W&T Offshore Inc. press release
W&T Offshore Announces Third Quarter 2026 Results and Declares Dividend for Fourth Quarter of 2026
NYSE - New York Stock Exchange · Oil · Natural Gas · Natural Gas Liquids · United States · Corporate Finance
HOUSTON, Oct. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- W&T Offshore, Inc. (NYSE: WTI) (“W&T,” the “Company,” “we” or “us”) today reported operational and financial results for the third quarter of 2026 and declared a fourth quarter 2026 dividend of $0.01 per share.
This press release includes non-GAAP financial measures, including Adjusted Net Income (Loss), Adjusted EBITDA, Free Cash Flow, Adjusted General and Administrative Expenses and Net Debt, which are reconciled to the most comparable GAAP measures in the accompanying tables to this press release under “Non-GAAP Information.”
Third Quarter 2026 Highlights
Produced 38.2 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (“MBoe/d”) (50% liquids), which was approximately 9% above midpoint and 4% above the high end of the Company’s guidance and up 10% from the second quarter of 2026; Incurred $76.7 million in lease operating expenses, slightly below the midpoint of guidance, despite oil prices being higher than prior year and production being above guidance; Reported net loss of $13.6 million, or $(0.09) per diluted share, and Adjusted Net Income of $0.9 million, or $0.01 per diluted share; Generated Adjusted EBITDA of $51.1 million, an increase of 30% over the third quarter of 2025 and $163.9 million of Adjusted EBITDA generated in the first nine months of 2026, an increase of 50% compared to the first nine months of 2025; Generated Free Cash Flow of $33.2 million for the third quarter of 2026 and $89.3 million for the first nine months of 2026; Utilized W&T’s At-the-Market (“ATM”) agreement to issue 3.6 million common shares with net proceeds of $14.7 million to further enhance liquidity and support near-term strategic growth objectives; Grew unrestricted cash and cash equivalents 27% to $191.3 million from $150.7 million at June 30, 2026, which resulted in a 20% decrease in Net Debt to $160.7 million from $200.9 million at June 30, 2026; Reduced net debt to trailing twelve months Adjusted EBITDA to 0.9x from 1.1x at June 30, 2026 and 1.6x at September 30, 2025; Increased total available liquidity to $234.7 million at September 30, 2026 from $194.1 million at June 30, 2026 and $174.8 million at September 30, 2025;
On October 1, 2026, W&T converted its credit facility to a reserve-based lending structure that provides greater financial flexibility and the potential to expand commitments from $50 million to $100 million; The agreement eliminates restrictive cash flow and repayment requirements while increasing annual shareholder distribution capacity;
Paid 12thconsecutive quarterly dividend of $0.01 per share on August 26, 2026 and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.01 per share for 4Q 2026, payable on November 19, 2026 to shareholders of record on November 12, 2026; As the previously disclosed surety lawsuits continue to progress, W&T is working with damages experts to quantify its claims. While the results of the surety lawsuits remain uncertain, and there can be no assurance of a successful result, management continues to believe that assuming W&T prevails in the litigation (including on its antitrust claims), the Company’s damages claims could be substantial. See additional details below.
Management Commentary
Tracy W. Krohn, W&T’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We continue to deliver strong operational results that are enhancing our financial results. In the third quarter of 2026, we increased production to 38.2 Mboe/d, with lease operating expenses slightly below the midpoint of guidance. The first nine months of 2026 have led to some outstanding results, where we have generated Adjusted EBITDA of $164 million, Free Cash Flow of $89 million and we have increased our cash on hand to almost $200 million. We have already generated more Adjusted EBITDA in the first nine months of 2026 than we did for the full year 2025 or full year 2024.
