or other tax deductions utilized within the industry, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

In addition, we may be subject to audits of its income, sales, and other transaction taxes by U.S. federal, state, and local taxing authorities. Outcomes from these audits could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Associated with our Common Stock

Our stock price has been and may continue to be volatile.

Our common stock has a relatively low trading volume and the market price has been, and is likely to continue to be, volatile. The variance in our stock price makes it difficult to forecast the stock price at which an investor may be able to buy or sell shares of our common stock. The market price for our common stock could be subject to fluctuations as a result of factors that are out of our control, such as:

• actual or anticipated variations in our results of operations;
• changes or fluctuations in the commodity prices of oil and natural gas;
• general conditions and trends in the oil and natural gas industry;
• redemption demands on institutional funds that hold our stock; and
• general economic, political, and market conditions.

Significant ownership of our common stock is concentrated in a small number of shareholders who may be able to affect the outcome of the election of our directors and all other matters submitted to our stockholders for approval.

As of June 30, 2023, our executive officers and directors, in the aggregate, beneficially owned approximately 2,959,269 million shares, or approximately 8.9% of our outstanding common stock and, based on recent filings with the SEC, we believe one large unaffiliated fund complex owned in excess of 8% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. As a result, a significant percentage of our common stock is concentrated in the hands of relatively few shareholders. These shareholders could potentially exercise significant influence over matters submitted to our stockholders for approval (including the election and removal of directors and any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets). This concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying, deferring, or preventing any matter that requires shareholder approval, including a change in control of our company, impede a merger, consolidation, takeover, or other business combination involving our company or discourage a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company, which in turn could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

The market for our common stock is limited and may not provide adequate liquidity.

Our common stock trades on the NYSE American. Trading volume in our common stock is relatively low compared to larger companies. Our holders may find it more difficult to sell their shares, should they desire to do so, based on the trading volume and price of our stock at that time relative to the quantity of shares to be sold.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research reports about our business, or if they downgrade our stock, the price of our common stock could decline.

Small, relatively unknown companies can achieve visibility in the trading market through research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish. To our knowledge, only two research analysts actively cover our company. The limited number of published reports by securities analysts could limit the interest in our common stock and negatively affect our stock price. We do not have any control over the research and reports these analysts publish or whether they will be published at all. If any analyst who does cover us downgrades our stock, our stock price could decline. If any analyst ceases coverage of our company or fails to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price to decline.

Payment of dividends on our common stock has been in the past, and could be in the future, reduced or eliminated.

Our Board of Directors declared cash dividends on our common stock for the first time in December 2013 and we have declared and paid quarterly cash dividends since that time. However, there is no certainty that dividends will be declared by our Board of Directors in the future. Any payment of cash dividends on our common stock in the future will be dependent upon the amount of funds legally available, our earnings, if any, our financial condition, our business plan, restrictions contained in current or future debt instruments, contractual covenants or arrangements we may enter into, our anticipated capital requirements, and other factors that our Board of Directors may think are relevant. Although it is our intent to maintain paying dividends to our shareholders, there is no guarantee that we will be able to do so.

There may be future sales or issuances of our common stock, which will dilute the ownership interests of stockholders and may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

We may in the future issue additional shares of common stock, including securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, common stock or substantially similar securities, which may result in dilution to our stockholders. In addition, our stockholders may be further diluted by future issuances under our equity incentive plans. The market price of our common stock could decline as a result of sales or issuances of a large number of shares of our common stock or similar securities in the market after this offering or the perception that such sales or issuances could occur.

Non-U.S. holders may be subject to U.S. income tax and withholding tax with respect to gain on disposition of the Company’s common stock.

We believe we are a U.S. real property holding corporation. As a result, Non-U.S. holders that own (or are treated as owning under constructive ownership rules) more than a specified amount of our common stock during a specified time period may be subject to U.S. federal income tax and withholding on a sale, exchange or other disposition of such common stock, and may be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return.

Investor sentiment towards climate change, fossil fuels, sustainability, and other ESG matters could adversely affect our business and our stock price.

There have been efforts in recent years aimed at the investment community, including investment advisors, sovereign wealth funds, public pension funds, universities, and other groups, to promote the divestment of shares of fossil fuel companies, as well as to pressure lenders and other financial services companies to limit or curtail activities with fossil fuel companies. As a result, some financial intermediaries, investors, and other capital markets participants have reduced or ceased lending to, or investing in, companies that operate in industries with higher perceived environmental exposure, such as the oil and natural gas industry. For example, in December 2020, the State of New York announced that it will be divesting the state’s Common Retirement Fund from fossil fuels. If this or similar divestment efforts are continued, the price of our common stock or debt securities, and our ability to access capital markets or to otherwise obtain new investment or financing, may be negatively impacted.

