Granite Ridge Resources (GRNT) Q3 2026 Earnings Call: EBITDAX steigt um 35 %, Wendepunkt 2027 voraus

Wichtigste Erkenntnisse

• Die Produktion lag im dritten Quartal bei durchschnittlich 34.641 BOE pro Tag, was einem Anstieg von 8 % gegenüber dem Vorquartal entspricht, während das Ölvolumen um 16 % zulegte. Öl machte 55 % der Gesamtproduktion aus.
• Das bereinigte EBITDAX erreichte 107,3 Millionen US-Dollar, ein Zuwachs von 35 % gegenüber dem zweiten Quartal und 36 % im Jahresvergleich. Die Unternehmensführung bezeichnete dies als das stärkste Quartal von Granite Ridge Resources seit dem Börsengang.
• Der Cashflow vor Veränderungen des Nettoumlaufvermögens belief sich auf 96,6 Millionen US-Dollar und übertraf damit die Bohr- und Komplettierungsinvestitionen des Quartals in Höhe von 90,8 Millionen US-Dollar.
• Der Verwaltungsrat genehmigte ein Aktienrückkaufprogramm von bis zu 35 Millionen US-Dollar. Das Management erklärte, die Rückkäufe würden opportunistisch erfolgen.
• Für 2027 peilt das Management ein Produktionswachstum von rund 10 % im Jahresvergleich an, bei einer höheren Gewichtung von Öl und weitgehend unveränderten Investitionsausgaben.
• Granite Ridge erwartet, dass der bereinigte freie Cashflow im Jahr 2027 die Dividende sowie weitere Prioritäten bei der Kapitalallokation finanzieren wird, während der höhere Cashflow zum Abbau des Verschuldungsgrads beitragen soll.

Zentrale Finanzdaten

Der GAAP-Verlust enthielt einen Verlust aus Rohstoffderivaten in Höhe von 52,7 Millionen US-Dollar, wovon 31,8 Millionen US-Dollar nicht realisiert waren.

Geschäfts- und operative Entwicklung

Granite Ridge nahm im Quartal 9,2 Netto-Bohrungen in Betrieb, überwiegend im Permian Basin, und beendete die Periode mit 14,6 Netto-Bohrungen in Bearbeitung. Die Erholung der Waha-Erdgaspreise leistete einen weiteren wesentlichen Beitrag zum EBITDAX-Wachstum gegenüber dem Vorquartal.

Das Unternehmen investiert weiterhin den Großteil seines Bohr- und Komplettierungskapitals in operative Partnerschaften. Nach Angaben des Managements haben diese Partnerschaften kontinuierlich Permian-Flächen für weniger als 2,5 Millionen US-Dollar pro Netto-Bohrstandort hinzugewonnen.

Granite Ridge stellte Arete Creek Resources als weiteren operativen Partner mit Fokus auf das Midland Basin vor. Arete hatte sich rund sechs Bohrabstandseinheiten (Drilling Spacing Units) und mehr als 40 Brutto-Bohrstandorte gesichert. Im Oktober teufte das Unternehmen seine erste Partnerschaftsbohrung ab und wird 2027 voraussichtlich eine Bohranlage betreiben.

In der Utica-Schieferformation hält Granite Ridge rund 6.300 Netto-Acres und fördert etwa 3.000 Netto-BOE pro Tag aus Beteiligungen an mehr als 100 produzierenden Brutto-Bohrungen. Im Quartal schloss das Unternehmen 20 Akquisitionen für 19 Millionen US-Dollar ab und sicherte sich damit acht Netto-Bohrstandorte zu durchschnittlichen Einstiegskosten von rund 2,4 Millionen US-Dollar je Standort.

Darüber hinaus veräußerte Granite Ridge Öl- und Gasliegenschaften im DJ Basin im Wert von über 20 Millionen US-Dollar. Die Unternehmensführung bezeichnete den Verkauf als opportunistische Portfoliobereinigung und nicht als Teil einer breiter angelegten Strategie zur Monetarisierung von Vermögenswerten.

Hinsichtlich der Corporate Governance schütteten Tochtergesellschaften von Gray Rock im August 14 Millionen Granite-Ridge-Aktien an Kommanditisten aus. Der Anteil von Gray Rock sank auf rund 39 %, sodass Granite Ridge nicht mehr als beherrschtes Unternehmen gilt. Das Unternehmen stellt innerhalb der geltenden Fristen auf einen mehrheitlich unabhängigen Verwaltungsrat und vollständig unabhängige Ausschüsse um.

