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Long-Term Debt
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]  
Long-Term Debt

3.

Long-Term Debt

The following table provides a summary of our long-term debt at December 31, 2017, and December 31, 2016 (in thousands).

 

 

 

December 31,

2017

 

 

December 31,

2016

 

Senior secured credit facility:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding borrowings

 

$

291,000

 

 

$

273,000

 

Debt issuance costs

 

 

(1,725

)

 

 

(1,304

)

Senior secured credit facility, net

 

 

289,275

 

 

 

271,696

 

Senior notes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Principal

 

 

85,240

 

 

 

230,320

 

Debt issuance costs

 

 

(1,055

)

 

 

(3,667

)

Senior notes, net

 

 

84,185

 

 

 

226,653

 

Total long-term debt

 

$

373,460

 

 

$

498,349

 

 

Senior Secured Credit Facility

At December 31, 2017, the borrowing base and aggregate lender commitments under our amended and restated senior secured credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) were $325 million, with maximum commitments from the lenders of $1 billion. The Credit Facility has a maturity date of May 7, 2020. The borrowing base is redetermined semi-annually based on our oil, NGLs and gas reserves. We, or the lenders, can each request one additional borrowing base redetermination each calendar year.

Borrowings under the Credit Facility bear interest based on the agent bank’s prime rate plus an applicable margin ranging from 2% to 3%, or the sum of the LIBOR rate plus an applicable margin ranging from 3% to 4%. In addition, we pay an annual commitment fee of 0.50% of unused borrowings available under the Credit Facility. Margins vary based on the borrowings outstanding compared to the borrowing base of the lenders.

We had $291 million of outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility at December 31, 2017, compared to $273 million of outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility at December 31, 2016. The weighted average interest rate applicable to borrowings under the Credit Facility in 2017 was 4.5%. We also had outstanding unused letters of credit under our Credit Facility totaling $0.3 million at December 31, 2017, compared to $0.6 million at December 31, 2016, which reduce amounts available for borrowing under the Credit Facility.

Obligations under the Credit Facility are secured by mortgages on substantially all of the oil and gas properties of the Company and its subsidiaries. The Company is required to grant liens in favor of the lenders covering the oil and gas properties of the Company and its subsidiaries representing at least 95% of the total value of all oil and gas properties of the Company and its subsidiaries.

On December 21, 2017, we entered into a fourth amendment to the Credit Facility. The fourth amendment, among other things, (a) extended the maturity date of the Credit Facility from May 7, 2019, to May 7, 2020, (b) increased the applicable margin rates on borrowings by 50 basis points, and (c) required the Company to hedge 50% of the Company’s estimated 2018 oil and gas production from proved developed producing reserves. In connection with the fourth amendment to the Credit Facility we incurred $1 million of debt issuance costs.

On May 3, 2016, we entered into a third amendment to the Credit Facility. The third amendment, among other things, (a) decreased the borrowing base to $325 million from $450 million, (b) increased the applicable margin rates on borrowings by 100 basis points, (c) permits the Company to issue up to $150 million of second lien indebtedness, subject to various conditions and limitations, (d) permits the Company to repurchase outstanding debt with proceeds of certain asset sales, equity issuances or second lien indebtedness, and (e) requires cash and cash equivalents in excess of $35 million held by the Company to be applied to reduce outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility. In connection with the third amendment to the Credit Facility, $0.6 million of debt issuance costs were written off as a result of the reduction in the borrowing base, and we incurred $0.2 million of debt issuance costs.

Covenants

The Credit Facility contains three principal financial covenants:

 

a consolidated interest coverage ratio covenant that requires us to maintain a ratio of (i) consolidated EBITDAX for the period of four fiscal quarters then ending to (ii) Cash Interest Expense for such period as of the last day of any fiscal quarter of not less than 1.5 to 1.0 through December 31, 2017, a ratio of not less than 1.75 to 1.0 through December 31, 2018, a ratio of not less than 2.25 to 1.0 through December 31, 2019, and 2.5 to 1.0 thereafter. EBITDAX is defined as consolidated net (loss) income plus (i) interest expense, net, (ii) income tax provision (benefit), (iii) depreciation, depletion, amortization, (iv) exploration expenses and (v) other noncash loss or expense (including share-based compensation and the change in fair value of any commodity derivatives), less noncash income. Cash Interest Expense is calculated as interest expense, net less amortization of debt issuance costs. At December 31, 2017, our consolidated interest coverage ratio was 2.7 to 1.0; 

 

a consolidated modified current ratio covenant that requires us to maintain a ratio of not less than 1.0 to 1.0 as of the last day of any fiscal quarter. The consolidated modified current ratio is defined as the ratio of (i) current assets plus funds available under our revolving credit facility, less the current derivative asset, to (ii) current liabilities less the current derivative liability. At December 31, 2017, our consolidated modified current ratio was 2.1 to 1.0; and

 

a consolidated total leverage ratio covenant that imposes a maximum permitted ratio of (i) Total Debt to (ii) EBITDAX for the period of four fiscal quarters then ending of not more than 5.0 to 1.0, as of the last day of any fiscal quarter from March 31, 2019, through June 30, 2019, thereafter not more than 4.75 to 1.0 as of the last day of any fiscal quarter through December 31, 2019, and (iii) not more than 4.0 to 1.0 as of the last day of any fiscal quarter thereafter. Total Debt is defined as the face or principal amount of debt. Our leverage ratio is currently above the level that will be required as of March 31, 2019.