Members of the investment community are also increasing their focus on ESG practices and disclosures, including practices and disclosures related to greenhouse gases and climate change in the energy industry in particular, and diversity and inclusion initiatives and governance standards among companies more generally. The SEC, for example, proposed new rules in 2022 that would require disclosure of various specific risks related to climate. The growing emphasis on ESG may lead the investment community to screen our ESG performance before investing in our common stock or debt securities or lending to us. Over the past few years there also has been an acceleration in investor demand for ESG investing opportunities, and many large institutional investors have committed to increasing the percentage of their portfolios that are allocated towards ESG-focused investments. As a result, there has been a proliferation of ESG-focused investment funds seeking ESG-oriented investment products.

If we are unable to meet the ESG standards or investment or lending criteria set by these investors and funds, we may lose investors, investors may allocate a portion of their capital away from us, our cost of capital may increase, the price of our common stock may be negatively impacted, and our reputation may be negatively affected.

Information regarding our properties is included in Item 1. Business above and in Note 4, “Property and Equipment” to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8. Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, which information is incorporated herein by reference.

See Note 10, “Commitments and Contingencies” to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8. Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for a description of any legal proceedings, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Executive Overview

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Results of Operations

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Executive Overview

General

Evolution Petroleum Corporation is an independent energy company focused on maximizing total returns to its shareholders through the ownership of and investment in onshore oil and natural gas properties in the United States. In support of that objective, our long-term goal is to maximize total shareholder return from a diversified portfolio of long-life oil and natural gas properties built through acquisitions and through selective development opportunities, production enhancements, and other exploitation efforts on our oil and natural gas properties.

Our oil and natural gas properties consist of non-operated interests in the Jonah Field in Sublette County, Wyoming, a natural gas producing field; non-operated interests in the Williston Basin in North Dakota, a producing oil and natural gas property; non-operated interests in the Barnett Shale located in North Texas, a natural gas producing property; non-operated interests in the Hamilton Dome Field located in Hot Springs County, Wyoming, a secondary recovery field utilizing water injection wells to pressurize the reservoir; non-operated interests in the Delhi Holt-Bryant Unit in the Delhi Field in Northeast Louisiana, a CO2 enhanced oil recovery (“EOR”) project; and small overriding royalty interests in four onshore central Texas wells.

Our non-operated interests in the Jonah Field, a natural gas and NGL property in Sublette County, Wyoming, consist of approximately 20% average net working interest and approximately 15% average net revenue interest located on approximately 950 net acres. The properties are operated by Jonah Energy, an established operator in the geographic region.

Our non-operated interests in the Williston Basin, an oil and natural gas producing property, consist of approximately 39% average net working interest and approximately 33% average net revenue interest located on approximately 43,300 net acres (approximately 92% held by production) across Billings, Golden Valley, and McKenzie Counties in North Dakota. The properties are operated by Foundation Energy Management, an established operator in the geographic region.

Our non-operated interests in the Barnett Shale, a natural gas and NGL producing shale reservoir, consist of approximately 17% average net working interest and approximately 14% average net revenue interest (inclusive of small overriding royalty interests). The approximately 21,000 net acres are held by production across nine North Texas counties. The oil and natural gas properties are primarily operated by Diversified Energy Company with approximately 10% of wells operated by six other operators.

Our non-operated interests in the Hamilton Dome Field, a secondary recovery field utilizing water injection wells to pressurize the reservoir, consist of approximately 24% average net working interest, with an associated 20% average net revenue interest (inclusive of a small overriding royalty interest). The approximately 5,900 gross acre unitized field, of which we hold approximately 1,400 net acres, is operated by Merit Energy Company, who owns the vast majority of the remaining working interest in the Hamilton Dome Field. The Hamilton Dome Field is located in the southwest region of the Big Horn Basin in northwest Wyoming.

Our non-operated interests in the Delhi Field, a CO2-EOR project, consist of approximately 24% average net working interest, with an associated 19% revenue interest and separate overriding royalty and mineral interests of approximately

7% yielding a total average net revenue interest of approximately 26%. The field is operated by Denbury Onshore LLC. The Delhi Field is located in northeast Louisiana in Franklin, Madison, and Richland Parishes and encompasses approximately 14,000 gross unitized acres, or approximately 3,200 net acres.

Recent Developments

Dividend Declaration

On September 11, 2023, Evolution’s Board of Directors approved and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.12 per common share payable September 29, 2023.

Senior Secured Credit Facility

On May 5, 2023, we entered into the Tenth Amendment to our Senior Secured Credit Facility, which has a current borrowing base of $50.0 million. This amendment, among other things, extends the maturity of our Senior Secured Credit Facility to April 9, 2026 and converts our benchmark interest rate from LIBOR to SOFR plus a credit spread adjustment of 0.05%. For further discussion of the amendment and our Senior Secured Credit Facility, see “Liquidity and Capital Resources” below.