Ausblick des Managements

Nach Angaben des Managements strebt Granite Ridge für 2027 ein Produktionswachstum von rund 10 % im Jahresvergleich an, wobei Öl einen größeren Anteil am Zuwachs ausmachen soll. Zudem bestätigte das Management, dass weitgehend unveränderte Investitionsausgaben im Jahresvergleich eine angemessene Annahme seien.

Aufgrund des Produktionswachstums und auslaufender Absicherungsgeschäfte rechnet das Management für 2027 mit einem bereinigten EBITDAX, das deutlich über dem annualisierten Niveau des dritten Quartals 2026 liegen wird. Zudem geht das Unternehmen davon aus, dass der bereinigte freie Cashflow 2027 ausreichen wird, um die Dividende sowie weitere Prioritäten bei der Kapitalallokation zu bedienen.

Es wird erwartet, dass Arete Creek im Jahr 2027 eine Bohranlage betreibt. Laut Granite Ridge bieten die bestehenden operativen Partnerschaften Visibilität für die Entwicklungspläne in den Jahren 2027 und 2028, wodurch das Unternehmen bereits Bohrflächen und Aktivitäten für spätere Jahre prüfen kann.

Risiken und Beobachtungspunkte

Die Betriebskosten für Förderanlagen bleiben trotz des Rückgangs je BOE gegenüber dem Vorquartal erhöht. Das Management führte diesen Druck hauptsächlich auf Entsorgungskosten für Salzwasser infolge eines höheren Wasseranteils und Flowbacks sowie auf Mietkosten für obertägige Ausrüstung und Leiharbeitskräfte zurück. Die operativen Gesamtkosten dürften mit steigender Produktion zunehmen, wenngleich das Management davon ausgeht, dass sich die Stückkosten der prognostizierten Spanne annähern werden.

Die Volatilität der Rohstoffpreise bleibt ein relevanter Faktor. Granite Ridge erklärte, Akquisitionen und Partnerschaftsbohrungen anhand von Vollzyklusrenditen von über 25 % auf Basis von Strip-Preisen zu bewerten und Vermögenswerte nicht primär anhand von Frontmonat-Rohstoffpreisen anzustreben.

Künftige Aktienauschüttungen von Gray Rock liegen weiterhin im Ermessen von Gray Rock, einschließlich ihres Zeitpunkts und Umfangs. Zudem erklärte das Unternehmen, dass Tempo und Umfang der Aktienrückkäufe opportunistisch bleiben und der Verwaltungsrat die Ermächtigung aufstocken oder aufheben kann.

Das Management rechnet mit einem Rückgang des Verschuldungsgrads (Nettoverschuldung zu EBITDA) bei steigendem EBITDAX; allerdings konkurriert der freie Cashflow mit Dividenden, Aktienrückkäufen, Schuldenabbau und weiteren Prioritäten der Kapitalallokation.

Höhepunkte der Fragerunde mit Analysten

• Rahmenplan für 2027: Das Management bestätigte, dass ein Produktionswachstum von rund 10 %, ein höherer Ölanteil und weitgehend unveränderte Investitionsausgaben angemessene Annahmen für 2027 sind.
• Kapazitäten der operativen Partnerschaften: Arete Creek verfügt über mehr als 40 Brutto-Bohrstandorte und ausreichend Flächen, um 2027 eine Bohranlage auszulasten. Granite Ridge arbeitet zudem mit weiteren, nicht genannten Partnern an Möglichkeiten, die ab Ende 2027 oder danach erste Beiträge liefern könnten.
• Aktienrückkäufe: Das Management erklärte, die anfängliche Ermächtigung über 35 Millionen US-Dollar solle Flexibilität für opportunistische Rückkäufe bieten. Der Verwaltungsrat könne das Programm je nach Cashflow und Marktbedingungen neu bewerten.
• Höhere Akquisitionskosten je Bohrstandort: Das Management führte den Anstieg gegenüber dem Vorquartal vor allem auf einen höheren Anteil an Utica-Transaktionen zurück, bei denen die Laterallängen von 15.000 bis 20.000 Fuß den normalisierten Permian-Vergleichswert von 10.000 Fuß übertreffen. Auf Fuß-Basis seien die Akquisitionskosten jedoch stabil geblieben.
• Verkauf von Vermögenswerten: Das Management erklärte, dass es sein Portfolio an nicht selbst betriebenen Anlagen über sechs Becken hinweg kontinuierlich überprüfe, derzeit jedoch kein systematisches Veräußerungsprogramm verfolge.
• Verschuldungsgrad: Das Unternehmen erwartet, dass der Verschuldungsgrad mit steigendem EBITDAX auf natürliche Weise sinken wird, während der Fokus weiterhin auf einer soliden Bilanz liegt.

