DailyIQ
DailyIQ
FANGDiamondback Energy, Inc.

Earnings Release

Diamondback Energy, Inc.'s latest earnings press release, filed Nov 2, 2026, scored line by line for tone, guidance and what changed since the prior release.

No guidance given104 lines scoredFiled Nov 2, 2026SEC 8-K · Exhibit 99
Release Tone
51
BALANCED
GuidanceNo guidance givenWhat this release does to the company's outlook
Tone change▼ 8.0pointsvs the prior release (Aug 3, 2026)
Hedging language1.15per 100 words▼ 0.15 vs prior
New this quarter77of 104 linesWording that was not in the prior release

The lines that matter most

Ranked by how material, how strongly worded and how new each sentence is.

  1. 1

    Increased annual base dividend by 7.3% to $4.72 per share; marks an 18% year over year increase and a ~2.2% annualized yield 2

    New this quarter
  2. 2

    markets; regional supply and demand factors, including delays, curtailments or interruptions of production, or governmental orders, rules or regulations that impose production limits; federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing, including the effect of existing and future laws and governmental regulations; physical and transition risks relating to climate change, changing political and social perspectives on climate change and other environmental, social and governance factors, and risks from our publicly disclosed targets related to sustainability and emissions reduction initiatives; challenges in developing our existing leasehold acreage and finding, developing or acquiring additional reserves; restrictions on the use of water, including limits on the use of produced water and a moratorium on new produced water disposal well permits recently imposed by the Texas Railroad Commission in an effort to control induced seismicity in the Permian Basin; significant declines in prices for oil, natural gas, or natural gas liquids, which could require recognition of significant impairment charges; conditions in the capital, financial and credit markets, including the availability and pricing of capital for acquisitions, exploration and development operations; challenges with employee retention and an increasingly competitive labor market; changes in availability or cost of rigs, equipment, raw materials, supplies and oilfield services; changes in safety, health, environmental, tax and other regulations or requirements (including those addressing air emissions, water management, or the impact of global climate change); security threats, including cybersecurity threats and disruptions to our business and operations from breaches of our information technology systems, or from breaches of information technology systems of third parties with whom we transact business; lack of, or disruption in, access to adequate and reliable electrical power, internet and telecommunication infrastructure, information and computer systems, transportation, processing, storage and other facilities for our oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids; failures or delays in achieving expected reserve or production levels from existing and future oil and natural gas developments, including due to operating hazards, drilling risks, or the inherent uncertainties in predicting reserve and reservoir performance; inability to keep pace with technological developments in our industry; failure to meet our obligations under our oil purchase contracts; loss of one or more customers or their inability to meet their obligations; geographical concentration of our primary operations; risks from our return of capital activity, and uncertainties over our future dividends and share repurchases; difficulty in obtaining necessary approvals and permits; severe weather conditions and natural disasters; changes in the financial strength of counterparties to our credit facilities and hedging contracts; our substantial indebtedness and restrictions to our operating and financial flexibility; changes in our credit rating; failure to identify, complete and successfully integrate acquisitions, including Viper’s Riverbend acquisition, Viper's McElroy Ranch acquisition and Viper’s Sitio acquisition; the Endeavor stockholders’ ability to significantly influence our business and potential conflicts of interest; and other risks described in Part I, Item 1A of Diamondback’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 25, 2026, and those risks disclosed in its subsequent filings on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, which can be obtained free of charge on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov and Diamondback’s website at www.diamondbackenergy.com/investors.

    New this quarterNegative tone
  3. 3

    Diamondback announced today that the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) approved a 7.3% increase to the Company's base cash dividend, raising it to $1.18 per common share for the third quarter of 2026, payable on November 19, 2026, to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 12, 2026.

  4. 4

    Increasing annual oil production guidance to ~524 (from 522+) MBO/d with total BOE production of ~1,015 (from 1,000+) MBOE/d and full year cash capital expenditures to $3.95 - $4.00 billion (from ~$3.9 billion)

  5. 5

    Diluted earnings per share using the two-class method is calculated as (i) net income attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc., (ii) less the reallocation of $9 million in earnings attributable to participating securities, (iii) divided by diluted weighted average common shares outstanding for the respective periods.

