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Magnolia Oil & Gas Corp (MGY)·Q3 2025 Earnings Summary

Executive Summary

  • Record total production of 100.5 Mboe/d; revenue $324.9M (-2% YoY), diluted EPS $0.40, operating income margin 31%, adjusted EBITDAX $218.8M, and free cash flow $133.9M .
  • Consensus comparison: Q3 EPS modest beat (Primary EPS 0.421 vs 0.414), revenue slight beat ($324.9M vs $323.0M), but EBITDA a notable miss ($213.9M vs $223.3M) — bold miss on EBITDA; estimates from S&P Global.*
  • Guidance reinforced: FY25 production growth ~10% (raised from initial 5–7%); FY25 D&C capital ~$454M; Q4 production ~101 Mboe/d, LOE ~$5.20/boe, fully diluted share count ~189M; company remains unhedged; effective tax rate ~21% with zero cash taxes expected for FY25 .
  • Shareholder returns: Returned ~$80M (60% of FCF) via $51M buybacks (2.15M shares) and $29M dividends; cash ended at $280M with $450M undrawn revolver .

What Went Well and What Went Wrong

What Went Well

  • Record volumes with disciplined spend: Production reached 100.5 Mboe/d (+11% YoY); reinvestment rate held at 54% of adjusted EBITDAX; free cash flow $134M . CEO: “We…maximize free cash flow…from our high-quality assets” .
  • Strong gas/NGL realizations supported margins despite lower oil prices: Operating income margin 31%; management cited “strong natural gas and NGL price realizations” underpinning revenue/EBITDAX .
  • Giddings outperformance driving growth: Giddings production +15% YoY; oil +5% YoY; management deferred several completions to 2026 to save ~5% capital and preserve flexibility .

What Went Wrong

  • Pricing-driven margin compression: Revenue/boe fell to $35.14 from $39.92 YoY; operating income margin declined to 31% from 39%, largely due to lower oil prices .
  • Gathering/processing costs higher YoY: GTP costs rose to $1.92/boe from $1.28/boe YoY, pressuring adjusted cash operating margin (68% vs 73%) .
  • EBITDA missed Street: Q3 EBITDA ~$213.9M vs consensus ~$223.3M; the miss likely reflects lower oil price realizations and higher GTP costs — bold miss noted; estimates from S&P Global.*

Financial Results

MetricQ1 2025Q2 2025Q3 2025
Revenue ($USD Millions)$350.3 $319.0 $324.9
Diluted EPS ($)$0.54 $0.41 $0.40
Operating Income Margin (%)39% 34% 31%
Adjusted EBITDAX ($USD Millions)$248.4 $223.2 $218.8
EBITDA ($USD Millions)$244.4 $216.2 $213.3
Free Cash Flow ($USD Millions)$110.5 $107.5 $133.9

Q3 vs Q3 2024 (YoY) snapshot:

MetricQ3 2024Q3 2025
Revenue ($USD Millions)$333.1 $324.9
Diluted EPS ($)$0.52 $0.40
Operating Income Margin (%)39% 31%
Adjusted EBITDAX ($USD Millions)$243.6 $218.8
Total Production (Mboe/d)90.7 100.5

Segment/Asset Production Breakdown:

AreaMetricQ3 2024Q3 2025
CombinedAvg Daily Production (Mboe/d)90.7 100.5
GiddingsAvg Daily Production (Mboe/d)68.7 79.2
KarnesAvg Daily Production (Mboe/d)22.0 21.3
CombinedOil (MBbls)3,579 3,628
GiddingsOil (MBbls)2,354 2,464
KarnesOil (MBbls)1,225 1,164

Per-BOE Pricing and Cost KPIs:

KPI ($/boe unless noted)Q3 2024Q3 2025
Revenue/boe$39.92 $35.14
LOE/boe$5.26 $5.16
GTP/boe$1.28 $1.92
Taxes other than income/boe$2.19 $2.20
G&A cash/boe$2.04 $2.07
Adjusted Cash Operating Margin/boe$29.09 (73%) $23.78 (68%)
DD&A/boe$12.86 $11.96
Operating Income Margin/boe$15.45 (39%) $10.98 (31%)

Guidance Changes

MetricPeriodPrevious GuidanceCurrent GuidanceChange
Total Production Growth (YoY)FY 20257–9% (raised in Q2) ~10% reiterated Raised (vs original 5–7%)
D&C CapitalFY 2025$430–$470M (Q1/Q2) ~$454M Refined to midpoint
ProductionQ4 2025~99 Mboe/d (Q2 view for Q3) ~101 Mboe/d Raised for Q4
D&C CapitalQ4 2025~115M (Q3 est for Q3) ~$110M Lowered
LOEQ4 2025~5.25/boe (Q3 est for Q3) ~5.20/boe Lowered
Oil differential to MEHQ4 2025(~$3)/bbl (~$3)/bbl Maintained
Fully diluted share countQ4 2025~191M (Q3 est) ~189M Lowered
Tax outlookFY 2025N/AEffective tax rate ~21%; cash taxes ~0% New disclosure

Dividend/Buyback context:

  • Quarterly dividend $0.15/share declared for payment Dec 1, 2025; annualized $0.60/share .
  • 5.2M shares remain under buyback authorization .