Appointment of Chief Operating Officer

On February 23, 2023, we announced that the Board of Directors appointed J. Mark Bunch as COO. Mr. Bunch had been providing consulting services to the Company since 2016. We entered into an offer letter with Mr. Bunch setting forth his compensation as COO on February 21, 2023.

Appointment of Chief Executive Officer

On October 27, 2022, we announced that the Board of Directors selected Kelly W. Loyd as President and CEO. Mr. Loyd had been serving as Interim CEO since June 2022 and has served as a member of the Board of Directors since 2008. We entered into an offer letter with Mr. Loyd setting forth his compensation as CEO on October 25, 2022. Upon commencing employment, Mr. Loyd no longer receives compensation for his services as a member of the Board of Directors.

Share Repurchase Program

On September 8, 2022, the Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program under which we are authorized to repurchase up to $25.0 million of our common stock in the open market through December 31, 2024. We intend to fund repurchases from available working capital and cash provided by operating activities. As we continue to focus on our goal of maximizing total shareholder return, the Board of Directors and management team believe that a share repurchase program is complimentary to the existing dividend policy and is a tax efficient means to further improve shareholder return. The shares may be repurchased from time to time in open market transactions, through privately negotiated transactions or by other means in accordance with federal securities laws. The timing, as well as the number and value of shares repurchased under the program, will depend on a variety of factors, including management’s assessment of the intrinsic value of our shares, our capital needs and resources, the market price of our common stock, general market and economic conditions, and applicable legal requirements. The value of shares authorized for repurchase by our Board of Directors does not require us to repurchase such shares or guarantee that such shares will be repurchased, and the program may be suspended, modified, or discontinued at any time without prior notice.

Once we completed repayment of borrowings on our Senior Secured Credit Facility and emerged from our blackout period in December 2022, we entered into a Rule 10b5-1 plan that authorized a broker to repurchase shares in the open market subject to pre-defined limitations on trading volume and price. The plan included a 30-day cooling off period that did not allow repurchases to commence until January 2023. The plan was effective until June 30, 2023 and had a maximum authorized amount of $5.0 million over that period. During the year ended June 30, 2023, 0.6 million shares of our common stock were repurchased under the plan at a total cost of approximately $3.9 million, including incremental direct transaction costs. These treasury shares were subsequently cancelled. We may enter into additional Rule 10b5-1 plans in the future, the terms of which will be approved by the Board of Directors.

Proved Reserves

The following table is a summary of our proved reserves as of June 30, 2023 and 2022:

Proved oil equivalent reserves as of June 30, 2023 were 31.2 MMBOE, a 5.0 MMBOE, or 13.8%, decrease from the previous year of 36.2 MMBOE. The net decrease in total proved reserves was primarily due production of 2.6 MMBOE and net negative revisions of 2.6 MMBOE partially offset by additions and extensions of 0.1 MMBOE. Net negative revisions of 2.6 MMBOE are primarily due to declines in SEC trailing 12-month pricing that impacted late-in-life economic limits of production, adjustment to projections and increased production costs partially offset by restored production at Hamiton Dome Field and improved economics from our differentials at Jonah Field.

The Standardized Measure for proved reserves decreased 24.3% to $238.2 million, primarily due to sales of oil, natural gas and NGLs produced during the period, decreases in reserves estimates, decreases in the SEC mandated trailing 12-month average first day of the month prices for oil and natural gas and the price received for our NGLs. Prices decreased from $85.82 per barrel of oil, $5.19 per MMBtu of natural gas and $44.24 per barrel of NGLs at June 30, 2022 to $83.23 per barrel of oil, $4.78 per MMBtu of natural gas and $33.71 per barrel of NGLs at June 30, 2023. Our proved reserves consist of 32% oil, 49% natural gas, and 19% NGLs; 88.1% are classified as proved developed producing and 11.9% are proved undeveloped.

Additional property and project information is included under Item 1. Business and in Note 4, “Property and Equipment” and our Supplemental Disclosure about Oil and Natural Gas Properties (unaudited) to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, and in Exhibit 99.1 and 99.2 of this Form 10-K.

Risks and uncertainties

The global economy was deeply impacted by the effects of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic and related efforts to mitigate the spread of the disease. These events led to crude oil prices falling to historic lows during the second quarter of 2020 and remaining depressed through much of 2020.

Beginning in 2021, the demand for oil and natural gas started to recover primarily as a result of the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine and lessening of pandemic related government restrictions on individuals and businesses. In addition, the military activities of Russia into Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions imposed on Russia and other actions have created significant market uncertainties, including uncertainties around potential supply disruptions for oil and natural gas, which further enhanced volatility in global commodity prices in the first half of 2022.

Additionally, in March 2023, the closures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank and their placement into receivership with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) created broad uncertainty around world-wide financial institutions and liquidity risk. While we do not have exposure to these banks, we do maintain cash balances in excess of FDIC insurance protections at banks we believe to be financially sound. We also utilize insured cash sweep deposits to maximize the amount of our cash that is protected by FDIC insurance. We also rely heavily on our third-party operators who manage their own liquidity with various financial institutions.