    New this quarter
  6. 6

    Diluted earnings per share using the two-class method is calculated as (i) net income attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc., (ii) less the reallocation of $9 million in earnings attributable to participating securities, (iii) divided by diluted weighted average common shares outstanding for the respective periods.

    New this quarter
  7. 7

    Repurchased $106 million in aggregate principal amount of 2054 and 2064 Senior Notes at a weighted average price of 94.9% of par ($103 million, including accrued interest)

    New this quarter
  8. 8

    Repurchased $195 million in aggregate principal amount of 2054 and 2064 Senior Notes at a weighted average price of 91.0% of par ($183 million, including accrued interest)

    New this quarter

Release by release

Tone and guidance for the last 2 earnings releases.

  1. Nov 2, 2026No guidance given50.9-8.0
  2. Aug 3, 2026Guidance raised58.8

Bar length: tone on a 45–65 scale.

The release, annotated

1Highlight rankPositive toneNeutralNegative toneDimmed text: low materiality
ANNOUNCES THIRD QUARTER 2026 FINANCIAL AND OPERATING RESULTS; INCREASES BASE DIVIDEND
Midland, TX (November 2, 2026) - Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FANG) (“Diamondback,” “we,” “our” or the “Company”) today announced financial and operating results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2026.
THIRD QUARTER 2026 HIGHLIGHTS
Average oil production of 525 MBO/d (1,034 MBOE/d)
Net cash provided by operating activities of $2.6 billion; Operating Cash Flow Before Working Capital Changes 1 of $3.2 billion
Cash capital expenditures of $1.0 billion
Free Cash Flow 1 and Adjusted Free Cash Flow 1 of $2.1 billion and $2.2 billion, respectively
1Increased annual base dividend by 7.3% to $4.72 per share; marks an 18% year over year increase and a ~2.2% annualized yield 2
Repurchased 1.3 million shares of common stock for approximately $251 million
7Repurchased $106 million in aggregate principal amount of 2054 and 2064 Senior Notes at a weighted average price of 94.9% of par ($103 million, including accrued interest)
Acquired a 7.5% equity interest in the Solitude Pipeline System, a Permian-to-Katy natural gas pipeline
UPDATED 2026 GUIDANCE HIGHLIGHTS
4Increasing annual oil production guidance to ~524 (from 522+) MBO/d with total BOE production of ~1,015 (from 1,000+) MBOE/d and full year cash capital expenditures to $3.95 - $4.00 billion (from ~$3.9 billion)
Q4 2026 oil production guidance of 518 - 528 MBO/d (1,025 - 1,045 MBOE/d)
Q4 2026 cash capital expenditures guidance of $1,000 - $1,050 million
1 NON-GAAP DISCLOSURES - For a definition of Operating Cash Flow Before Working Capital Changes, Free Cash Flow, Adjusted Free Cash Flow, Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income per Diluted Share, Net Debt and reconciliations of such non-GAAP financial metrics to their respective most directly comparable GAAP metrics, please see “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.
2 Cash dividend payable on November 19, 2026; annualized yield based on October 30, 2026 closing share price of $212.08
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
Have repurch ased 389,841 shares of common stock in Q4 2026 to date for approximately $73 million
On October 1, redeemed all $698 million in aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 2026 Senior Notes at par
8Repurchased $195 million in aggregate principal amount of 2054 and 2064 Senior Notes at a weighted average price of 91.0% of par ($183 million, including accrued interest)
THIRD QUARTER 2026 OPERATIONS UPDATE
The following tables provide a summary of Diamondback’s key operational updates:
Wells Drilled and Completed:
Gross Wells Drilled and Completed By Zone:
Realized Average Prices:
(1) Hedged prices reflect the effect of our commodity derivative transactions on our average sales prices and include gains and losses on cash settlements for matured commodity derivatives, which we do not designate for hedge accounting.
Hedged prices exclude gains or losses resulting from the early settlement of commodity derivative contracts.
Average Cash Costs per BOE:
FINANCIAL UPDATE
Earnings Attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc.:
Three Months Ended September 30, 2026
Net income (loss) attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc.$1,603
Earnings (loss) per common share attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc. - Diluted (1)$5.69
Adjusted net income (1)$1,649
Adjusted net income per common share - Diluted (1)$5.86
(1) The Company’s earnings (loss) per diluted share amount has been computed using the two-class method in accordance with GAAP.
The two-class method is an earnings allocation which reflects the respective ownership among holders of common stock and participating securities.
5Diluted earnings per share using the two-class method is calculated as (i) net income attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc., (ii) less the reallocation of $9 million in earnings attributable to participating securities, (iii) divided by diluted weighted average common shares outstanding for the respective periods.
Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow - Non-GAAP:
Debt & Liquidity:
RETURN OF CAPITAL UPDATE
3Diamondback announced today that the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) approved a 7.3% increase to the Company's base cash dividend, raising it to $1.18 per common share for the third quarter of 2026, payable on November 19, 2026, to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 12, 2026.