Vollständiges Transkript der Telefonkonferenz

Vollständiges Transkript der Telefonkonferenz

Ausführungen des Managements

Operator

Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for standing by. Welcome to the Granite Ridge Resources' Third Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] As a reminder, this conference call is being recorded. At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Mr. James Master, Vice President of Investor Relations. Sir, please begin.

James Masters

Thank you, operator, and good morning, everyone. We appreciate your interest in Granite Ridge Resources. We will begin our call with comments from Tyler Farkison, our President and Chief Executive Officer, who will review the quarter's results and company strategy. He will then turn the call over to Kyle Kettler, our Chief Financial Officer, to review our financial results in greater detail. Tyler will then return to provide closing comments before we open the call for questions.

Today's conference call contains certain projections and other forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied. We ask that you review the cautionary statement in our earnings release. Granite Ridge disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these statements. These and other risks are described in our press release and our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This call also includes references to certain non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted free cash flow. information reconciling these measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures is available in our earnings release on our website. Finally, this call is being recorded, and a replay and transcript will be available on our website following today's call.

With that, I'll turn the call over to Tyler.

Tyler Farquharson

Thank you, James, and good morning, everyone. Let me start with the most important takeaway -- for the last year, we have told you that 2026 is the final year we invest ahead of our cash flow and that 2027 is the turn. This quarter, you can start to see the turn in our numbers. Average daily production grew 8% from the second quarter. Oil volumes grew 16%. Adjusted EBITDA taxrose 35% sequentially to $107.3 million. and our cash flow before working capital changes covered our drilling and completion capital for the quarter.

We are also taking 3 steps today that reflect where the business is going. First, our board has authorized a share repurchase program of up to $35 million. Second, we are putting a clearer definition of adjusted free cash flow in front of you, along with the order in which we intend to use it. Third, we continue to evaluate our operating partnerships, and we are excited to name our third operating partner in the Permian and retake free resources.

Kyle will take you through the first 2. Let me start with the quarter in the platform. Third quarter production averaged 34,641 barrels of oil equivalent per day, 55% of it was oil. We placed 9.2 net wells online, most of them in the Permian, and we ended the quarter with 14.6 net wells in process. The other major driver to our quarter-over-quarter EBITDAX growth was natural gas price realization.

Our realized gas price was from $1.12 per Mcf in the second quarter to $3.46 in the third quarter as Waha basis recovered. Kyle will walk you through that in detail because it's a real change in our cash flow. Our operator partnership platform remains the core of our strategy and it directs the majority of our 2026 drilling and completion capital. The advantage starts from sourcing, our partners find and assemble acreage to their own leasing, ground game and operator relationships, so we see opportunities that never reach a marketed process.

We provide the capital -- we underwrite every opportunity to our return threshold, and we control the pace. That is how we've consistently added inventory for under $2.5 million per net Permian location well below where marketed deals command. Admiral Permian Resources has been the flagship of that platform. Today, we are introducing another partner. retic Creek Resources is a Midland-based operator our partnership with them is focused on the Midland Basin.

The core of the group worked at Henry Resources where they drilled, completed and produced more than 200 horizontal wells between 2014 and 2024. We retails management has helped build 5 Permian Basin ventures, including Bold Energy, 1, 2 and 3 and OxboPetroleum, and its business development team has executed more than $8 billion of upstream transactions. retaking Freeport's the same way Admiral does.

This land team builds positions through grassroots leasing and joint ventures with large overlapping asset managers. We provide the capital that we control what is drilled and win. Arete spud its first well under our partnership in October, and we expect them to run a rig during 2027. Outside the Permian, we have built a nonoperated position in the Utica Shale that we're increasingly proud of.

We hold about 6,300 net acres and produce about 3,000 net BOE per day from our interest in over 100 gross producing wells. We built this position from scratch over the past 2 years through a high volume of small deals and count these opportunities among the most economic in our portfolio. During the quarter, we closed 20 acquisitions for $19 million adding 8 net locations at an average entry cost of about $2.4 million per net location.

