Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Long-Term Debt

v3.3.1.900
Long-Term Debt
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Long-term Debt, Unclassified [Abstract]  
LONG-TERM DEBT
LONG-TERM DEBT
Long-term debt consisted of the following items as of December 31:
 
2015
 
2014
 
(In thousands)
Revolving credit agreement (1)
$

 
$
100,000

Building loans (2)
1,653

 
1,826

7.75% senior unsecured notes due 2020 (3)
600,000

 
600,000

6.625% senior unsecured notes due 2023 (4)
350,000

 

Net unamortized original issue premium (discount), net (5)
12,493

 
14,658

Net unamortized debt issuance costs (6)
(17,883
)
 
(12,920
)
Construction loan (7)

 

Less: current maturities of long term debt
(179
)
 
(168
)
Debt reflected as long term
$
946,084

 
$
703,396



Maturities of long-term debt (excluding premiums, discounts and unamortized debt issuance costs) as of December 31, 2015 are as follows:
 
(In thousands)

2016
$
179

2017
187

2018
1,287

2019

2020
600,000

Thereafter
350,000

Total
$
951,653



(1) On December 27, 2013, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement with The Bank of Nova Scotia, as administrative agent, sole lead arranger and sole bookrunner, Amegy Bank National Association, as syndication agent, KeyBank National Association, as documentation agent, and other lenders (The "Amended and Restated Credit Agreement") that provides for a maximum facility amount of $1.5 billion. The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement matures on June 6, 2018. The Company's wholly-owned subsidiaries have guaranteed the obligations of the Company under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement.

On April 23, 2014, the Company entered into a first amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The first amendment increased the letter of credit sublimit from $20.0 million to $70.0 million and provided for an increase in the borrowing base availability from $150.0 million to $275.0 million. The first amendment also made certain changes to the lenders and their respective lending commitments thereunder.

On November 26, 2014, the Company entered into a second amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The second amendment changed the definition of EBITDAX to exclude proceeds from the disposition of equity method investments and changed the ratio of funded debt to EBITDAX to be the ratio of net funded debt to EBITDAX. Net funded debt is funded debt less the amount of cash and short-term investments the Company has at the end of the relevant fiscal quarter. The second amendment increases the ratio from 2.00 to 1.00 to 3.50 to 1.00 for the period December 31, 2014 through June 30, 2015 and then decreases the ratio to 3.25 to 1.00 for the periods thereafter. Further, the second amendment increased the letter of credit sublimit from $70.0 million to $125.0 million and provided for an increase in the borrowing base availability from $275.0 million to $450.0 million.

On April 10, 2015, the Company entered into a third amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The third amendment increased the borrowing base from $450.0 million to $575.0 million and increased the Company's basket for unsecured debt issuances to $1.2 billion. The third amendment also made certain changes to the lenders and their respective lending commitments thereunder.
  
On May 29, 2015, the Company entered into a fourth amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The fourth amendment increased the letter of credit sublimit from $125.0 million to $150.0 million. Additionally, the Company received consent from its lenders to incur certain new secured indebtedness, limited to $30.0 million, to finance the construction of its new Oklahoma City headquarters. The lenders also agreed to waive certain provisions of the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement that may prohibit the construction loan.

On September 18, 2015, the Company entered into a fifth amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The fifth amendment among other things, (a) increased Gulfport’s borrowing base from $575.0 million to $700.0 million, (b) increased the maximum permitted ratio of net funded debt to EBITDAX from a current level of 3.25 to 1.00 to 4.00 to 1.00, (c) revised Gulfport’s letter of credit sublimit from $150.0 million to the greater of (i) $150.0 million and (ii) 40% of the borrowing base existing at such time, (d) added an investments basket with a $100.0 million limitation for investments in joint ventures formed to own and operate midstream assets, (e) revised the limit of the general indebtedness basket from a current limit of $10.0 million in the aggregate at any time outstanding to a limit equal to the greater of (i) $10.0 million in the aggregate at any time outstanding and (ii) two percent (2%) of the borrowing base at the time such indebtedness is incurred, (f) added a dispositions basket covering dispositions of contracts (and rights or interests therein or thereunder) or other arrangements constituting a release of natural gas interstate transportation capacity, which dispositions do not (when considered cumulatively, and taken together with other related transactions and contractual arrangements) deprive Gulfport of the benefit of any material portion of Gulfport’s mineral interests, and (g) revised the provisions that limit Gulfport’s ability to enter into swap contracts. As of December 31, 2015, the Company did not have any outstanding borrowing under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. At December 31, 2015, the total availability for future borrowings under Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, after giving effect to an aggregate of $178.6 million of letters of credit, was $521.4 million. The Company's wholly-owned subsidiaries have guaranteed the obligations of the Company under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement.