During the third quarter, the Company repurchased 1,348,209 shares of common stock for approximately $251 million at a weighted average price of $185.94 per share (excluding excise tax).
The Company expects to continue repurchases opportunistically using cash on hand, free cash flow and potential asset sale proceeds.
The program has no time limit and may be suspended, modified or discontinued at the Board’s discretion.
Repurchases may be executed in privately negotiated or open-market transactions, consistent with Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and will be subject to market conditions, applicable regulatory and legal requirements and other factors .
All shares repurchased will be retired.
The table below summarizes Diamondback’s return of capital program, including dividends and share repurchases, with future actions subject to Board approval.
UPDATED 2026 GUIDANCE
Below is Diamondback's and Viper Energy, Inc.'s (“Viper”) updated guidance for the full year 2026, which includes fourth quarter production and capital guidance.
(1) Pre-tax income attributable to the Company is a non-GAAP measure.
We are not able to forecast the most directly comparable GAAP measure - Income (loss) before income taxes - due to high variability and difficulty in predicting certain items that affect Income (loss) before income taxes, such as future commodity prices, pace of and costs of developing, producing and operating our interests in oil and natural gas properties, future changes in interest rates and various other business factors impacting our financial results.
(2) Includes non-operated drilling and completion, capital workovers, science, infrastructure, midstream and environmental.
The information we post through our investor relations website may be deemed material.
Diamondback is an independent oil and natural gas company headquartered in Midland, Texas focused on the acquisition, development, exploration and exploitation of unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves primarily in the Permian Basin in West Texas.
For more information, please visit www.diamondbackenergy.com.
Factors that could cause the outcomes to differ materially include (but are not limited to) the following: geopolitics and market conditions, including changes in supply and demand levels for oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids, and the resulting impact on the price for those commodities; changes in U.S. energy, environmental, monetary and trade policies, including with respect to tariffs or other trade barriers and any resulting trade tensions; actions taken by the members of OPEC and its non-OPEC allies (OPEC+) affecting the production and pricing of oil, as well as other domestic and global political, economic, or diplomatic developments; changes in general economic, business or industry conditions, including changes in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates, inflation rates, and instability in the financial
2markets; regional supply and demand factors, including delays, curtailments or interruptions of production, or governmental orders, rules or regulations that impose production limits; federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing, including the effect of existing and future laws and governmental regulations; physical and transition risks relating to climate change, changing political and social perspectives on climate change and other environmental, social and governance factors, and risks from our publicly disclosed targets related to sustainability and emissions reduction initiatives; challenges in developing our existing leasehold acreage and finding, developing or acquiring additional reserves; restrictions on the use of water, including limits on the use of produced water and a moratorium on new produced water disposal well permits recently imposed by the Texas Railroad Commission in an effort to control induced seismicity in the Permian Basin; significant declines in prices for oil, natural gas, or natural gas liquids, which could require recognition of significant impairment charges; conditions in the capital, financial and credit markets, including the availability and pricing of capital for acquisitions, exploration and development operations; challenges with employee retention and an increasingly competitive labor market; changes in availability or cost of rigs, equipment, raw materials, supplies and oilfield services; changes in safety, health, environmental, tax and other regulations or requirements (including those addressing air emissions, water management, or the impact of global climate change); security threats, including cybersecurity threats and disruptions to our business and operations from breaches of our information technology systems, or from breaches of information technology systems of third parties with whom we transact business; lack of, or disruption in, access to adequate and reliable electrical power, internet and telecommunication infrastructure, information and computer systems, transportation, processing, storage and other facilities for our oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids; failures or delays in achieving expected reserve or production levels from existing and future oil and natural gas developments, including due to operating hazards, drilling risks, or the inherent uncertainties in predicting reserve and reservoir performance; inability to keep pace with technological developments in our industry; failure to meet our obligations under our oil purchase contracts; loss of one or more customers or their inability to meet their obligations; geographical concentration of our primary operations; risks from our return of capital activity, and uncertainties over our future dividends and share