Chord Energy Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Financial and Operating Results, Issues 2026 Outlook and Declares Base Dividend

HOUSTON, Feb. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Chord Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:CHRD) ("Chord", "Chord Energy" or the "Company") today reported financial and operating results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2025 and announced its 2026 outlook.

Key Takeaways and Updates:

• Strong Execution: Cash Flow from Operations and Adjusted Free Cash Flow exceeded expectations in 4Q25, supported by oil volumes at the high-end of guidance and capital below expectations;
• FY25 Improving Efficiency: FY25 CapEx was more than $100MM below pro forma FY24 with pro forma oil volumes 1% higher year-over-year;
• FCF Enhancements: Generated approximately $160MM in incremental run-rate free cash flow in FY25 through continuous improvement initiatives;
• Driving Per-Share Value: In FY25, Chord continued its multi-year track record of growing production per share while paying out significant cash to shareholders and maintaining a strong balance sheet;
• FY26 Plan: 2026 volume and capital guidance consistent with November outlook;
• 4-Mile Lateral Update: Successful turn-in-line ("TIL") of seven 4-mile wells in FY25, with three of the seven TIL'd after 3Q25. Production continues to be at or above expectations, with average well costs below budget. Chord expects ~40% of wells TIL'd in FY26 to be 4-mile laterals;
• Low-Breakeven Inventory: Improved inventory quality by lowering weighted average breakeven >10% year-over-year;
• XTO Acquisition: Completed acquisition of core Williston Basin assets from XTO Energy Inc. ("XTO");
• LOE Improved: FY25 Lease Operating Expenses ("LOE") of $9.73/Boe was below initial expectations, despite lower FY25 gas volumes; and
• Shareholder Payouts: Declared aggregate base dividends of $5.20/share and repurchased 3.5MM shares of common stock. Chord's fully-diluted share count was 57.2MM at YE25, reduced by >5% year-over-year.

4Q25 Operational and Financial Highlights:

• Strong Volumes: Oil volumes of 153.0 MBopd was at the high-end of guidance;
• Capital Discipline: CapEx of $305.2MM (excluding $8.0MM of reimbursable non-op CapEx) was below the low-end of guidance;
• Cost Control: LOE of $9.72/Boe was in-line with the midpoint of guidance;
• Profitability: Net income was $84.4MM and Adjusted Net Income⁽¹⁾ was $72.7MM ($1.28/diluted share);
• Cash Generation: Net cash provided by operating activities was $405.0MM, Adjusted EBITDA⁽¹⁾ was $506.4MM and Adjusted Free Cash Flow⁽¹⁾ was $175.0MM (excluding $8.0MM of reimbursable non-op CapEx); and
• Shareholder Returns: Approximately 50% of Adjusted Free Cash Flow⁽¹⁾ was returned to shareholders in 4Q25 through the base dividend of $1.30 per share and share repurchases of $10.0MM.

(1) Non-GAAP financial measure. See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for a reconciliation to the most directly comparable financial measures under United States generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP").

"2025 was an outstanding year for Chord," said Danny Brown, Chord Energy's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We demonstrated consistent execution, both increasing volumes and lowering capital relative to original expectations. Importantly, Chord also significantly enhanced its cost structure through multiple initiatives, which resulted in improved free cash flow while increasing and improving the quality of our inventory. The company made significant progress derisking its extended lateral program and is hitting the ground running in 2026."

Mr. Brown continued, "Fourth quarter results continue our pattern of strong performance, with higher than expected production supported by solid execution and well results, all while maintaining our focus on cost control. Chord also guided to a strong first quarter, despite challenging weather in December and January. Chord's outlook is compelling, supported by deep, low-cost, oil-weighted inventory, a strong balance sheet, excellent track record on execution, and a relentless focus on continuous improvement.  I'd like to express my deepest appreciation to the Chord team for their continued efforts to achieve, and exceed, our goals and for their focus on making our organization better. Chord is well positioned to handle the ongoing volatility with commodity prices, generating solid free cash flow at current prices, with notable upside to the next upcycle. We look forward to continuing to execute and deliver value for our shareholders."

