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Investing.com -- Shares of Harbour Energy PLC (LON:HBR) tumbled 12% today as investors reacted to the company’s latest financial update and future guidance.
Despite reporting 2024 revenue of $6.2 billion, slightly above the January trading update’s forecast of $6.1 billion, the company’s EBITDAX at $4.0 billion fell short of the anticipated $4.1 billion.
The firm also reported a 2024 free cash flow of $0.1 billion, affected by a negative working capital movement of $0.5 billion, compared to its previous guidance of being broadly free cash flow neutral.
Harbour Energy’s net debt by the end of 2024 stood at $4.7 billion, aligning with previous guidance. Moving forward, the company has set its sights on reducing debt by $0.5-1.0 billion during 2025-27.
The guidance for this period includes an expected average production of around 450,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d), operating costs under $15 per boe, and total annual capital expenditure of less than $2.0 billion for 2026 and 2027.
Additionally, Harbour Energy anticipates generating free cash flow between $2.0-4.0 billion, factoring in cost and portfolio initiatives and assuming Brent crude oil prices of $65-80 per barrel and European gas prices of $10-13 per million standard cubic feet.
It appears that investors were notably unsettled by the absence of any immediate plans for share buybacks.
The company confirmed an annual dividend of $455 million but delayed any buyback announcements until its May Annual General Meeting (AGM), where it will seek shareholder approval for an off-market buyback of shares held by BASF, its largest shareholder.