Fair Value Measurements

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

In accordance with the FASB’s authoritative guidance on fair value measurements, the Company’s financial assets and liabilities are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The Company’s financial instruments, including certain cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other payables, are carried at cost, which approximates their respective fair market values due to their short-term maturities. The Company recognizes its non-financial assets and liabilities, such as asset retirement obligations (“ARO”) and proved oil and natural gas properties upon impairment, at fair value on a non-recurring basis.

As defined in the authoritative guidance, fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (exit price). To estimate fair value, the Company utilizes market data or assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk and the risks inherent in the inputs to the valuation technique. These inputs can be readily observable, market corroborated or generally unobservable.

The authoritative guidance establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (“Level 1” measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (“Level 3” measurements). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices are available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date. Active markets are those in which transactions for the asset or liability occur in sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

Level 2 — Pricing inputs, other than unadjusted quoted prices in active markets included in Level 1, are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date. Level 2 includes those financial instruments that are valued using models or other valuation methodologies. These models are primarily industry-standard models that consider various assumptions, including quoted forward prices for commodities, time value, volatility factors and current market and contractual prices for the

underlying instruments, as well as other relevant economic measures. Substantially all of these assumptions are observable in the marketplace throughout the full term of the instrument and can be derived from observable data or are supported by observable levels at which transactions are executed in the marketplace.

Level 3 — Pricing inputs are generally less observable from objective sources, requiring internally developed valuation methodologies that result in management’s best estimate of fair value.

Financial Assets and Liabilities

Financial assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input requires judgment and may affect the valuation of fair value assets and liabilities and their placement within the fair value hierarchy levels. The following tables set forth by level, within the fair value hierarchy, the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis:


	Fair value at September 30, 2019
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total

	(In thousands)
Assets:
Money market funds	$	145	$	—	$	—	$	145
Commodity derivative instruments (see Note 8)	—		61,909		—		61,909
Total assets	$	145	$	61,909	$	—	$	62,054
Liabilities:
Commodity derivative instruments (see Note 8)	$	—	$	830	$	—	$	830
Total liabilities	$	—	$	830	$	—	$	830


	Fair value at December 31, 2018
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total

	(In thousands)
Assets:
Money market funds	$	143	$	—	$	—	$	143
Commodity derivative instruments (see Note 8)	—		106,875		—		106,875
Total assets	$	143	$	106,875	$	—	$	107,018
Liabilities:
Commodity derivative instruments (see Note 8)	$	—	$	104	$	—	$	104
Total liabilities	$	—	$	104	$	—	$	104

The Level 1 instruments presented in the tables above consist of money market funds included in cash and cash equivalents on the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018. The Company’s money market funds represent cash equivalents backed by the assets of high-quality major banks and financial institutions. The Company identifies the money market funds as Level 1 instruments because the money market funds have daily liquidity, quoted prices for the underlying investments can be obtained, and there are active markets for the underlying investments.

The Level 2 instruments presented in the tables above consist of commodity derivative instruments, which include crude oil and natural gas swaps and collars. The fair values of the Company’s commodity derivative instruments are based upon a third party preparer’s calculation using mark-to-market valuation reports provided by the Company’s counterparties for monthly settlement purposes to determine the valuation of its derivative instruments. The Company has the third party preparer evaluate other readily available market prices for its derivative contracts, as there is an active market for these contracts. The third party preparer performs its independent valuation using a moment matching method similar to Turnbull-Wakeman for Asian options. The significant inputs used are crude oil prices, volatility, skew, discount rate and the contract terms of the derivative instruments. The Company compares the third party preparer’s valuation to counterparty valuation statements, investigating any significant differences, and analyzes monthly valuation changes in relation to movements in crude oil and natural gas forward price curves. The determination of the fair value for derivative instruments also incorporates a credit adjustment for non-performance risk, as required by GAAP. The Company calculates the credit adjustment for derivatives in a net asset position using current credit default swap values for each counterparty. The credit adjustment for derivatives in a net liability position is based on the Company’s market credit spread. Based on these calculations, the Company recorded an adjustment to reduce the fair value of its net derivative asset by $0.1 million at September 30, 2019 and by $0.2 million at December 31, 2018.

There were no transfers between fair value levels during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and twelve months ended December 31, 2018.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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