Given the dynamic nature of these events, we cannot reasonably estimate the period of time that these market conditions will persist; predict the broader impact of liquidity concerns around financial institutions; or the impact on the commodity prices that we realize.

Currently, our oil and natural gas properties are operated by third-party operators and involve other third-party working interest owners. As a result, we have limited ability to influence the operation or future development of such properties. Despite these uncertainties, we remain focused on our long-term objectives and continue to be proactive with our third-party operators to review capital expenditures and present alternative plans as necessary.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of June 30, 2023, we had no borrowings outstanding on our Senior Secured Credit Facility and $11.0 million in cash and cash equivalents compared to $21.3 million of borrowings on our Senior Secured Credit Facility and $8.3 million in cash and cash equivalents at June 30, 2022. Our primary sources of liquidity and capital resources during the year ended June 30, 2023 were cash provided by operations and the unused portion of our Senior Secured Credit Facility. Our primary uses of liquidity and capital resources for the year ended June 30, 2023 were repayments on our Senior Secured Credit Facility, cash dividend payments to our common stockholders, common stock repurchases, and capital expenditures on our existing oil and natural gas properties. As of June 30, 2023, working capital was $8.9 million, an increase of $2.8 million from working capital of $6.1 million as of June 30, 2022.

The Senior Secured Credit Facility has a maximum capacity of $50.0 million subject to a borrowing base determined by the lender based on the value of our oil and natural gas properties. The Senior Secured Credit Facility has a current borrowing base of $50.0 million. The Senior Secured Credit Facility is secured by substantially all of our oil and natural gas properties and matures on April 9, 2026.

Borrowings bear interest, at our option, at either the SOFR plus 2.80% or the Prime Rate, as defined under the Senior Secured Credit Facility, plus 1.0%. For the year ended June 30, 2023, the weighted average interest on our borrowings was 5.25%. The Senior Secured Credit Facility contains covenants requiring the maintenance of (i) a total leverage ratio of not more than 3.00 to 1.00, (ii) a current ratio of not less than 1.00 to 1.00, and (iii) a consolidated tangible net worth of not less than $40.0 million, each as defined in the Senior Secured Credit Facility. It also contains other customary affirmative and negative covenants, including a hedging covenant discussed below, and events of default. As of June 30, 2023, we were in compliance with all covenants under the Senior Secured Credit Facility.

On May 5, 2023, we entered into the Tenth Amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility. This amendment, among other things, extended the maturity of our Senior Secured Credit Facility to April 9, 2026, converted our benchmark interest rate from LIBOR to SOFR plus a credit spread adjustment of 0.05%, and modified the Margined Collateral Value, as defined in the Ninth Amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility, to $95.0 million. We are required to enter into hedges on a rolling 12-month basis when the borrowings under the Senior Secured Credit Facility exceed 25% of the Margined Collateral Value. The required amount of hedged oil and natural gas production is related to the amount of borrowings outstanding. At each redetermination, our Margined Collateral Value takes into account the estimated value of our oil and natural gas properties, proved developed reserves, total indebtedness, and other relevant factors consistent with customary oil and natural gas lending criteria.

On February 7, 2022, we entered into the Ninth Amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility. This amendment, among other things, modified the definition of utilization percentage related to the required hedging covenant such that for the purposes of determining the amount of future production to hedge, the utilization of the Senior Secured Credit Facility will be based on the Margined Collateral Value, as amended above, to the extent it exceeds the borrowing base then in effect. This amendment also required us to enter into hedges for the 12-month period ending February 2023, covering 25% of expected oil and natural gas production over that period.

On November 9, 2021, we entered into the Eighth Amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility. This amendment, among other things, increased the borrowing base to $50.0 million and added a hedging covenant whereby we must hedge a certain amount of our future production on a rolling 12-month basis when 25% or more of the borrowing base is utilized. The hedging covenant was amended in the Ninth Amendment, as discussed above.

On August 5, 2021, we entered into the Seventh Amendment of our Senior Secured Credit Facility which, among other things, added definitions for the terms “Acquired Entity or Mineral Interests” and “Acquired Entity or Mineral Interests EBITDA Adjustment.” Additionally, the consolidated tangible net worth covenant level was reduced to $40.0 million from $50.0 million.

We have historically funded operations through cash from operations and working capital. Our primary source of cash is the sale of produced crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs. A portion of these cash flows is used to fund capital expenditures and pay cash dividends to shareholders. We expect to fund near-future capital development activities for our properties with cash flows from operating activities and existing working capital.