Immediately following quarter-end, we announced the conversion of our credit facility to a more flexible reserve-based lending structure, with the support of our bank group, led by Texas Capital Bank. The change strengthens our capital structure by eliminating restrictive lending requirements thereby improving liquidity and financial flexibility while providing the potential to significantly expand our borrowing capacity to $100 million from $50 million. There were no changes to pricing or financial covenants or amendment fees. We have materially strengthened our balance sheet, added financial flexibility and remain very well positioned to execute on our strategy which includes evaluating and integrating accretive acquisitions.”
Krohn concluded, “For the past 40 years, we have consistently created significant value by methodically integrating producing property acquisitions and we continue to demonstrate our success through the solid operational and financial results we have delivered in 2026. We have developed a unique culture with a differentiating strategy and it’s our ability to reliably execute throughout the years that allows us to continue to add value. While the market has begun to reward our strong results with our increased share price, with a combination of our Free Cash Flow generation, strong balance sheet and continued commitment to dividends, I believe that we are still meaningfully undervalued. We have paid a consistent quarterly dividend for the past three years, returning value to our shareholders and our net debt to trailing twelve months Adjusted EBITDA ratio has fallen to 0.9 times. Our proven strategy is highly successful and our commitment to operational excellence, enhancing production and cost control should continue to add value into the future.”
Surety Legal Update
W&T has continued to pursue discovery materials in the surety lawsuits, and it has made significant progress in obtaining agreements from opposing counsel and a court order requiring defendants to review and produce communications relevant to W&T’s claims. W&T is also continuing to seek additional materials from third parties. Depositions of the surety and broker defendants are expected to take place over the coming months. W&T expects that the documents and deposition testimony obtained in discovery will inform its work with its retained experts to quantify its damages. While the outcome of the litigation remains uncertain, and there can be no assurance of a successful result, management continues to believe that assuming W&T prevails in the litigation (including on its antitrust claims), the Company’s damages claims could be substantial. Further, any damages awarded on the antitrust claims would be subject to automatic trebling, as well as recovery of reasonable attorneys’ fees under applicable statutes, and may range into the hundreds of millions of dollars. This estimate reflects management’s current assessment and may change as the litigation proceeds.
The Company excludes costs associated with surety litigation from all non-GAAP metrics for all periods presented because management believes these discretionary legal costs are not indicative of its ongoing operating cost structure, and excluding them aligns these measures with the basis on which the Company's financial results and guidance was prepared.
Third Quarter 2026 Results
Key Financial Highlights