Advances under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement may be in the form of either base rate loans or eurodollar loans. The interest rate for base rate loans is equal to (1) the applicable rate, which ranges from 0.50% to 1.50%, plus (2) the highest of: (a) the federal funds rate plus 0.50%, (b) the rate of interest in effect for such day as publicly announced from time to time by agent as its “prime rate,” and (c) the eurodollar rate for an interest period of one month plus 1.00%. The interest rate for eurodollar loans is equal to (1) the applicable rate, which ranges from 1.50% to 2.50%, plus (2) the London interbank offered rate that appears on pages LIBOR01 or LIBOR02 of the Reuters screen that displays such rate for deposits in U.S. dollars, or, if such rate is not available, the rate as administered by ICE Benchmark Administration (or any other person that takes over administration of such rate) per annum equal to the offered rate on such other page or service that displays on average London interbank offered rate as determined by ICE Benchmark Administration (or any other person that takes over administration of such rate) for deposits in U.S. dollars, or, if such rate is not available, the average quotations for three major New York money center banks of whom the agent shall inquire as the “London Interbank Offered Rate” for deposits in U.S. dollars.
The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains customary negative covenants including, but not limited to, restrictions on the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ ability to:

incur indebtedness;
grant liens;
pay dividends and make other restricted payments;
make investments;
make fundamental changes;
enter into swap contracts and forward sales contracts;
dispose of assets;
change the nature of their business; and
enter into transactions with affiliates.
The negative covenants are subject to certain exceptions as specified in the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement also contains certain affirmative covenants, including, but not limited to the following financial covenants:
(i) the ratio of net funded debt to EBITDAX (net income, excluding (i) any non-cash revenue or expense associated with swap contracts resulting from ASC 815 and (ii) any cash or noncash revenue or expense attributable to minority investments plus without duplication and, in the case of expenses, to the extent deducted from revenues in determining net income, the sum of (a) the aggregate amount of consolidated interest expense for such period, (b) the aggregate amount of income, franchise, capital or similar tax expense (other than ad valorem taxes) for such period, (c) all amounts attributable to depletion, depreciation, amortization and asset or goodwill impairment or writedown for such period, (d) all other non-cash charges, (e) exploration costs deducted in determining net income under successful efforts accounting, (f) actual cash distributions received from minority investments, (g) to the extent actually reimbursed by insurance, expenses with respect to liability on casualty events or business interruption, and (h) all reasonable transaction expenses related to dispositions and acquisitions of assets, investments and debt and equity offerings (provided that expenses related to any unsuccessful disposition will be limited to $3.0 million in the aggregate) for a twelve-month period may not be greater than 4.00 to 1.00; and
(ii) the ratio of EBITDAX to interest expense for a twelve-month period may not be less than 3.00 to 1.00.
The Company was in compliance with all covenants at December 31, 2015.
(2) In March 2011, the Company entered into a new building loan agreement for the office building it occupies in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The new loan agreement refinanced the $2.4 million outstanding under the previous building loan agreement. The new agreement matured in February 2016 and bore interest at the rate of 5.82% per annum. The new building loan required monthly interest and principal payments of approximately $22,000 and is collateralized by the Oklahoma City office building and associated land. Subsequently, the loan was refinanced with a new interest rate of 4.00% per annum. The building loan currently matures in December 2018 and requires monthly interest and principal payments of approximately $20,000. The Company paid the balance of the loan in full subsequent to December 31, 2015.
(3) On October 17, 2012, the Company issued $250.0 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2020 (the "October Notes") under an indenture among the Company, its subsidiary guarantors and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as the trustee, (the "senior note indenture"). On December 21, 2012, the Company issued an additional $50.0 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2020 (the "December Notes") as additional securities under the senior note indenture. The Company used a portion of the net proceeds from the sale of the October Notes to repay all amounts outstanding at such time under its revolving credit facility. The Company used the remaining net proceeds from the sale of the October Notes and the net proceeds from the sale of the December Notes for general corporate purposes, which included funding a portion of its 2013 capital development plan. The October Notes and the December Notes were exchanged for substantially identical notes in the same aggregate principal amount that were registered under the Securities Act in October 2013 (the "Exchange Notes").
On August 18, 2014, the Company issued an additional $300.0 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2020 (the "August Notes"). The August Notes were issued as additional securities under the senior note indenture. The Company used a portion of the net proceeds from the sale of the August Notes to repay all amounts outstanding at such time under its revolving credit facility. The Company used the remaining net proceeds from the sale of the August Notes for general corporate purposes, including funding a portion of its 2014 and 2015 capital development plans. The October Notes, December Notes and the August Notes are collectively referred to as the "2020 Notes".