We are pursuing new growth opportunities through acquisitions and other transactions. In addition to cash on hand, we have access to the undrawn portion of the borrowing base available under our Senior Secured Credit Facility, totaling $50.0 million as of June 30, 2023. We also have an effective shelf registration statement with the SEC under which we may issue up to $500.0 million of new debt or equity securities.

Our Board of Directors instituted a cash dividend on common stock in December 2013. We have since paid 39 consecutive quarterly dividends. Distribution of a substantial portion of free cash flow in excess of operating and capital requirements through cash dividends remains a priority of our financial strategy, and it is our long-term goal to increase dividends over time, as appropriate. On September 11, 2023, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.12 per share of common stock to shareholders of record on September 22, 2023 and payable on September 29, 2023.

On September 8, 2022, our Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program, under which we are authorized to repurchase up to $25.0 million of our common stock in the open market through December 31, 2024. We intend to fund any repurchases from working capital and cash provided by operating activities. As we continue to focus on our goal of maximizing total shareholder return, the Board of Directors along with the management team believe that a share repurchase program is complimentary to the existing dividend policy and is a tax efficient means to further improve shareholder return.

Once we completed the repayment of borrowings on our Senior Secured Credit Facility and emerged from our blackout period in December 2022, we entered into a Rule 10b5-1 plan that authorizes a broker to repurchase shares in the open market subject to pre-defined limitations on trading volume and price. The plan included a 30-day cooling off period that did not allow repurchases to commence until January 2023. The plan was effective until June 30, 2023 and had a maximum authorized amount of $5.0 million over that period. During the year ended June 30, 2023, 0.6 million shares of our common stock were repurchased under the plan at a total cost of approximately $3.9 million, including incremental direct transaction costs. These treasury shares were subsequently cancelled. We may enter into additional Rule 10b5-1 plans in the future, the terms of which will be approved by the Board of Directors.

Capital Expenditures

For the year ended June 30, 2023, we incurred $6.2 million on development capital expenditures and $0.2 million for plugging and abandoning costs. During the latter half of fiscal year 2023, we participated in the completion and fracture stimulation of a vertical Bakken well. Toward the end of fiscal 2023 and into fiscal 2024 we have participated in the drilling of two new down dip wells in the Delhi Field. Completion and first production of the wells are expected in the first quarter of fiscal 2024.

Based on discussions with our operators, we expect capital workover projects to continue in all the fields. Overall, for fiscal year 2024, we expect budgeted capital expenditures to be in the range of $4.0 million to $5.0 million, which excludes any potential acquisitions. Our expected capital expenditures for the next 12 months include the two new drill wells at Delhi Field, discussed above, and also include Foundation, the operator of our Williston Basin properties, drilling two sidetrack locations targeting the Birdbear formation.

As of June 30, 2023, our PUD reserves included 3.7 MMBOE of reserves and approximately $71.7 million of future development costs primarily associated with the Williston Basin properties.

Funding for our anticipated capital expenditures over the near-term is expected to be met from cash flows from operations and current working capital, and as needed from borrowings under our Senior Secured Credit Facility.

Full Cost Pool Ceiling Test

Under the full cost method of accounting, capitalized costs of oil and natural gas properties, net of accumulated depletion, depreciation, and amortization and related deferred taxes, are limited to the estimated future net cash flows from proved oil and natural gas reserves, discounted at 10%, plus the lower of cost or fair value of unproved properties, as adjusted for related income tax effects (the valuation “ceiling”). If capitalized costs exceed the full cost ceiling, the excess would be charged to expense as a write-down of oil and natural gas properties in the quarter in which the excess occurred. The quarterly ceiling test calculation requires that we use the average first day of the month price for our petroleum products during the 12-month period ending with the balance sheet date. The prices used in calculating our ceiling test as of June 30, 2023 were $83.23 per barrel of oil, $4.78 per MMBtu of natural gas and $33.71 per barrel of NGLs. As of June 30, 2023, our capitalized costs of oil and natural gas properties were below the full cost valuation ceiling. If commodity price levels were to substantially decline from the 12-month average first day of the month pricing levels as of June 30, 2023 and remain down for a prolonged period of time, our valuation ceiling over our capitalized costs may be reduced and adversely impact our ceiling tests in future quarters. We cannot give assurance that a write-down of capitalized oil and natural gas properties will not be required in the future. Additionally, a 10% reduction in respective commodity prices at June 30, 2023, while all other factors remained constant, would not have generated an impairment.

Overview of Cash Flow Activities

Cash provided by operating activities decreased $1.2 million during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 compared to fiscal year ended June 30, 2022 primarily due to decreases in our operating assets and liabilities from the timing of converting working capital into cash. These decreases are partially offset by increases in total revenues over our increase in operating costs. Total revenues increased $19.6 million as compared to the prior year driven by an increase in our average daily production primarily due to our acquisition of non-operated working interests in the Jonah Field and Williston Basin in April 2022 and January 2022, respectively, partially offset by decreases in the average realized price per BOE.