4Q25 Operational and Financial Update:

The following table presents select 4Q25 operational and financial data compared to guidance released on November 4, 2025:

Chord had 30 gross (27 net) operated TILs in 4Q25 and 122 gross (99 net) operated TILs in FY25.

Estimated Net Proved Reserves:

During 2025, the Company added 103.8 million barrels of oil equivalent ("MMBoe") of estimated net proved reserves as a result of successful drilling in the Williston Basin and 38.0 MMBoe from the purchase of reserves in place associated with the acquisition of Williston Basin assets from XTO in 4Q25. Chord's estimated net proved reserves at December 31, 2025 were 917.5 MMBoe and consisted of 514.7 million barrels ("MMBbl") of crude oil, 174.1 MMBbl of NGL and 1,372.1 billion cubic feet ("Bcf") of natural gas. The Company's estimated net proved reserves and PV-10 do not include probable or possible reserves and were determined using the preceding 12-month unweighted arithmetic average of the first-day-of-the-month index prices for crude oil and natural gas, which were held constant throughout the life of the properties. For the year ended December 31, 2025, the unweighted arithmetic average first-day-of-the-month prices for the prior 12 months were $65.34 per Bbl for crude oil and $3.39 per MMBtu for natural gas. These prices were adjusted for quality, energy content, transportation fees and market differentials. The information in the following table does not give any effect to or reflect our commodity derivatives. Future operating costs, production taxes, plugging and abandonment costs and capital costs were based on current costs as of year-end. The Company's estimated net proved reserves and related PV-10 at December 31, 2025 were based on reports independently prepared by Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc., the Company's independent reserve engineers.

The table below summarizes the Company's estimated net proved reserves and related PV-10 at December 31, 2025:

Return of Capital:

Chord declared a base dividend of $1.30 per share of common stock. The dividend will be payable on March 27, 2026 to shareholders of record as of March 12, 2026. Details regarding the Return of Capital calculation can be found in the Company's most recent investor presentation located on its website at https://ir.chordenergy.com/presentations.

The Company repurchased 103,057 shares of common stock at a weighted average price of $97.01 per share totaling $10.0MM in 4Q25, representing 100% of shareholder returns after the base dividend. Shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2025 were 56.8MM (57.2MM on a fully-diluted basis), compared to 56.9MM (57.3MM on a fully-diluted basis) as of September 30, 2025.

Operations Update:

• 4-Mile Laterals: Chord continues to advance its 4-mile lateral program. In 2025, Chord TIL'd seven 4-mile wells including three incremental TILs since Chord's last update in November. Initial well performance across the 4-mile program is meeting or exceeding expectations, and average well costs have been below budget. For all seven 4-mile wells, tracer data is indicating contribution from the full lateral. Chord has reduced 4-mile well costs by more than 10% versus 2025 initial budget designs, supported by strong performance and efficient execution, including single-run cleanouts. Chord's first 4-mile DSU development, the Toonie pad, has commenced fracking and will be brought online in 1Q26.
• Execution: Chord's drilling, completions and facilities teams continue to drive operational improvement while achieving strong safety performance. In 2025, the team drove efficiencies that delivered production volumes above expectations on lower capital spending. The drilling team led the Williston Basin in total lateral footage drilled in 2025, while successfully offsetting the cost impacts of higher steel prices through improved execution. The completions team was a basin leader in 4-mile cleanout times in 2025 and continues to improve performance while lowering costs with more reliance on simulfrac, expanded dual fuel utilization to reduce diesel consumption and implementation of continuous pumping. The facilities team continues to innovate while lowering costs through design optimization, including larger facilities and expanded re-utilization efforts.
• Production/LOE: Chord continues to enhance base production, while lowering costs. Improved runtimes and base production enhancements supported Chord's ability to exceed production expectations in 2025. With a focus on artificial lift optimization, the production team has achieved a >50% improvement in ESP replacement cycle times and a >25% improvement in failure rates since the beginning of 2025. In 2025, Chord scaled AI-driven machine learning to approximately 99% of wells on rod lift to optimize pumping operations, with early performance delivering a ~25% improvement in rod pump run times. Optimization improvements have reduced failures, resulting in approximately 1,200 fewer workover rig days in 2025 and improved safety performance.