repurchases; difficulty in obtaining necessary approvals and permits; severe weather conditions and natural disasters; changes in the financial strength of counterparties to our credit facilities and hedging contracts; our substantial indebtedness and restrictions to our operating and financial flexibility; changes in our credit rating; failure to identify, complete and successfully integrate acquisitions, including Viper’s Riverbend acquisition, Viper's McElroy Ranch acquisition and Viper’s Sitio acquisition; the Endeavor stockholders’ ability to significantly influence our business and potential conflicts of interest; and other risks described in Part I, Item 1A of Diamondback’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 25, 2026, and those risks disclosed in its subsequent filings on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, which can be obtained free of charge on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov and Diamondback’s website at www.diamondbackenergy.com/investors.
Moreover, Diamondback operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment and new risks emerge from time to time.
(1) Bbl equivalents are calculated using a conversion rate of six Mcf per one Bbl.
(2) Hedged prices reflect the effect of our commodity derivative transactions on our average sales prices and include gains and losses on cash settlements for matured commodity derivatives, which we do not designate for hedge accounting.
Hedged prices exclude gains or losses resulting from the early settlement of commodity derivative contracts.
Adjusted EBITDA is a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure that is used by management and external users of our financial statements, such as industry analysts, investors, lenders and rating agencies.
The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc., plus net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest ("net income (loss)") before non-cash (gain) loss on derivative instruments, net, interest expense, net, depreciation, depletion, amortization and accretion, depreciation and interest expense related to equity method investments, (gain) loss on extinguishment of debt, impairment of oil and natural gas properties, non-cash equity-based compensation expense, capitalized equity-based compensation expense, other non-cash transactions and provision for (benefit from) income taxes.
Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of net income as determined by United States generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP").
Management believes Adjusted EBITDA is useful because the measure allows it to evaluate the Company’s operating performance and compare the results of its operations from period to period without regard to its financing methods or capital structure.
The Company excludes the items listed above from net income (loss) to determine Adjusted EBITDA because these amounts can vary substantially from company to company within its industry depending upon accounting methods and book values of assets, capital structures and the method by which the assets were acquired.
Further, the Company excludes the effects of significant transactions that may affect earnings but are unpredictable in nature, timing and amount, although they may recur in different reporting periods.
Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income as determined in accordance with GAAP or as an indicator of the Company’s operating performance.
Certain items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA are significant components in understanding and assessing a company’s financial performance, such as a company’s cost of capital and tax structure, as well as the historic costs of depreciable assets.
The Company’s computation of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies or to such measure in our credit facility or any of our other contracts.
The following tables present a reconciliation of the GAAP financial measure of net income (loss) attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc. to the non-GAAP financial measure of Adjusted EBITDA:
Adjusted net income is a non-GAAP financial measure equal to net income (loss) attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc. plus net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest ("net income (loss)") adjusted for non-cash (gain) loss on derivative instruments, net, (gain) loss on extinguishment of debt, other non-cash transactions and related income tax adjustments.
The Company’s computation of adjusted net income may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies or to such measure in our credit facility or any of our other contracts.
Management believes adjusted net income helps investors in the oil and natural gas industry to measure and compare the Company's performance to other oil and natural gas companies by excluding from the calculation items that can vary significantly from company to company depending upon accounting methods, the book value of assets and other non-operational factors.
Further, in order to allow investors to compare the Company's performance across periods, the Company excludes the effects of significant transactions that may affect earnings but are unpredictable in nature, timing and amount, although they may recur in different reporting periods.
The following table presents a reconciliation of the GAAP financial measure of net income (loss) attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc. to the non-GAAP measure of adjusted net income:
(1) The Company’s earnings (loss) per diluted share amount has been computed using the two-class method in accordance with GAAP.