The Credit Facility also contains covenants restricting cash distributions and other restricted payments, transactions with affiliates, incurrence of other debt, consolidations and mergers, the level of operating leases, asset sales, investment in other entities and liens on properties.

In addition, the obligations of the Company may be accelerated upon the occurrence of an Event of Default (as defined in the Credit Facility). Events of Default include customary events for a financing agreement of this type, including, without limitation, payment defaults, the inaccuracy of representations and warranties, defaults in the performance of affirmative or negative covenants, defaults on other indebtedness of the Company or its subsidiaries, bankruptcy or related defaults, defaults related to judgments and the occurrence of a Change of Control (as defined in the Credit Facility), which includes instances where a third party becomes the beneficial owner of more than 50% of the Company’s outstanding equity interests entitled to vote.

Senior Notes

In June 2013, we completed our public offering of $250 million principal amount of 7% Senior Notes due 2021 (the “Senior Notes”). Annual interest on the Senior Notes is payable semi-annually on June 15 and December 15. On December 15, 2017, we made a semi-annual interest payment of $3 million. We received net proceeds from the issuance of the Senior Notes of approximately $243 million, after deducting fees and expenses. We used a portion of the net proceeds from the offering to repay all outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility, fund our capital expenditures for the development of our Wolfcamp shale oil resource play and for general working capital needs.

During the year ended December 31, 2017, we completed the Exchange Transactions which reduced the outstanding principal balance of our Senior Notes by $145.1 million and reduced future interest payments by $44.3 million over the remaining term of the Senior Notes.

During the year ended December 31, 2015, we repurchased Senior Notes in the open market with an aggregate face value of $19.7 million for a purchase price of $8.8 million, including accrued interest. This resulted in a gain on extinguishment of debt of $10.6 million.

Wilks, a related party, purchased a portion of our outstanding Senior Notes in the open market subsequent to the Exchange Transactions. The Company believes that Wilks held approximately $43 million of our outstanding Senior Notes as of December 31, 2017. The Senior Notes held by Wilks are included in Senior Notes, net on our consolidated balance sheets. Our interest expense includes interest attributable to any Senior Notes held by Wilks on our consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2017, we recorded a current liability $0.1 million of accrued interest attributable to the Senior Notes held by Wilks.

We issued the Senior Notes under a senior indenture dated June 11, 2013, among the Company, our subsidiary guarantors and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as successor trustee. The senior indenture, as supplemented by a supplemental indenture dated June 11, 2013, is referred to as the “Indenture.”

On December 20, 2016, we entered into the second supplemental indenture (the “Second Supplemental Indenture”), which became effective on January 27, 2017, in connection with the closing of the Initial Exchange. The Second Supplemental Indenture (i) eliminated certain definitions and references to definitions contained in the Indenture, (ii) eliminated and revised, as applicable, certain events of default contained in the Indenture, (iii) eliminated certain conditions to consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease contained in the Indenture, (iv) eliminated certain covenants contained in the Indenture, including substantially all of the restrictive covenants set forth therein, and (v) supplemented and amended the Senior Notes and the securities guarantees, as and to the same extent as the Indenture has been amended and supplemented in accordance with the preceding clauses (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv).

We may redeem some or all of the Senior Notes at specified redemption prices, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date. The Senior Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by each of our subsidiaries, subject to certain customary release provisions. A subsidiary guarantor may be released from its obligations under the guarantee:

 

in connection with any sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of that guarantor (including by way of merger or consolidation) to a person that is not (either before or after giving effect to such transaction) the Company or a subsidiary guarantor, if the sale or other disposition otherwise complies with the Indenture;

 

in connection with any sale or other disposition of the capital stock of that guarantor to a person that is not (either before or after giving effect to such transaction) the Company or a subsidiary guarantor, if that guarantor no longer qualifies as a subsidiary of the Company as a result of such disposition and the sale or other disposition otherwise complies with the Indenture;

 

if the Company designates any restricted subsidiary that is a guarantor to be an unrestricted subsidiary in accordance with the Indenture;

 

upon defeasance or covenant defeasance of the notes or satisfaction and discharge of the indenture, in each case, in accordance with the Indenture;

 

upon the liquidation or dissolution of that guarantor, provided that no default or event of default occurs under the indenture as a result thereof or shall have occurred and is continuing; or

 

in the case of any restricted subsidiary that, after the issue date of the notes is required under the indenture to guarantee the notes because it becomes a guarantor of indebtedness issued or an obligor under the revolving credit facility with respect to the Company and/or its subsidiaries, upon the release or discharge in full from its (i) guarantee of such indebtedness or (ii) obligation under such revolving credit facility, in each case, which resulted in such restricted subsidiary’s obligation to guarantee the notes.

As a result of the Second Supplemental Indenture, the Indenture contains limited events of default.

Subsidiary Guarantors

The Senior Notes are guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by each of our consolidated subsidiaries. Approach Resources Inc. is a holding company with no independent assets or operations. The subsidiary guarantees are full and unconditional and joint and several, and any subsidiaries of the Company other than the subsidiary guarantors are minor. There are no significant restrictions on the Company’s ability, or the ability of any subsidiary guarantor, to obtain funds from its subsidiaries through dividends, loans, advances or otherwise.

At December 31, 2017, we were in compliance with all of our covenants, and there were no existing defaults or events of default, under our debt instruments.