2026 Outlook: 

Chord's 2026 program seeks to maintain stable production levels, while maximizing free cash flow. The February 2026 outlook is consistent with Chord's preliminary outlook discussed in November, which estimated 2026 oil volumes of 157 – 161 MBopd for approximately $1.4B of CapEx. In 2026, Chord expects to generate approximately $2.3B of Adjusted EBITDA and $700MM of Adjusted Free Cash Flow ($64/Bbl WTI and $3.75/MMBtu Henry Hub).

Highlights of Chord's FY26 guidance include:  

• Volumes: Oil volumes are expected to be 159 MBopd at the midpoint of guidance. Chord expects 1Q26 volumes to be 154 MBopd at midpoint, reflecting ~1 MBopd of weather-related impacts. Oil volumes in 2Q26 are expected to increase sequentially, with further growth into 3Q26. Chord will continue to monitor non-operated activity and evaluate higher operated activity if non-op activity decreases;
• Capital: CapEx is expected to total $1.4B at the midpoint of guidance, with ~90% related to operated and non-operated drilling and completion activity. Chord expects ~80% of FY26 CapEx to be incurred 1Q26 - 3Q26.
  • Midstream: Chord plans ~$30MM of midstream projects (vs. $18MM in FY25) that are included in the $1.4B midpoint CapEx guidance. These projects are small-scale, primarily focused on water disposal, enabling Chord to achieve better economics compared to third-party providers;
• Realizations: NGL and natural gas realizations are expected to be above the FY26 midpoint in 1Q26 and 4Q26 and below the FY26 midpoint in 2Q26 and 3Q26, reflecting pricing seasonality;
• Cash Taxes: Expected to range between 1% and 5% of EBITDA at $55/Bbl-$70/Bbl WTI with 1H26 lower than 2H26; and
• Activity: Chord plans to TIL 135 – 165 gross operated wells (~40% 3-mile laterals and ~40% 4-mile laterals) with an average working interest of ~75%.

The following table presents select operational and financial guidance for the periods presented:

Select Operational and Financial Data:

The following table presents select operational and financial data for the periods presented:

Capital Expenditures:

The following table presents the Company's capital expenditures ("CapEx") by category for the periods presented (in millions):

In addition, acquisition and leasehold costs were $548.7MM and $576.5MM in 4Q25 and FY25, respectively, including $542.2MM associated with the acquisition of Williston Basin assets from XTO in 4Q25.

Balance Sheet and Liquidity:

The following table presents key balance sheet data and liquidity metrics as of December 31, 2025 (in millions):

Contact:

Chord Energy Corporation

Bob Bakanauskas, VP, Investor Relations

(281) 404-9600

[email protected]

Conference Call Information

Investors, analysts and other interested parties are invited to listen to the webcast:

You may use the following dial-in information to join the conference call by phone with operator assistance:

A recording of the conference call will be available beginning at 1:00 p.m. Central on the day of the call and will be available until Thursday, March 5, 2026 by dialing:

The call will also be available for replay for approximately 30 days at https://www.chordenergy.com

Forward-Looking Statements and Cautionary Statements

Certain statements in this press release, other than statements of historical facts, that address activities, events or developments that Chord expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including any statements regarding future opportunities for Chord, future financial performance and condition, guidance and statements regarding Chord's expectations, beliefs, plans, financial condition, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are forward-looking statements based on assumptions currently believed to be valid. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than statements of historical facts. The words "anticipate," "believe," "ensure," "expect," "if," "intend," "estimate," "probable," "project," "forecasts," "predict," "outlook," "aim," "will," "could," "should," "would," "potential," "may," "might," "anticipate," "likely," "plan," "positioned," "strategy" and similar expressions or other words of similar meaning, and the negatives thereof, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Specific forward-looking statements include statements regarding Chord's plans and expectations with respect to the return of capital plan, advancement of its extended lateral program and production levels, anticipated financial and operating results and other guidance. The forward-looking statements are intended to be subject to the safe harbor provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions made by Chord based on management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, anticipated future developments and other factors believed to be appropriate. Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Chord, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied or expressed by the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, changes in crude oil, NGL and natural gas realized prices, uncertainty regarding the future actions of foreign oil producers and the related impacts such actions have on the balance between the supply of and demand for crude oil, NGLs and natural gas, the actions taken by OPEC+ with respect to oil production levels and announcements of potential changes in such levels, including the ability of the OPEC+ countries to agree on and comply with production levels, changes in trade policies and regulations, including increases or change in duties, current and potentially new tariffs or quotas and other similar measures, as well as the potential impact of retaliatory tariffs and other actions, war between Russia and Ukraine, military conflicts in the Red Sea Region and the wider Middle East and their effect on commodity prices, changes or uncertainty in general economic and geopolitical conditions, inflation rates and the impact of associated monetary policy responses, including fluctuating interest rates, logistical challenges and supply chain disruptions, our business strategy, including the continued implementation of our 4-mile well program, the geographic concentration of our operations, uncertainties in estimating proved reserves and forecasting production results, drilling and completion of wells, operational factors affecting the commencement or maintenance of producing wells, the availability of infrastructure and midstream service providers, our ability to realize the anticipated benefits from acquisitions, the condition of the capital markets generally, as well as Chord's ability to access them, the proximity to and capacity of transportation facilities, uncertainties regarding environmental regulations or litigation and other legal or regulatory developments affecting Chord's business and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected as described in Chord's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made and Chord undertakes no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. As forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, caution should be exercised against placing undue reliance on such statements. Additional information concerning other risk factors is also contained in Chord's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other SEC filings.

About Chord Energy

Chord Energy Corporation is an independent exploration and production company with quality and sustainable long-lived assets primarily in the Williston Basin. The Company is uniquely positioned with a best-in-class balance sheet and is focused on rigorous capital discipline and generating free cash flow by operating efficiently, safely and responsibly to develop its unconventional onshore oil-rich resources in the continental United States. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.chordenergy.com.

Comparability of Financial Statements

The results reported for the year ended December 31, 2025 reflect the consolidated results of Chord, while the results reported for the year ended December 31, 2024 reflect the consolidated results of Chord, including combined operations with Enerplus Corporation ("Enerplus") beginning on May 31, 2024, unless otherwise noted.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The following are non-GAAP financial measures not prepared in accordance with GAAP that are used by management and external users of the Company's financial statements, such as industry analysts, investors, lenders and rating agencies. The Company believes that the foregoing are useful supplemental measures that provide an indication of the results generated by the Company's principal business activities. However, these measures are not recognized by GAAP and do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP. Therefore, these measures may not be comparable to similar measures provided by other issuers. From time to time, the Company provides forward-looking forecasts of these measures; however, the Company is unable to provide a quantitative reconciliation of the forward-looking non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP measures because management cannot reliably quantify certain of the necessary components of such forward-looking GAAP measures. The reconciling items in future periods could be significant. To see how the Company reconciles its historical presentations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures, please visit the Investors—Documents & Disclosures—Non-GAAP Reconciliation page on the Company's website at https://ir.chordenergy.com/non-gaap.

