Noble Energy Swings to Loss But Boosts Sales Volume Guidance

By Chelsey Dulaney 

Noble Energy Inc. swung to a loss in the first quarter as the price it received for a barrel of oil fell by more than half.

But the company boosted its sales volume guidance for the year, saying it now expects sales of 300,000 to 315,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, citing "outperformance" during the first quarter.

Total sales volume grew 11% during the first quarter, due mostly to the company's development of the Basin and Marcellus Shale resource plays.

Meanwhile, average realized prices for crude oil and condensates fell to $45.96 a barrel during the first quarter from $100.23 a year earlier. Average prices for natural gas were down 27%.

The company said it remains on track with its capital budget of $2.9 billion for the year. In February, Noble announced plans to cut its 2015 capital spending plans by about 40% amid tumbling oil prices.

Noble Energy has been selling its noncore assets, positioning itself to focus on horizontal drilling operations in the U.S. and offshore projects in the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean and west Africa. Major initiatives have included projects in Israel and Equatorial Guinea.

It has focused on developing the DJ Basin and Marcellus Shale.

Overall, for the quarter ended March 31, Noble Energy reported a loss of $22 million, or six cents a share, compared with a prior-year profit of $200 million, or 55 cents a share.

Excluding items, earnings were three cents a share.

Revenue fell 45% to $759 million.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected earnings of 2 cents a share and revenue of $907.5 billion.

Write to Chelsey Dulaney at [e-mail]

Access Investor Kit for Noble Group Ltd.

Visit http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=BMG6542T1190

Access Investor Kit for Noble Energy, Inc.

Visit http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US6550441058

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires