TPL 2.0 : Investor Preferences

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Investor Preferences in C-Corp Conversion:

  1. No dilution.  Share issuance of any kind should be prohibited in the corporate charter.  Any changes to this policy should require a significant majority vote. 
  2. Share repurchases should remain the primary method of returning capital.
    1. If a dividend is necessary, it should be regular and consistent.
  3. Board members, including originating board members, must be voted upon by shareholders.  Board terms should be of reasonable length.
  4. Board should be of reasonable size so as to function healthily at all times. Independent directors should outnumber executive members. 
  5. Remain in “business of going out of business”.  Primary duty of corporation is return of capital via royalty collections and asset sales.
    1. State limitations on additional business activity such as new business ventures and additional land/royally acquisitions.  
  6. Executives shall be required to purchase shares via dedicated cash compensation and/or company loans to ensure that shareholder and management incentives are aligned.  Executives should be required to attain and maintain some material level of ownership. 
  7. Executive compensation should be simple and oriented towards long term results.
  8. Stock shall be split regularly so as to facilitate liquidity for repurchases.
  9. Transparency in reporting of results and material events should be commensurate with those expected of a $5B+ publicly traded corporation.
  10. Corporation must hold an annual meetings and be regularly open to investor communcation.
  11. NO DEBT!

The list above was kept short deliberately.  Spin-offs, head count, and other business decisions (in my opinion) should be the responsibility of directors and management with interests and incentives that are aligned with those of shareholders (TPL 2.0).

One Year Ago Today – The Meeting

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5/22 SHAREHOLDER meeting — most viewed post on blog by far

Of course the video is much better

Many things have changed over the past year.  Executive comp is higher.  The size of the C-suite is larger.  Legal and administrative costs are up.  And N677J’s wheels are up (and down).

Three things have not changed.  The share count outstanding remains constant at 7,756,156.  Execs and Trustees still own only 1600 shares among the entire group.  And the number of Trustees remains 2.

Shareholders remain underrepresented, management/shareholder incentives remain unaligned, and the capital allocation tool that TPL is famous for (buybacks) remains idle.

All the roadshows in the world don’t change the fact that this is still a governance nightmare.

 

1Q20 Q

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https://ir.stockpr.com/tpltrust/sec-filings-email/content/0000097517-20-000029/tpl-20200331.htm

Sold a little, bought more:

For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Trust sold approximately 30 acres (Pecos County) of land in Texas for an aggregate sales price of approximately $0.9 million, an average of approximately $30,000 per acre.

For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Trust acquired approximately 756 acres (Culberson and Reeves Counties) of land in Texas for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $3.9 million, an average of approximately $5,134 per acre.

For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Trust acquired oil and gas royalty interests in approximately 1,017 net royalty acres (normalized to 1/8th) for an aggregate purchase price of $16.9 million, an average price of approximately $16,659 per net royalty acre.

DUC:

There are a number of oil and gas wells that have been drilled but are not yet completed (“DUC”) where the Trust has a royalty interest. The number of DUC wells are determined using uniform drilling spacing units with pooled interests for all wells awaiting completion. The Trust has identified 597 and 486 DUC wells subject to our royalty interest as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

Don’t forget!:

Despite the uncertainty the record low oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic have had on both the global and U.S. oil & gas industry as a whole, we believe our longevity in the industry and strong financial position provide us with the tools necessary to navigate these unprecedented times. We have no debt and a strong cash position. Our cash and cash equivalents balance as of March 31, 2020 was $223.7 million.

Borrow?  Please don’t:

We continuously review our liquidity and capital resources. The Trust’s principal sources of liquidity are its revenues from oil and gas royalties, easements and other surface-related income, and water and land sales. Our primary liquidity and capital requirements are for capital expenditures related to our Water Services and Operations segment, working capital and general corporate needs. If market conditions were to change, for instance due to the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic or the significant decline in oil prices, and our revenue was reduced significantly or operating costs were to increase significantly, our cash flows and liquidity could be reduced. Should this occur, we could seek alternative sources of funding, including potential future borrowing under a credit facility or other financing options.

I can sleep at night now:

Pursuant to Rule 13a-15, management of the Trust under the supervision and with the participation of Tyler Glover, the Trust’s Chief Executive Officer, and Robert J. Packer, the Trust’s Chief Financial Officer, carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the Trust’s fiscal quarter covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based upon that evaluation, Mr. Glover and Mr. Packer concluded that the Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective in timely alerting them to material information relating to the Trust required to be included in the Trust’s periodic SEC filings.

Expense management:

In an effort to decrease ongoing operational costs, we have implemented certain cost reduction measures which include, but are not limited to, negotiated price reductions and discounts with certain vendors. We are closely monitoring our customer base and outstanding accounts receivable balances as a means of minimizing any potential collection issues. As a royalty owner, we have no capital expenditure or operating expense burden for development of wells. Furthermore, our water operations currently have limited capital expenditure requirements, the amount and timing of which is entirely within our control.

Get on Zoom and figure it out:

On March 23, 2020, we announced that our Trustees approved a plan for reorganizing the Trust from its current structure to a corporation formed under the laws of the State of Delaware. The Trustees made their determination following careful consideration of the recommendation of the Conversion Exploration Committee of the Trust. The Trust presently intends that the corporate reorganization will be effected by the end of the third quarter of 2020, but the Trust recognizes that unforeseen impacts of COVID-19 or other developments could extend this timeframe despite the Trust’s efforts. Barring any unforeseen disruptions, further information regarding the corporate reorganization will be included in a registration statement on Form 10 to be filed by the corporation with the SEC as well as in other communications and disclosures anticipated to be made by the Trust and the corporation.

Transparency is improving.  Let’s buy some shares back.

Mineral Revenue Recognition

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Some chatter about this yesterday.  From the K.

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/97517/000009751720000017/tpl-20191231.htm

Revenue Recognition

Oil and Gas Royalties

Oil and gas royalties are received in connection with royalty interests owned by the Trust. Oil and gas royalties are reported net of production taxes and are recognized as revenue when crude oil and gas products are removed from the respective mineral reserve locations. Oil and gas royalty payments are generally received one to two months after the crude oil and gas products are removed. An accrual is included in accrued receivables for amounts not received during the month removed based on historical trends.

The oil and gas royalties which the Trust receives are dependent upon the market prices for oil and gas. The market prices for oil and gas are subject to national and international economic and political conditions and, in the past, have been subject to significant price fluctuations.

The Trust has analyzed public reports of drilling activities by the oil companies operating where the Trust has an oil and gas royalty interest in an effort to identify unpaid royalties associated with royalty interests owned by the Trust. Rights to certain oil and gas royalties believed by the Trust to be due and payable may be subject to dispute with the oil company involved as a result of disagreements with respect to drilling and related engineering information. Disputed oil and gas royalties are recorded when these contingencies are resolved.