Cash GPT

The Company defines Cash GPT as total GPT expenses less non-cash valuation charges on pipeline imbalances and non-cash mark-to-market adjustments on transportation contracts accounted for as derivative instruments. Cash GPT is not a measure of GPT expenses as determined by GAAP. Management believes that the presentation of Cash GPT provides useful additional information to investors and analysts to assess the cash costs incurred to market and transport the Company's commodities from the wellhead to delivery points for sale without regard to the change in value of its pipeline imbalances, which vary monthly based on commodity prices, and without regard to the non-cash mark-to-market adjustments on transportation contracts classified as derivative instruments.

The following table presents a reconciliation of the GAAP financial measure of GPT expenses to the non-GAAP financial measure of Cash GPT for the periods presented:

Cash G&A

The Company defines Cash G&A as total G&A expenses less G&A expenses directly attributable to certain merger and acquisition activity, non-cash equity-based compensation expenses and other non-cash charges. Cash G&A is not a measure of G&A expenses as determined by GAAP. Management believes that the presentation of Cash G&A provides useful additional information to investors and analysts to assess the Company's operating costs in comparison to peers without regard to the aforementioned charges, which can vary substantially from company to company.

The following table presents a reconciliation of the GAAP financial measure of G&A expenses to the non-GAAP financial measure of Cash G&A for the periods presented:

Cash Interest

The Company defines Cash Interest as interest expense plus capitalized interest less amortization of deferred financing costs. Cash Interest is not a measure of interest expense as determined by GAAP. Management believes that the presentation of Cash Interest provides useful additional information to investors and analysts for assessing the interest charges incurred on the Company's debt to finance its operating activities and the Company's ability to maintain compliance with its debt covenants.

The following table presents a reconciliation of the GAAP financial measure of interest expense to the non-GAAP financial measure of Cash Interest for the periods presented:

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Free Cash Flow

The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation, depletion and amortization ("DD&A"), merger costs, exploration expenses, impairment expenses, loss on debt extinguishment and other similar non-cash or non-recurring charges. The Company defines Adjusted Free Cash Flow as Adjusted EBITDA less Cash Interest and CapEx (excluding capitalized interest and acquisition capital).

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Free Cash Flow are not measures of net income or cash flows from operating activities as determined by GAAP. Management believes that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Free Cash Flow provides useful additional information to investors and analysts for assessing the Company's results of operations, financial performance, ability to generate cash from its business operations without regard to its financing methods or capital structure and the Company's ability to maintain compliance with its debt covenants.

The following table presents reconciliations of the GAAP financial measures of net income and net cash provided by operating activities to the non-GAAP financial measures of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Free Cash Flow for the periods presented:

Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share 

Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share are supplemental non-GAAP financial measures that are used by management and external users of the Company's financial statements, such as industry analysts, investors, lenders and rating agencies. The Company defines Adjusted Net Income as net income after adjusting for (1) the impact of certain non-cash items, including non-cash changes in the fair value of derivative instruments, non-cash changes in the fair value of the Company's investment in an unconsolidated affiliate, impairment, loss on debt extinguishment and other similar non-cash charges (2) merger costs and (3) the impact of taxes based on an estimated tax rate applicable to those adjusting items in the same period. Adjusted Net Income is not a measure of net income as determined by GAAP.

The Company calculates earnings per share under the two-class method in accordance with GAAP. The two-class method is an earnings allocation formula that computes earnings per share for each class of common stock and participating security according to dividends declared (or accumulated) and participation rights in undistributed earnings. Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share is calculated as (i) Adjusted Net Income (ii) less distributed and undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities (iii) divided by the weighted average number of diluted shares outstanding for the periods presented.

The following table presents reconciliations of the GAAP financial measure of net income to the non-GAAP financial measure of Adjusted Net Income and the GAAP financial measure of diluted earnings per share to the non-GAAP financial measure of Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share for the periods presented:

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SOURCE Chord Energy