Also, we divested over $20 million of oil and gas properties in the DJ Basin at a 3.8x forward next 12-month EBITDA multiple. While there's been a lot of volatility at the front end of the , we continue to plan our business around the back of the curve. Every acquisition and every operator partnership well has to clear a full cycle return above 25% at the strip. And in today's backward market, those long-dated barrels are priced at $70 or below. We're not going to chase near-term prices or pay up for assets based on where the front month is trading.

Instead, we will continue to seek longer-dated development opportunities further out on the curve. keep our hedge program discipline and direct any excess cash to the priorities Kyle will lay out. Stepping back, the plan is working. Our traditional non-op business generates steady cash flow across 6 basins and our operator partnerships are compounding inventory and growth. Through the first 9 months of the year, our cash flow before capital changes, has funded our development capital.

Dividends and acquisitions have been funded from the balance sheet, but in 2027, that changes. We expect adjusted free cash flow to fund the dividend and the rest of our capital allocation priorities, leverage falling as our cash flow grows. With that, I'll turn it over to Kyle.

R. Kettler

Thank you, Tyler, and good morning, everyone. This is our strongest quarter of adjusted EBITDAX since we've been a public company, and I'll spend most of my time on what that means for 2027. But first, the results. Oil and natural gas sales were $177.2 million. On a GAAP basis, we reported a net loss of $10.1 million or $0.08 per share driven by a $52.7 million loss on commodities derivatives, of which $31.8 million was unrealized.

Adjusted net income was $22.6 million or $0.17 per diluted share. Adjusted EBITDAX was $107.3 million, up 36% and from $78.6 million a year ago and 35% from $79.6 million last quarter. Cash flow from operations was $87 million or $96.6 million before working capital changes. Our unhedged realized price was $55.60 per BOE and $49.4 per BOE, excluding settled derivatives. LOE was $30.1 million or $9.43 per BOE down from $10.27 per BOE in the second quarter. Last quarter, we said we expected per unit cost to improve sequentially as new volumes came on and they did. But LOE is still high, mainly from saltwater disposal costs tied to higher water cuts and flowback, along with related surface equipment rentals and contract labor. Production and ad valorem taxes were $10.3 million or 6% of sales. Cash G&A was $8.7 million or $2.73 per BOE. We invested $90.8 million of drilling and completion capital weight and hedges rolling off -- we see 2027 EBITDAX well in excess of the third quarter annualized EBITDAX. With that, I'll turn it back over to you, Tyler.

Tyler Farquharson

Thanks, Kyle. Let me close with 3 points. First, the inflection is underway. Volumes are growing, oil mix is rising, gas realizations have covered and our cash flow is caught up with our development spending. We defined adjusted free cash flow plainly and told you how we will use it. Second, our operator partnership platform is broadening.

With that roll now Retake Creek, have 2 Permian partners sourcing attractively priced locations that extend our controlled development runway. Third, Gray Roth. In August, affiliates of Gray Rock distributed 14 million Brant Ridge shares with the limited partners of Gray Rock Energy Fund III. IROC ownership is now approximately 39% and and Granite Ridge is no longer a controlled company. We are completing the transition to a majority independent Board and fully independent committees within the periods that ICC standards provide.

Gray Rock has indicated that it expects additional distributions. The size and timing of any future distributions are at Gray Rock's discretion, we would refer you to BraRock's Section 13D filings. We view the first distribution as a healthy step. It expanded our float and has meaningfully increased trading liquidity and which makes Brandon reach more investable for a broader set of institutions.

We are excited about where this company is headed and we look forward to delivering on it. With that, operator, we'll open the line for questions.

Operator

[Operator Instructions]

Our first question or comment comes from the line of Michael Scialla from Stephens.

Fragen und Antworten

Michael Scialla

I wanted to get some high-level thoughts, Kyle, you mentioned the slide showing where you think EBITDA will land. Just some of the assumptions built into that production, I guess, should we be thinking kind of high single-digit growth and CapEx kind of flattish year-over-year? Is that fair? Any more you could offer on that?

R. Kettler

That's a completely fair assessment of it. we're targeting just about 10% production growth year-on-year. I think we have a little bit extra weighting on the oil side and that production growth. And then if you take into consideration our hedge book rolling off, those are the really 3 kind of simple key things to look at to pencil out where 2026, Q3 '26 annualized EBITDA goes into '27 estimated on that page.

Michael Scialla

Great. Appreciate that. And Tyler, you mentioned the changes with great rock and changes on the board. Anything we should expect in terms of changes with direction of the company with those.

Tyler Farquharson

The short answer is no, not at all. The Board is completely committed to the strategy that we have laid out. You've seen us transform the business over the past couple of years to be more focused on controllable development via the operator partners. We now have 4 partners. We'll continue to add partners in the future. That's been very successful for us. We've been able to capture inventory at less than $2.5 million per net location in the Permian, which we think is a pretty good value.

So we're moving into a little more maturity with Admiral, obviously, running 2 rigs, but we're excited now that Retake Creek is picking up a rig with us. We've actually drilled a handful of wells with them. already this quarter, and then we expect to run a rig full time with them starting in 2027. So the Board is fully committed to the strategy.

Operator

Our next question or comment comes from the line of Derek Whitfield from Texas Capital.

Derrick Whitfield

I wanted to start with your rate partnership disclosure. How would you characterize the depth of their gross locations, their ability to continue to source inventory and how the quality of the inventory compares versus your average -- the average of your partnerships?

Tyler Farquharson

Yes, you bet. So first, the Renta Creek team is very accomplished on both the commercial side as well as the development side. a large portion of the team came out of Henry Resources. They had a very successful exit a few years ago. chunks of the team have also been involved with various entities that they've built and flipped over the years. They've drilled over 200 horizontal wells over 10 years.

So the development front execution side very accomplished. On the commercial side, equally as accomplished. their business development team and commercial sourcing team is closed over $8 billion of transactions. That is incredible. This is a Midland-based team. They have very deep networks based in Midland. So we're highly confident in their ability to source opportunity that's more proprietary in nature, and we'll continue to build on what we've done with the Admiral team sourcing opportunity from those types of markets as well.

So we're about a year into it with a retake Creek. We like to let teams have some time to build up some inventory in front of them. We're proud to report that Arete's already secured at least half a dozen or so DSUs, 40-something gross locations and has enough for us to commit to picking up a rig with them in 2027. I fully expect them to be able to continue to add a lot more inventory to what they currently have just like our admiral team.

So this is a development strategy first. I'd like to talk about Admiral and Rete is hitting singles over and over again, but driving in a lot of runs. So this is -- they will be focused on the Midland Basin. That's not to say that they won't do deals in other parts of the Permian Basin, but where we expect them to find opportunities in the Midland Basin, and they've done a heck of a job so far.

Derrick Whitfield

Great color. And as my follow-up, I wanted to shift over to your buyback authorization it would seem on our math, which is clearly share price dependent that you guys could buy back a substantial amount of Gray Rock's future distributions. Is that a fair read based on where those lie today?

Tyler Farquharson

Yes, absolutely. We set the authorization of $35 million to start with. Obviously, where the stock is trading, we're trading at less than 2.5x consensus. I think if you look at where we think cash flow potential is for next year, we're trading at even less than that. So we'd love to own more of this company. We set the authorization at $35 million initially. We'll see how that goes. It's completely opportunistic. as Kyle mentioned, and the Board can come back in the future and raise that or cancel it at any time.

So -- we wanted to kind of dip our toe in the water here to start with. We set it pretty low. It's about 5%-ish of current market cap. But we'd love to own more of this business, certainly with where -- the current consensus numbers are at less than 2.5x '27, and we think '27 should even north of where consensus currently is. So Yes. But you're right, we could buy a lot more.

Operator

Our next question or comment comes from the line of Jeff Grant from Northland Capital Markets.

Jeffrey Grampp

Was CareTyler, on the operator partnership front, given kind of the focus and shift here to free cash flow positive and the progress you've made with the partners you have what's the appetite to add more partnerships?

Tyler Farquharson

Yes. We're always -- that's a good question. We're always looking at -- when is the right time to add more. We could. It's something we discuss all the time. I think we'd like to see how '27 goes. We'd like to get a retake Creek and their rigs to. We have a couple of other partners that we haven't discussed with you all yet. that are working on some things in the background that we think could start to layer in, in maybe late '27 and in '28 and beyond.

So we're interested in seeing how those develop over the next, call it, 6, 9 months. So there is some more in the background that we haven't talked with you all about -- we talk a lot about the operator partnership platform. Most of our capital goes into that line of business, but we do have a lot going on in the Utica via our traditional non-op business. We really like the returns there. We've built a position over the past 1.5 years, 2 years of over 6,000 net acres. We've done it at a very attractive entry cost.