Earnings Call Themes & Trends

TopicPrevious Mentions (Q1/Q2)Current Period (Q3)Trend
Capital discipline (≤55% EBITDAX reinvestment)Q1: Reinvestment ~53%; capex range lowered Q3: Reinvestment 54%; capex ~$110M in Q4; FY capex ~$454M Stable discipline
Gas/NGL realizationsQ1: Strong gas realizations (85% of HH) Q3: “Strong natural gas and NGL price realizations” aiding margins Supportive
Appraisal program (Giddings/Karnes)Q1/Q2: Expanded dev area to 240k net acres; bolt-ons Q3: Deferrals create 2026 cushion; plan to revisit outperformance areas; Karnes appraisal ongoing Ongoing expansion
M&A stance (bolt-ons)Q2: ~$40M small bolt-ons; cautious fit Q3: “Additive” small privates; bid-ask wide; quality waning/gassier in S. Texas Selective
LOE trajectoryQ2: LOE down to $4.88/boe; normalize ~5.25 Q3: Guide ~$5.20 Q4; 2026 slight seasonal uptick then lower vs Q4 Improving
Hedging policyQ1/Q2: Unhedged Q3: Remains completely unhedged Maintained
Service pricingQ2: Cost discipline cited Q3: Softness; OCTG tariffs offset by vendor savings; flexibility Neutral to improving
Tax/cash taxesPrior: N/AQ3: ~21% ETR; zero cash taxes for FY25 New positive

Management Commentary

  • CEO framing: “Magnolia’s primary goals…are to be the most efficient operator of best-in-class oil and gas assets…A substantial portion of our free cash flow is returned to investors through our secure and growing cash dividend and ongoing share repurchases” .
  • Strategy and outlook: “We expect to close this year on a strong note…record total production and oil production in the fourth quarter…we do not plan to add incremental activity at current product prices” .
  • Capital flexibility: “Our low reinvestment rate helped generate…free cash flow…We ended the quarter with $28 million of additional cash…$280 million at quarter end” .
  • CFO highlights: Q3 adjusted net income $78M (~$0.41/share), adjusted EBITDAX $219M, capex $118M (54% of EBITDAX), FCF $134M; cash $280M and liquidity ~$730M .

Q&A Highlights

  • Growth vs capex: Management reiterated preference to stay “true to the business model” rather than accelerate activity, using appraisal to realize efficiencies over time .
  • Karnes appraisal: “Would not write Karnes off…we will test [upside]…economics drive decisions” .
  • M&A market: South Texas assets getting “gassier” with waning quality; smaller packages more likely to transact given bid-ask dynamics .
  • LOE outlook: Q4 LOE ~$5.20/boe; seasonal uptick early 2026 then down modestly; ongoing water/fluids/chemicals efficiencies .
  • DUCs/deferrals: No plan to carry DUCs beyond normal WIP; six deferred completions carried into 2026 but expected to normalize .

Estimates Context

Q3 2025 Consensus vs Actual (S&P Global):

MetricConsensusActualSurprise
Primary EPS ($)0.41438*0.4212*+0.00682 (+1.6%)*
Revenue ($USD)322.9616M*324.9350M*+$1.9734M (+0.6%)*
EBITDA ($USD)223.3324M*213.9190M*-$9.4134M (-4.2%)*

Notes:

  • Company-reported diluted EPS was $0.40 ; S&P “Primary EPS” actual differs due to normalization methodology.*
  • Company-reported EBITDA was $213.3M .

Values retrieved from S&P Global.*

Where estimates may adjust:

  • EBITDA miss vs Street suggests downward revisions to near-term EBITDA/margin assumptions absent a pricing rebound; revenue and EPS beats were modest and likely driven by gas/NGL realizations .*

Key Takeaways for Investors

  • Execution remains strong: Record volumes with disciplined reinvestment (54% of EBITDAX) and robust FCF generation, supporting buybacks and dividend growth .
  • Mix and realizations matter: Strong gas/NGL realizations offset pressure from lower oil prices; monitor GTP costs and margin trajectory into Q4/Q1 .
  • Guidance credible and conservative: FY25 ~10% growth reiterated with lower capex; Q4 production record expected; LOE trending slightly lower — supportive for near-term prints .
  • Unhedged strategy: No hedges leaves results more sensitive to commodity volatility; management emphasizes flexibility and appraisal-led efficiency .
  • EBITDA miss vs consensus: Be mindful of valuation and estimate revisions; Street may trim EBITDA despite EPS/revenue beats — potential near-term stock overhang.*
  • Balance sheet optionality: $280M cash, $0 drawn revolver, low net leverage (~0.1x annualized adj. EBITDAX) provide capacity for opportunistic bolt-ons and buybacks .
  • 2026 setup: Mid-single-digit growth plan with two rigs/one completion crew; deferrals create cushion; watch service costs (OCTG tariffs vs vendor softness) and LOE trajectory .

Appendix: Additional Cash/Bal Sheet Snapshot

  • Liquidity ~$730M; net debt ~$120M; 6.875% senior notes due 2032; Net Debt/Adj. EBITDAX (Q3 annualized) 0.1x .
  • Balance sheet: Total assets $2,924M; total equity $2,006M at 9/30/25 .