Cash used in investing activities for the year ended June 30, 2023 decreased $47.9 million from the prior year. In fiscal year 2022, we completed the acquisition of our Jonah Field properties totaling $26.4 million and the acquisition of our Williston Basin properties total $25.8 million. The decrease was partially offset by an increase in development capital expenditures in the current fiscal year.

Net cash flows used in financing activities for the year ended June 30, 2023 were $41.5 million which included the repayment of $21.3 million of borrowings outstanding under our Senior Secured Credit Facility, $16.1 million in dividends paid to our common stockholders, and $3.9 million paid to repurchase shares of common stock under our share repurchase program. Net cash flows provided by financing activities for the year ended June 30, 2022 were $5.4 million which primarily included $17.3 million in net borrowings under our Senior Secured Credit Facility offset by $11.8 million in dividends paid to our common stockholders.

Results of Operations

Years Ended June 30, 2023 and 2022

We reported net income of $35.2 million and $32.6 million for the years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The following table summarizes the comparison of financial information for the periods presented:

(in thousands, except per unit and per BOE amounts)

(1) Equivalent oil reserves are defined as six MCF of natural gas and 42 gallons of NGLs to one barrel of oil conversion ratio which reflects energy equivalence and not price equivalence. Natural gas prices per MCF and NGL prices per barrel often differ significantly from the equivalent amount of oil.

(2) Amounts exclude the impact of cash paid or received on the settlement of derivative contracts since we did not elect to apply hedge accounting.

Revenues

Fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 revenues increased 18.0% to $128.5 million compared to $108.9 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. The increase in revenue is primarily due to our acquisitions of non-operated working interests in the Jonah Field and Williston Basin in the second half of fiscal year 2022. Average daily equivalent production increased 19.3%, from 5,953 BOEPD to 7,104 BOEPD in the current year. Production increases were driven by our acquisitions of non-operated working interests in the Jonah Field and Williston Basin in the second half of fiscal 2022, which increased current fiscal year production by approximately 1,621 BOEPD. The increase in our average daily production from our acquisitions was partially offset by decreases related to downtime at our Barnett Shale properties due to compressor and pipeline repairs as well as shut-in wells and our Delhi Field properties due to winter storms, and Delhi heat exchanger upgrade installation and NGL plant repairs during the fourth fiscal quarter. Our average realized commodity price (excluding the impact of derivative contracts) decreased approximately $0.57 per BOE, or 1.1%, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 compared to June 30, 2022. Realized oil and NGL prices decreased approximately 9.0% and 29.9% respectively, over the prior year. These decreases are partially offset by an increase of approximately 27.5% in realized natural gas prices from the prior year period despite the substantial decrease in natural gas prices that occurred in late third quarter. The year over year increase in realized natural gas prices is primarily attributed to the benefit of natural gas price differentials received at the Jonah Field where our realized price for natural gas for the current year period was $10.63 per MCF.

Lease Operating Costs

Ad valorem and production taxes were $8.2 million and $7.0 million for the years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase in ad valorem and production taxes is primarily due to increased production volumes described above as production taxes are based on sales at the wellhead. On a per unit basis, ad valorem and production taxes were $3.15 per BOE and $3.20 per BOE for the years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in ad valorem and production taxes on a per unit basis are due to the increased production volumes described above.

The following table summarizes CO2 costs per Mcf and CO2 volumes for the years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022. CO2 purchase costs are for the Delhi Field. Under our contract with the Delhi Field operator, purchased CO2 is priced at 1% of the realized oil price in the field per Mcf, plus sales taxes and transportation costs as per contract terms.

The $0.3 million decrease in CO2 costs for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 was primarily due to a 7.5% decrease in CO2 costs per MCF, which was driven by a decrease in our average realized oil price partially offset by a 3.1% increase in purchased CO2 volumes. CO2 purchases provide approximately 20% of the injected volumes in the field and the field’s recycle facilities provide the other 80%. We do not have any ownership in the CO2 pipeline which is owned and operated by Denbury. On a per unit basis, CO2 costs were $2.84 per BOE and $3.55 per BOE for the years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Other lease operating costs include remedial workover costs and gathering and transportation costs for our oil and natural gas production. Compared to the prior year, other lease operating costs increased $10.0 million, or 29.5%, to $44.0 million in the year ended June 30, 2023 primarily due to the acquisitions in the Jonah Field and Williston Basin in April 2022 and January 2022, respectively, which increased current year other lease operating costs by $8.0 million. Other lease operating costs on a per BOE basis increased to $16.97 per BOE in the current year from $15.64 per BOE in the prior year, an increase of $1.33 per BOE.