The two-class method is an earnings allocation which reflects the respective ownership among holders of common stock and participating securities.
6Diluted earnings per share using the two-class method is calculated as (i) net income attributable to Diamondback Energy, Inc., (ii) less the reallocation of $9 million in earnings attributable to participating securities, (iii) divided by diluted weighted average common shares outstanding for the respective periods.
OPERATING CASH FLOW BEFORE WORKING CAPITAL CHANGES, FREE CASH FLOW AND ADJUSTED FREE CASH FLOW
Operating cash flow before working capital changes, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, represents net cash provided by operating activities as determined under GAAP without regard to changes in working capital.
The Company believes operating cash flow before working capital changes is a useful measure of an oil and natural gas company’s ability to generate cash used to fund exploration, development and acquisition activities and service debt or pay dividends.
The Company also uses this measure because changes in working capital relate to the timing of cash receipts and disbursements that the Company may not control and may not relate to the period in which the operating activities occurred.
This allows the Company to compare its operating performance with that of other companies without regard to financing methods and capital structure.
The Company defines Free Cash Flow, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, as cash flow from operating activities before changes in working capital in excess of cash capital expenditures.
The Company defines Adjusted Free Cash Flow, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, as Free Cash Flow before the tax impact from divestitures (if any), merger and transaction expenses, costs of early termination of derivatives and settlements of any treasury locks (if any).
The Company believes that Free Cash Flow and Adjusted Free Cash Flow are useful to investors as they provide a measure to compare both cash flow from operating activities and additions to oil and natural gas properties across periods on a consistent basis, adjusted, as applicable, for non-recurring impacts from divestitures, merger and transaction expenses, the early termination of derivative contracts and settlements of treasury locks.
These measures should not be considered as an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net cash provided by operating activities as an indicator of liquidity.
The Company's computation of Free Cash Flow may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies.
The following tables present a reconciliation of the GAAP financial measure of net cash provided by operating activities to the non-GAAP measure of operating cash flow before working capital changes and to the non-GAAP measures of Free Cash Flow and Adjusted Free Cash Flow:
(1) Includes $4 million of Viper's transaction expenses primarily related to the Sitio Acquisition for the nine months ended September 30, 2026.
The Company defines the non-GAAP measure of net debt as total debt (excluding debt issuance costs, discounts, premiums and unamortized basis adjustments) less cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash that has been irrevocably deposited for the redemption of principal amounts of outstanding senior notes.
Net debt should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, total debt, the most directly comparable GAAP measure.
Management uses net debt to determine the Company's outstanding debt obligations that would not be readily satisfied by its cash and cash equivalents on hand.
The Company believes this metric is useful to analysts and investors in determining the Company's leverage position because the Company has the ability to, and may decide to, use a portion of its cash and cash equivalents to reduce debt.
(1) Excludes debt issuance costs, discounts, premiums and unamortized basis adjustments.
As of October 30, 2026, the Company had the following outstanding consolidated derivative contracts, including derivative contracts at Viper.
The Company’s derivative contracts are based upon reported settlement prices on commodity exchanges and published index prices.
Crude oil derivative settlements are based on New York Mercantile Exchange (“NYMEX”) West Texas Intermediate (“WTI”) pricing, Crude Oil Brent pricing and the regional crude oil pricing points indicated below.
Natural gas derivative settlements are based on NYMEX Henry Hub pricing and the regional natural gas pricing points indicated below.
Basis swaps settle on the differential between the applicable benchmark price and the regional index price, and roll swaps settle on the differential between NYMEX WTI prompt-month and second-month contract prices.
When aggregating multiple contracts, the weighted average contract price is disclosed.
30 boilerplate lines (safe-harbor disclaimer, contacts, call details) are set aside.

How this is scored

  • Source: the press release Diamondback Energy, Inc. filed with the SEC as Exhibit 99 to Form 8-K (Item 2.02). Financial statements and boilerplate are set aside.
  • Tone: a financial sentiment model scores each sentence 0 to 100; the release score weights sentences by how material they are.
  • Materiality and guidance: a classifier judges whether each sentence is specific information, and what the release does to the outlook.
  • New this quarter: wording that does not appear in the prior release.
  • Hedging: uncertainty words (may, could, approximately, headwinds and similar) per 100 words of narrative.

These scores describe the release's language. They are not a forecast or a recommendation. Read the original filing

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