Corey B. Bieber - Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.
Management
Thank you, Tim, for that comprehensive update on the company's operational performance for 2018. We had a strong financial performance during the quarter. Net earnings of approximately CAD 1 billion were achieved in the second quarter of 2018, accumulating to a very robust CAD 1.56 billion over the first six months of the year. Adjusted net earnings from operations were about CAD 1.3 billion for the second quarter, up about CAD 400 million when compared with the first quarter, and up about CAD 950 million from the second quarter of last year. This second quarter improvement reflects solid crude oil production volumes and the effective and efficient operations that Tim spoke about, as well as stronger crude oil pricing. Quarterly fund flow for the corporation was a record CAD 2.7 billion, 57% higher than that recorded during Q2 of last year. For the first half, our funds flow was a record CAD 5 billion, a 49% increase over 2017 levels. During the first half, we invested CAD 2.1 billion in economic development, repaid debt at CAD 1.6 billion, repaid deferred acquisition liabilities of CAD 470 million, and returned just under CAD 1.2 billion of cash to shareholders in the form of dividends and share buybacks, essentially balancing the Four Pillars of Capital Allocation. Over the last 12 months, since the AOSP acquisition, we've been able to reduce long-term net debt and acquisition liabilities by approximately CAD 2.5 billion, improving our debt to book capitalization to under 40% from about 43% and debt to adjusted EBITDA to 2.1 times from 3.4 times. This clearly demonstrates our commitment to strengthening the balance sheet. At quarter end, available liquidity was exceptional, at CAD 4.8 billion. Based upon current strip pricing, we would expect to exit the year in the range of 1.5 times debt to EBITDA, with debt to book cap in the range of 35%. Clearly, the company has transitioned into a very robust free cash flow enterprise with continually improving debt metrics. Further evidencing this, S&P removed the negative outlook on our strong triple BBB+ credit rating during the quarter. In closing, I believe that Canadian Natural continues to represent a sustainable, flexible, and balanced E&P company with a high degree of resilience to commodity and price volatility. With that, I'll hand it back to you, Tim, for your closing comments.