In connection with the issuance of the 2020 Notes, the Company and the subsidiary guarantors entered into registration rights agreements with the initial purchasers, pursuant to which the Company and the subsidiary guarantors agreed to file a registration statement with respect to an offer to exchange the 2020 Notes for a new issue of substantially identical debt securities registered under the Securities Act. The exchange offer for the October Notes and the December Notes was completed in October 2013 and the exchange offer for the August Note was completed in March 2015.
Under the senior note indenture relating to the 2020 Notes, interest on the 2020 Notes accrues at a rate of 7.75% per annum on the outstanding principal amount from October 17, 2012, payable semi-annually on May 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing on May 1, 2013. The 2020 Notes are the Company's senior unsecured obligations and rank equally in the right of payment with all of the Company's other senior indebtedness and senior in right of payment to any future subordinated indebtedness. All of the Company's existing and future restricted subsidiaries that guarantee the Company's secured revolving credit facility or certain other debt guarantee the 2020 Notes; provided, however, that the 2020 Notes are not guaranteed by Grizzly Holdings, Inc. and will not be guaranteed by any of the Company's future unrestricted subsidiaries. The Company may redeem some or all of the 2020 Notes at any time on or after November 1, 2016, at the redemption prices listed in the senior note indenture. Prior to November 1, 2016, the Company may redeem the 2020 Notes at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount plus a “make-whole” premium. In addition, prior to November 1, 2015, the Company may redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of the 2020 Notes with the net proceeds of certain equity offerings, provided that at least 65% of the aggregate principal amount of the 2020 Notes initially issued remains outstanding immediately after such redemption.
(4) On April 21, 2015, the Company issued $350.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 6.625% Senior Notes due 2023 (the "2023 Notes" and, together with the "2020 Notes," the "Notes") to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act and to certain non-U.S. persons in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act (the "2023 Notes Offering"). The Company received net proceeds of approximately $343.6 million after initial purchaser discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses.
The 2023 Notes were issued under an indenture, dated as of April 21, 2015, among the Company, the subsidiary guarantors party thereto and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee. Pursuant to the indenture relating to the 2023 Notes, interest on the 2023 Notes will accrue at a rate of 6.625% per annum on the outstanding principal amount thereof from April 21, 2015, payable semi-annually on May 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing on November 1, 2015. The 2023 Notes are not guaranteed by Grizzly Holdings, Inc. and will not be guaranteed by any of the Company's future unrestricted subsidiaries.
In connection with the 2023 Notes Offering, the Company and its subsidiary guarantors entered into a registration rights agreement, dated as of April 21, 2015, pursuant to which the Company agreed to file a registration statement with respect to an offer to exchange the 2023 Notes for a new issue of substantially identical debt securities registered under the Securities Act. The exchange offer for the 2023 Notes was completed on October 13, 2015.
(5) The October Notes were issued at a price of 98.534% resulting in a gross discount of $3.7 million and an effective rate of 8.000%. The December Notes were issued at a price of 101.000% resulting in a gross premium of $0.5 million and an effective rate of 7.531%. The August Notes were issued at a price of 106.000% resulting in a gross premium of $18.0 million and an effective rate of 6.561%. The April Notes were issued at par. The premium and discount are being amortized using the effective interest method.
(6) In accordance with ASU 2015-03, loan issuance cost related to the Notes have been presented as a reduction to the Notes. At December 31, 2015, total unamortized debt issuance costs were $5.1 million for the October Notes, $1.1 million for the December Notes, $4.9 million for the August Notes and $6.8 million for the April Notes.
(7) On June 4, 2015, the Company entered into a construction loan agreement (the "Construction Loan") with InterBank for the construction of a new corporate headquarters in Oklahoma City. The Construction Loan allows for maximum principal borrowings of $24.5 million and requires the Company to fund 30% of the cost of the construction before any funds can be drawn, which occurred in January 2016. Interest accrues daily on the outstanding principal balance at a fixed rate of 4.50% per annum and is payable on the last day of the month through May 31, 2017. Monthly interest and principal payments are due beginning June 30, 2017, with the final payment due June 4, 2025. As of December 31, 2015, the Company had no borrowings on the Construction Loan.
Interest Expense
The following schedule shows the components of interest expense for the year ended December 31:
 
2015
 
2014
 
2013
 
(In thousands)
Cash paid for interest
$
59,736

 
$
28,646

 
$
24,270

Change in accrued interest
4,011

 
3,875

 
(969
)
Capitalized interest
(13,580
)
 
(9,687
)
 
(7,132
)
Amortization of loan costs
3,219

 
1,685

 
1,012

Amortization of note discount and premium
(2,165
)
 
(533
)
 
298

Other

 

 
11

Total interest expense
$
51,221

 
$
23,986

 
$
17,490

The Company capitalized approximately $13.3 million and $9.7 million in interest expense to undeveloped oil and natural gas properties during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company also capitalized approximately $0.3 million in interest expense related to building construction.