Depletion of Full Cost Proved Oil and Natural Gas Properties

Depletion expense increased $5.6 million or 74.8% from $7.5 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022 to $13.1 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 primarily due to an increase in production. On a per unit basis, depletion expense was $5.07 per BOE and $3.46 per BOE for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase in depletion per BOE was due primarily to an increase in the depletable base of our unit of production calculation due to our acquisitions in fiscal year 2022 and an increase in our future development costs associated with our proved undeveloped reserve addition in fiscal year 2022 combined with a decrease in our proved reserve volumes.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 increased $1.2 million, or 18.4%, to $7.9 million compared to $6.7 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. The increase is primarily due to approximately $0.6 million for salary and employee benefits due to additional personnel added as additional assets were acquired, and $0.3 million in professional fees associated with our search for a CEO. The remaining increase is associated with fees for accounting and audit-related services and public reporting expenses due to the increased size of our Company. On a per unit basis, general and administrative expenses decreased $0.03 per BOE to $3.06 per BOE for the year ended June 30, 2023 from $3.09 per BOE for the prior year. The decrease in general and administrative expenses on a per unit basis are due to the increased production volumes described above.

Stock-based Compensation Expenses

Stock-based compensation increased $1.5 million to $1.6 million for the year ended June 30, 2023 compared to $0.1 million the prior period due primarily to the $1.2 million reduction in prior year expense related to the forfeiture of unvested shares in connection with severance, combined with the addition of new personnel, including our CEO and COO, and the associated new awards granted during the current year period to all staff and directors. In addition, approximately $0.1 million of the current year period increase related to a one-time share award granted in November 2022, which vested and was fully expensed immediately.

Net Gain (Loss) on Derivative Contracts

Periodically, we utilize commodity derivative financial instruments to reduce our exposure to fluctuations in oil and natural gas prices. We have elected not to designate our open derivative contracts for hedge accounting, and accordingly, we recorded the net change in the mark-to-market valuation of the derivative contracts in the consolidated statements of operations. The amounts recorded on the consolidated statements of operations related to derivative contracts represent the (i) gains (losses) related to fair value adjustments on our open, or unrealized, derivative contracts, and (ii) gains (losses) on settlements of derivative contracts for positions that have settled or been realized. The table below summarizes our net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on derivative contracts as well as the impact of net realized (gains) losses on our average realized prices for the periods presented. As a result of our acquisitions during fiscal year 2022 and the corresponding borrowings on our Senior Secured Credit Facility, we were required by terms in our Senior Secured Credit Facility to hedge a portion of our production. The increase in commodity prices since entering into the hedges resulted in realized losses on derivative contracts for the current and prior years. As of June 30, 2023, we did not have any open crude oil or natural gas derivative contracts.

(in thousands, except per unit and per BOE amounts)

Interest Expense

Interest expense decreased $0.1 million during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 compared to fiscal year 2022 primarily due to the repayment of borrowings outstanding on our Senior Secured Credit Facility throughout the year.

Income tax (expense) provision

For the year ended June 30, 2023, we recognized income tax expense of $10.1 million on net income before income taxes of $45.3 million compared to an income tax expense of $8.5 million on net income before income taxes of $41.1 million for the year ended June 30, 2022. The effective tax rates were 22.2% and 20.7% for the years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. In the prior year, the Company benefited from certain EOR tax credits whereas in the current year the credits were not available.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires that we select certain accounting policies and make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of the assets, liabilities, and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the balance sheet as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These policies, together with our estimates, have a significant effect on our consolidated financial statements. Our significant accounting policies are included in Note 1, “Summary of Significant Events and Accounting Policies” to our consolidated statements in Item 8. Following is a discussion of our most critical accounting estimates, judgments, and uncertainties that are inherent in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Oil and Natural Gas Properties. Companies engaged in the production of oil and natural gas are required to follow accounting rules that are unique to the oil and natural gas industry. We apply the full cost accounting method for our oil and natural gas properties as prescribed by SEC Regulation S-X Rule 4-10. Under this method of accounting, the costs of unsuccessful and successful, exploration and development activities are capitalized as properties and equipment. This includes any internal costs that are directly related to property acquisition, exploration, and development activities but does not include any costs related to production, general corporate overhead, or similar activities. Gain or loss on the sale or other disposition of oil and natural gas properties is not recognized unless the gain or loss would significantly alter the relationship between capitalized costs and proved reserves. Oil and natural gas properties include costs that are excluded from costs being depleted or amortized. Oil and natural gas property costs excluded represent investments in unevaluated properties. We exclude these costs until the property has been evaluated. Costs are transferred to the full cost pool as the properties are evaluated. As of June 30, 2023, we had no unevaluated property costs. Oil and natural gas properties include costs that are excluded from depletion and amortization, which represent investments in unproved and unevaluated properties and include non-producing leasehold, geologic and geophysical costs associated with leasehold or drilling interests, and exploration drilling costs.

