APA (APA) Risk Analysis

Although the Company performs a review of properties that it acquires, which the Company believes is consistent with industry practices, such reviews are inherently incomplete, and environmental problems, such as groundwater contamination, are not necessarily observable even when an inspection is undertaken. There are numerous uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of proved oil and gas reserves and future production rates and costs with respect to acquired properties, and actual results may vary substantially from those assumed in the estimates. There can be no assurance that acquisitions will not adversely impact the Company's operating results, particularly during their integration into the Company's ongoing operations.

The Company receives debt ratings from the major credit rating agencies in the U.S. Factors that may impact the Company's credit ratings include its debt levels, planned asset purchases or sales, and near-term and long-term production growth opportunities. Liquidity, asset quality, cost structure, product mix, commodity pricing levels, and other factors are also considered by the rating agencies. A ratings downgrade could adversely impact the Company's ability to access debt markets in the future and increase the cost of future debt. During 2023, Moody's upgraded the Company's rating to Baa3/Stable, and Standard and Poor's affirmed the Company's rating as BB+/Positive. Past ratings downgrades have required, and any future downgrades may require, the Company to post letters of credit or other forms of collateral for certain obligations.

The production rate from oil and natural gas properties generally declines as reserves are depleted, while related per-unit production costs generally increase as a result of decreasing reservoir pressures and other factors. Therefore, future oil and gas production is highly dependent upon the Company's level of success in adding reserves through exploration and development activities, identifying additional behind-pipe zones, secondary recovery reserves, or tertiary recovery reserves through engineering studies, or acquiring additional properties containing proved reserves. As oil or natural gas prices increase, the Company's cost for additional reserves could also increase.

The Company's operations are subject to hazards and risks inherent in the drilling, production, and transportation of crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs, including well blowouts, explosions, fires, cratering, pipeline or other facility ruptures and spills, adverse weather conditions, including those impacting the Company's offshore operating areas, surface spillage and ground water contamination, and failure or loss of equipment. These events, including ineffective containment of such events, could result in property damages, personal injury, environmental pollution, and other damages for which the Company could be liable. If a significant amount of the Company's production is interrupted, containment efforts prove to be ineffective, or litigation arises as the result of a catastrophic occurrence, the Company's cash flows and, in turn, its results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

The Company's revenues, operating results, future rate of growth, and carrying value of its oil and gas properties depend highly upon the prices it receives for its sales of crude oil, natural gas, and NGL products. Historically, the markets for these commodities have been volatile and are likely to continue to be volatile in the future. For example, the NYMEX daily settlement price for the prompt month oil contract in 2023 ranged from a high of $93.67 per barrel to a low of $66.61 per barrel, and the NYMEX daily settlement price for the prompt month natural gas contract in 2023 ranged from a high of $3.78 per MMBtu to a low of $1.74 per MMBtu. The market prices for crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs depend on factors beyond the Company's control. These factors include demand, which fluctuates with changes in market and economic conditions, and other factors, including: - worldwide and domestic supplies and/or inventories of crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs and the availability of related pipeline, transportation, import/export, and refining capacity and infrastructure;- actions taken by foreign oil and gas producing nations, including the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC members that participate in OPEC initiatives (OPEC+);- political conditions and events in oil and gas producing regions, including instabilities, changes in governments, or armed conflicts, such as the Russian war in Ukraine and the armed conflict in Israel and Gaza;- the price, competitiveness, decision to use, and availability of alternative fuels and energy sources, including coal, biofuels, and renewables;- increased competitiveness of, and demand for, alternative energy sources;- technological advances affecting energy supply and energy consumption, including those that alter fuel choices;- the availability of pipeline capacity and infrastructure;- the availability of crude oil transportation and refining capacity;- weather conditions;- the impact of political pressure and the influence of environmental groups, investors, and other stakeholders on decisions and policies related to the oil and gas industry, including with respect to environmental, social, and governance matters;- domestic and foreign governmental regulations and taxes, including changes or initiatives to address the impacts of global climate change, hydraulic fracturing, methane emissions, flaring, or water disposal; and - the overall economic environment, including rates of growth and increasing inflationary pressure. Low prices have previously adversely affected and could from time to time in the future adversely affect the Company's revenues, operating income, cash flow, and proved reserves, and a prolonged period of low prices could have a material adverse impact on the Company's results of operations and cash flows and limit its ability to fund capital expenditures. Without the ability to fund capital expenditures, the Company would be unable to replace reserves and production. Sustained low prices of crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs could also further adversely impact the Company's business, including by weakening the Company's financial condition and reducing its liquidity, limiting the Company's ability to fund planned capital expenditures and operations, causing the Company to delay or postpone some of its capital projects or reallocate capital to different projects or regions, limiting the Company's access to sources of capital, such as equity and long-term debt, or reducing the carrying value of the Company's oil and gas properties, resulting in additional non-cash impairments.

Further deterioration in the political, economic, and social conditions or other relevant policies of the Egyptian government, such as changes in laws or regulations, export restrictions, expropriation of the Company's assets or resource nationalization, and/or forced renegotiation or modification of the Company's existing contracts with Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC), or threats or acts of terrorism could materially and adversely affect the Company's business and operations. Additionally, deteriorating economic conditions in Egypt have led to a shortage of foreign currency, including U.S. dollars, resulting in a decline in the timeliness of payments from EGPC. A continuation or worsening of the currency shortage in Egypt or further deterioration of economic conditions there could lead to additional payment delays, deferrals of payment, or non-payment in the future. The Company's operations in Egypt, excluding the impacts of noncontrolling interests, contributed 16 percent of the Company's 2023 production and accounted for 13 percent of the Company's year-end estimated proved reserves and 25 percent of the Company's estimated discounted future net cash flows. If conditions continue to deteriorate in Egypt, then it could materially and adversely affect the Company's business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Global pandemics and the actions taken by third parties, including, but not limited to, governmental authorities, businesses, and consumers, in response to such pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, have previously adversely impacted and may from time to time in the future adversely impact the global economy, resulting in significant volatility in the global financial markets, and the demand for, and the prices of, oil, natural gas, and NGLs, which may materially adversely affect the Company's business, financial condition, cash flows, and results of operations. Additionally, the Company's operations rely on its workforce having access to its wells, platforms, structures, offices, and facilities. If a significant portion of the Company's workforce cannot effectively perform their responsibilities, whether resulting from a lack of physical or virtual access, quarantines, illnesses, governmental actions or restrictions (including vaccine mandates and the reactions thereto), or other restrictions or adverse impacts resulting from a pandemic, the Company's business, financial condition, cash flows, and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

The Company's operations are sensitive to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, particularly between the U.S. dollar and the British pound. The Company's financial statements, presented in U.S. dollars, may be affected by foreign currency fluctuations through both translation risk and transaction risk. Volatility in exchange rates may adversely affect the Company's results of operations, particularly through the weakening of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies.

A portion of the Company's crude oil, natural gas, and NGL production in any region may be interrupted, limited, or shut in from time to time for numerous reasons, including as a result of weather conditions, accidents, loss of pipeline or gathering system access, field labor issues or strikes, cyberattacks or terrorist events, or capital constraints that limit the ability of third parties to construct gathering systems, processing facilities, or interstate pipelines to transport the Company's production. Additionally, the Company may voluntarily curtail production in response to market conditions. If a substantial amount of the Company's production is interrupted or curtailed at the same time, it could temporarily adversely affect the Company's cash flows. Further, if the Company is unable to procure and resell third-party volumes at or above a net price that covers the cost of transportation, the Company's cash flows could be adversely affected.