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Three Months | | | | | | | | | | Three Months Ended | | | | Ended | | | | | | | | | | | | | | September 30, | | June 30, | | % | | September 30, | | % | | | | | | | | | ($ in thousands, except per share amounts) | 2026 | | 2026 | | Change | | 2025 | | Change | | | | | | | | | Total revenues | $ | 167,080 | | | $ | 162,619 | | 3 | % | | $ | 127,515 | | | 31 | % | | Net (loss) income | | (13,649 | ) | | | 12,561 | | NM | | | | (71,474 | ) | | (81 | )% | | Net (loss) income per diluted share | | (0.09 | ) | | | 0.08 | | NM | | | | (0.48 | ) | | (81 | )% | | Adjusted Net Income (Loss) | | 936 | | | | 13,986 | | (93 | )% | | | (4,295 | ) | | NM | | | Adjusted Net Income (Loss) per diluted share | | 0.01 | | | | 0.09 | | (93 | )% | | | (0.03 | ) | | NM | | | Free Cash Flow | | 33,173 | | | | 33,557 | | (1 | )% | | | (1,162 | ) | | NM | | | Adjusted EBITDA | | 51,139 | | | | 56,583 | | (10 | )% | | | 39,273 | | | 30 | % | | Capital expenditures, accrual basis | | 3,101 | | | | 10,358 | | (70 | )% | | | 22,542 | | | (86 | )% | | Asset retirement obligation settlements | | 5,909 | | | | 3,437 | | 72 | % | | | 8,895 | | | (34 | )% |
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Operating Data
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Three Months | | | | | | | | Three Months Ended | | | | Ended | | | | | | | | | | | | September 30, | | June 30, | | % | | September 30, | | % | | | | | | | | 2026 | | 2026 | | Change | | 2025 | | Change | | | | | | | Net sales volumes: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Oil (MBbls) (1) | | 1,314 | | | 1,213 | | 8 | % | | | 1,302 | | 1 | % | | NGLs (MBbls) | | 482 | | | 329 | | 47 | % | | | 280 | | 72 | % | | Natural gas (MMcf) (2) | | 10,305 | | | 9,689 | | 6 | % | | | 10,159 | | 1 | % | | Total oil equivalent (MBoe) (3) | | 3,514 | | | 3,157 | | 11 | % | | | 3,275 | | 7 | % | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Average daily equivalent sales (MBoe/d) | | 38.2 | | | 34.7 | | 10 | % | | | 35.6 | | 7 | % | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Average realized sales prices (before the impact of derivative settlements): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Oil ($/Bbl) (4) | $ | 85.06 | | $ | 99.30 | | (14 | )% | | $ | 64.62 | | 32 | % | | NGLs ($/Bbl) | | 18.92 | | | 18.35 | | 3 | % | | | 14.29 | | 32 | % | | Natural gas ($/Mcf) (5) | | 4.00 | | | 3.31 | | 21 | % | | | 3.68 | | 9 | % | | Oil equivalent ($/Boe) (6) | | 46.13 | | | 50.23 | | (8 | )% | | | 38.33 | | 20 | % |
(1)MBbls — thousands of barrels of oil, condensate or NGLs (2)MMcf — million cubic feet (3)MBoe — thousand barrels of oil equivalent (4)Bbl — barrels of oil, condensate or NGLs (5)Mcf — thousand cubic feet (6)Boe — barrels of oil equivalent
Operating Expenses
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Three Months | | | | | | | | Three Months Ended | | | | Ended | | | | | | | | | | | | September 30, | | June 30, | | % | | September 30, | | % | | | | | | | | 2026 | | 2026 | | Change | | 2025 | | Change | | | | | | | | (in thousands) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Lease operating expenses | $ | 76,671 | | $ | 71,563 | | 7 | % | | $ | 76,215 | | 1 | % | | Lease operating expenses per Boe | | 21.82 | | | 22.67 | | (4 | )% | | | 23.27 | | (6 | )% | | Gathering, transportation and production taxes | | 9,376 | | | 6,565 | | 43 | % | | | 5,818 | | 61 | % | | Gathering, transportation and production taxes per Boe | | 2.67 | | | 2.08 | | 28 | % | | | 1.78 | | 50 | % | | Depreciation, depletion, and amortization | | 28,266 | | | 25,578 | | 11 | % | | | 28,580 | | (1 | )% | | Depreciation, depletion, and amortization per Boe | | 8.04 | | | 8.10 | | (1 | )% | | | 8.73 | | (8 | )% | | General and administrative expenses | | 31,685 | | | 27,508 | | 15 | % | | | 21,510 | | 47 | % | | General and administrative expenses per Boe | | 9.02 | | | 8.71 | | 4 | % | | | 6.57 | | 37 | % | | Adjusted General and Administrative Expenses | | 19,256 | | | 14,257 | | 35 | % | | | 17,801 | | 8 | % | | Adjusted General and Administrative Expenses per Boe | | 5.48 | | | 4.52 | | 21 | % | | | 5.44 | | 1 | % |
General and administrative expenses for the third quarter of 2026 were up compared with the second quarter of 2026 as a result of an increase in non-cash share-based compensation costs. The increase was driven primarily by an increase in the Company’s share price used to value certain of the Company’s share-based compensation awards that are marked-to-market at the end of each reporting period.
Capital Expenditures, Asset Retirement Obligation Settlements and Decommissioning Obligation Settlements
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Three Months | | | | | | | | Three Months Ended | | | | Ended | | | | | | | | | | | | September 30, | | June 30, | | % | | September 30, | | % | | | | | | | | 2026 | | 2026 | | Change | | 2025 | | Change | | | | | | | | (in thousands) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Capital expenditures (accrual basis) | $ | 3,101 | | $ | 10,358 | | (70 | )% | | $ | 22,542 | | (86 | )% | | Asset retirement obligation settlements | | 5,909 | | | 3,437 | | 72 | % | | | 8,895 | | (34 | )% | | Decommissioning obligation settlements (1) | | 1,881 | | | 1,196 | | 57 | % | | | 62 | | 2,934 | % |
(1)Settlement of decommissioning obligations as a result of working interest partners or counterparties of divestiture transactions that were unable to perform the required abandonment obligations due to bankruptcy or insolvency.
Balance Sheet and Liquidity
As of September 30, 2026, W&T had available liquidity of $234.7 million comprised of $191.3 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and $43.4 million of borrowing availability under W&T’s revolving credit facility, based on a borrowing base of $50.0 million and $6.6 million of letters of credit outstanding. As of September 30, 2026, the Company had total debt of $352.0 million, Net Debt of $160.7 million and Net Debt to trailing twelve month Adjusted EBITDA was 0.9 times. During Q3 2026, W&T utilized its ATM agreement to issue 3.6 million common shares with net proceeds of $14.7 million to further enhance liquidity and support near-term strategic growth objectives.
On October 1, 2026, the Company entered into the Second Amendment to its Credit Agreement with Texas Capital Bank, as administrative agent, and its bank group, converting its existing $50.0 million revolving credit facility into a conventional reserve-based revolving credit facility (“RBL”), effective as of that date.
Key Highlights of the Amended Facility
Conventional RBL structure:Initial borrowing base of $50.0 million, fully supporting $50.0 million of elected commitments, with an aggregate maximum credit amount of $100.0 million that provides capacity to increase commitments to support future growth. The borrowing base will be redetermined semi-annually each May 1 and November 1, beginning November 1, 2026; Removal of restrictive features:Eliminates the 75% excess cash flow sweep, the requirement to repay any outstanding revolving credit facility balance every three months and the $100.0 million minimum PDP PV-10 asset coverage covenant, giving the Company greater control over its cash flow and liquidity; Increased shareholder return capacity:The annual restricted payments basket was increased by 50%, from $10.0 million to $15.0 million; Unchanged pricing and covenants:No change to interest rate margins, the Term SOFR floor, maturity, collateral, or the Company’s financial covenants, including a maximum net leverage ratio of 2.50x and a minimum current ratio of 1.00x; No amendment fees:The lenders did not charge any amendment fees in connection with the transaction, other than the reimbursement of customary fees and expenses of the administrative agent.
Derivatives
A summary of the Company’s outstanding derivative positions is provided in the investor presentation posted on W&T’s website.
Well Recompletions and Workovers
During the third quarter of 2026, W&T performed seven workover projects and one recompletion that positively impacted production. W&T plans to continue performing these low cost and low risk short payout operations that impact both production and revenue.
Quarterly Dividend Policy
The Board of Directors declared a fourth quarter 2026 dividend of $0.01 per share which is to be paid on November 19, 2026 to shareholders of record on November 12, 2026.
Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2026 Production and Expense Guidance
The guidance for the fourth quarter and full year 2026 in the table below represents the Company’s current expectations. Please refer to the section entitled “Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements” below for risk factors that could impact guidance.