That business itself right now is generating about 3,000 BOE a day net to us. We have over 100 gross wells online that we're participating in, and we're continuing to find a ton of opportunity there. So we have the 3 or 4 partners that we've disclosed publicly, there's a few others that are working in the background, plus we have the Utica program up and running. So there's a lot on the plate and we're really excited about where it's headed.

And I think we're happy with where we're at now, and we'll see how '27 goes.

R. Kettler

Yes. I'd add, Tyler, to that. the way this operated partnership business model works is we've got '27 and '28 laid out, and we can start thinking about '29, '30 and '31 in so to your point, Jeff, we can always look into doing more work with existing operator partners as they grow and flourish, and we can look at bringing others into the fold. But we're thinking years down the road now because we've got the near-term set up for us.

Jeffrey Grampp

Great. Super helpful details. My other question is on the acquisition you guys did in the quarter. It looks like the cost per location went up a bit sequentially -- is that just a function of higher commodity prices driving some increased cost while still making sense from a hurdle rate perspective or any other factors driving those specific locations to be a bit more expensive than the recent averages.

Tyler Farquharson

Yes. Yes. No, that's a good question. And $2.5 million per net location is still extremely incredible in our view, and it just continues to build on our track record of what we've been doing in the past couple of years in that space. But Specifically, to answer your question, we did 20 deals during the quarter, we closed 20 deals during the quarter. There was a higher -- I just mentioned how proud we are of the Utica program. There was a higher percentage this quarter of transactions that closed in the Utica.

So those wells in the Utica are of 15,000, 20,000 foot average lateral versus what we're buying in the Permian is normalized to a 10,000-foot lateral. So that's the difference. We're just getting more lateral feet. But on a per foot basis, it's all been consistent and in line with where we've been.

Operator

[Operator Instructions]

We have a question -- a follow-up from Mr. Michael Scialla from Stephens.

Michael Scialla

Yes. You mentioned, Tyler, that you sold some DJ assets. Just wondering anything else that you could be potentially looking to divest.

Tyler Farquharson

All of that is opportunistic, right? We're not looking to systematically dispose of any assets -- but we do have a large nonoperated footprint across 6 different basins, thousands of wells. So from time to time, there's opportunities that come across our desk that make a lot of sense. I think Kyle will walk you through some of the multiples on why that made sense to us. But from my standpoint, we're always evaluating things in the non-op portfolio.

Again, it's a huge footprint. So from time to time, there are things that are interesting, but it's not a larger strategy of monetizing assets.

R. Kettler

Yes. I'd add that this was largely, I'd say, kind of a cleanup exercise. It was about 800 gross wells, so a good proportion of producing wells with very small working interest. highly gas concentrated asset, too. And so it made sense just when we were taking the portfolio to shed those assets. And it worked out that we got a really good multiple of forward EBITDA at 3.8x.

Michael Scialla

Makes sense. I wanted to ask on your LOE came down a bit in the third quarter from second quarter on per BOE basis, how are you thinking about op costs for 2027. Should we anticipate with the growth that continues to come down? Or just any color you can add there?

Tyler Farquharson

Yes. there we still consider the dollar per BOE high. We're going to see aggregate costs going up just because we have production going up. We've increased guidance on LOE as a result. I think as we have -- I guess, you can think about like we had about 18 wells come online in the first 3 quarters of this year, and we've got a number of them coming on in the fourth quarter and then growth '27 -- so I think as we drill more, that number is going to hopefully come off and be close to where we are in guidance.

Michael Scialla

Got it. And on your leverage looks like it's going to come down naturally, I guess, with the EBITDA growth next year? Do you have any plans to try and reduce debt? Or you just kind of let that leverage come down naturally?

Tyler Farquharson

We are fortunate. It looks like with the trajectory of EBITDA leverage on a debt-to-EBITDA basis is going to come down pretty materially. I'd say we got free cash flow going into 2027. that's going to compete with everything else, but we do want to watch it closely and keep a pretty safe balance sheet.

Operator

[Operator Instructions]

I'm showing no additional questions in the queue at this time. I'd like to turn the conference back over to management for any closing remarks.

Tyler Farquharson

Thank you, operator. Thank you, everybody.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for participating in today's conference. This concludes the program. You may now disconnect. Everyone, have a wonderful day.