Estimates of Proved Reserves. The estimated quantities of proved oil and natural gas reserves have a significant impact on the underlying financial statements. The estimated quantities of proved reserves are used to calculate depletion expense and the estimated future net cash flows associated with those proved reserves is the basis for determining impairment under the quarterly ceiling test calculation. The process of estimating oil and natural gas reserves is very complex and requires significant decisions in the evaluation of all available geologic, geophysical, engineering, and economic data. Estimated reserves are often subject to future revisions, which could be substantial, based on the availability of additional information; this includes reservoir performance, additional development activity, new geologic and geophysical data, additional drilling, technological advancements, price changes, and other economic factors. As a result, material revisions to existing reserve estimates may occur from time to time. Although every reasonable effort is made to ensure that the reported reserve estimates prepared by our third-party independent engineers represent the most accurate assessments possible, the subjective decisions and variances in available data for the properties make these estimates generally less precise than other estimates included in our financial statements. Material revisions to reserve estimates and/or significant changes in commodity prices could substantially affect our estimated future net cash flows of our proved reserves. These changes could affect our quarterly ceiling test calculation and could significantly affect our depletion rate. Additionally, a 10% decrease in commodity prices used to determine our proved reserves as of

June 30, 2023, while all other factors remained constant, would not have resulted in an impairment of our oil and natural gas properties. Holding all other factors constant, a reduction in our proved reserve estimates at June 30, 2023 of 10% would affect depletion, depreciation, and amortization expense by approximately $0.4 million.

On December 31, 2008, the SEC issued its final rule on the modernization of reporting oil and natural gas reserves. The rule allows consideration of new technologies in evaluating reserves, generally limits the designation of proved reserves to those projects forecasted to be drilled five years from the initial recognition date of such reserves, allows companies to disclose their probable and possible reserves to investors, requires reporting of oil and natural gas reserves using an average price based on the previous 12-month unweighted arithmetic average first-day-of-the-month price rather than year-end prices, revises the disclosure requirements for oil and natural gas operations, and revises accounting for the limitation on capitalized costs for full cost companies.

Stock-based Compensation. The fair value, and for certain awards the expected vesting period, of our performance-based awards were determined using a Monte Carlo simulation. This technique uses a geometric Brownian motion model with defined variables and randomly generates values for each variable through multiple trials. Variables include stock price volatility, expected term of the award, the expected risk-free interest rate, and the expected dividend yield of our stock. The risk-free interest rate used is the U.S. Treasury yield for bonds matching the expected term of the award on the date of grant. Vesting of performance-based awards is based on our total common stock return compared to a peer group of other companies in our industry with comparable market capitalizations and, for certain awards, our share price attaining a set target.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements. Refer to Note 1, “Summary of Significant Events and Accounting Policies” to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for discussion of the recent accounting pronouncements issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board.

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activity

We are exposed to various risks, including energy commodity price risk, such as price differentials between the NYMEX commodity price and the index price at the location where our production is sold. When oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids prices decline significantly, our ability to finance our capital budget and operations may be adversely impacted. We expect energy prices to remain volatile and unpredictable, therefore we monitor commodity prices to identify the potential need for the use of derivative financial instruments to provide partial protection against declines in oil and natural gas prices. We do not enter into derivative contracts for speculative trading purposes.

We are exposed to market risk on our open derivative contracts related to potential non-performance by our counterparties. It is our policy to enter into derivative contracts only with counterparties that are creditworthy institutions deemed by management as competitive market makers. For the derivative contracts settled during fiscal 2023 and 2022, we did not post collateral. We account for our derivative activities under the provisions of ASC 815, *Derivatives and Hedging, (“*ASC 815”). ASC 815 establishes accounting and reporting that every derivative instrument be recorded on the balance sheet as either an asset or liability measured at fair value. See Note 7, “Derivatives” to our consolidated financial statements for more details.

Interest Rate Risk

We are exposed to changes in interest rates. Changes in interest rates affect the interest earned on our cash and cash equivalents. Additionally, any borrowings under the Senior Secured Credit Facility will bear interest, at our option, at either SOFR plus 2.80%, which includes a 0.05% credit spread adjustment from LIBOR, subject to a minimum SOFR of 0.50%, or the Prime Rate, as defined under the Senior Secured Credit Facility, plus 1.00%. LIBOR rates are sensitive to the period of contract and market volatility, as well as changes in forward interest rate yields. Under our current practices, we do not use interest rate derivative instruments to manage exposure to interest rate changes.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms; this information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

As required by Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 13a-15(b), we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on this evaluation, our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective in ensuring that the information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission rules and forms.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive and principal financial officers and effected by our Board of Directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Generally accepted accounting principles include those policies and procedures that:

• pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company;
• provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and
• provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Principal Executive Officer and the Principal Financial Officer, an evaluation was conducted on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on criteria established in the Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in 2013. Management concluded that we maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of June 30, 2023.

The effectiveness of the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting as of June 30, 2023, has been audited by Moss Adams LLP., an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting during the three months ended June 30, 2023 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.