| Production | Fourth Quarter 2026 | Full Year 2026 | | Oil (MBbls) | 1,170 – 1,290 | 4,710 – 5,210 | | NGLs (MBbls) | 400 – 440 | 1,620 – 1,820 | | Natural gas (MMcf) | 8,250 – 9,120 | 35,380 – 39,180 | | Total equivalents (MBoe) | 2,945 – 3,250 | 12,227 – 13,560 | | Average daily equivalents (MBoe/d) | 32.0 – 35.3 | 33.5 – 37.2 |
| Expenses | Fourth Quarter 2026 | Full Year 2026 | | Lease operating expense ($MM) | 65.4 – 72.3 (1) | 264.7 – 294.7 | | Gathering, transportation and production taxes ($MM) | 8.4 – 9.3 | 33.3 – 37.3 | | Adjusted General and Administrative Expenses ($MM) | 16.9 – 18.6 (2) | 63.2 – 70.2 | | Depreciation, depletion, amortization and accretion ($ per Boe) | | 10.25 – 11.35 |
| Capital Expenditures and Plugging and Abandonment | Full Year 2026 | | Capital expenditures ($MM) | 35.0 – 38.0 | | Plugging and Abandonment ($MM) | 34.0 – 42.4 |
(1)Lease operating expenses include an $8.5 million net royalty credit related to the settlement of historical refund claims. This is being partially offset by accelerating the timing of facility and workover projects that otherwise would have been performed in 2027.
(2)Adjusted General and Administrative Expenses guidance was prepared at the beginning of 2026 largely excluding non-recurring legal costs. Fourth quarter non-recurring legal costs are expected to be in the range of $2.9 million to $3.2 million and will be incremental to the range.
Fourth quarter 2026 production guidance includes short-term sales volumes reductions from Hurricane Isaias and planned Mobile Bay turnaround with a combined impact to production of approximately 2,600 Boe/d.
Full year 2026 capital expenditures are now expected to be in the range of $35.0 to $38.0 million as a result of pulling forward 2027 capital projects to the fourth quarter to capitalize on higher commodity prices. The benefits to production from these expenditures are expected to be realized over the first half of 2027.
Conference Call Information
W&T will hold a conference call to discuss its financial and operational results on Friday, October 30, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Central Time (10:00 a.m. Eastern Time). Interested parties may dial 1-844-739-3797. International parties may dial 1-412-317-5713. Participants should request to connect to the “W&T Offshore Conference Call.” This call will also be webcast and available on W&T’s website at www.wtoffshore.comunder “Investors.” An audio replay will be available on the Company’s website following the call.
About W&T Offshore
W&T Offshore, Inc. is an independent oil and natural gas producer with operations offshore in the Gulf of America and has grown through acquisitions, exploration and development. As of September 30, 2026, the Company had working interests in 48 fields in federal and state waters (which include 41 fields in federal waters and seven in state waters). The Company has under lease approximately 588,500 gross acres (455,800 net acres) spanning across the outer continental shelf off the coasts of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, with approximately 446,700 gross acres on the conventional shelf, approximately 136,200 gross acres in the deepwater and 5,600 gross acres in Alabama state waters. A majority of the Company’s daily production is derived from wells it operates. For more information on W&T, please visit the Company’s website at www.wtoffshore.com.
Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this release, including those regarding the Company’s financial position, operating and financial performance, business strategy, plans and objectives of management for future operations, projected costs, industry conditions, potential acquisitions, the outcomes and impact of ongoing litigation, the impact of potential regulatory changes, the impact of and integration of acquired assets, future production, probable reserves, capital expenditures associated with producing reserves, future expenses and indebtedness are forward-looking statements. When used in this release, forward-looking statements are generally accompanied by terms or phrases such as “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “believe,” “expect,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “target,” “could,” “plan,” “intend,” “seek,” “goal,” “will,” “should,” “may” or other words and similar expressions that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Items contemplating or making assumptions about actual or potential future production and sales, prices, market size, and trends or operating results also constitute such forward-looking statements.
Earlier from W&T Offshore Inc.
- W&T Offshore Announces Timing of Third Quarter 2026 Earnings Release and Conference Call
- W&T Offshore Completes Conversion of Revolving Credit Facility to Reserve-Based Lending Structure, Enhancing Financial Flexibility
- W&T Offshore Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results and Declares Dividend for Third Quarter of 2026
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