02/18/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/18/2026 11:02
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Introduction
The following discussion and analysis presents management's perspective of our business, financial condition and overall performance. This information is intended to provide investors with an understanding of our past performance, current financial condition and outlook for the future and should be read in conjunction with "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this report.
The following discussion and analyses primarily focus on 2025 and 2024 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2025 and 2024. Discussions of 2023 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2024 and 2023 that are not included in this report can be found in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in Part II, Item 7 of our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Executive Overview
We are a leading independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company whose operations are focused onshore in the United States. Our operations are currently focused in four core areas: the Delaware Basin, Rockies, Eagle Ford and Anadarko Basin. Our asset base is underpinned by premium acreage in the economic core of the Delaware Basin and our diverse, top-tier resource plays, providing a deep inventory of opportunities for years to come.
On September 27, 2024, we acquired the Williston Basin business of Grayson Mill for total consideration of approximately $5.0 billion, consisting of $3.5 billion of cash and approximately 37.3 million shares of Devon common stock, including purchase price adjustments. The acquisition has allowed us to efficiently expand our oil production and operating scale, creating immediate and long-term, sustainable value to shareholders.
On February 1, 2026, we entered into the Merger Agreement, providing for an all-stock merger of equals with Coterra. The Merger will create a leading large-cap shale operator with an asset base anchored by a premier position in the economic core of the Delaware Basin. The Merger is expected to unlock substantial value for shareholders by leveraging enhanced scale to improve margins, increase free cash flow and accelerate cash returns through the capture of $1.0 billion in sustainable annual synergies. As a company, we remain focused on building economic value by executing on our strategic priorities of moderating production growth, emphasizing capital and operational efficiencies, optimizing reinvestment rates to maximize free cash flow, maintaining low leverage, delivering cash returns to our shareholders and pursuing operational excellence. Our recent performance highlights for these priorities include the following items for 2025:
To emphasize our commitment to maximizing free cash flow and creating value for shareholders, we have implemented a business optimization plan which is anticipated to improve our annual pre-tax cash flow by $1.0 billion. The plan includes actions to achieve more efficient field-level operations and improvements in drilling and completion costs while improving operating margins and corporate costs. These savings are on track to be achieved by the end of 2026 with approximately $850 million achieved through 2025.
Our net earnings and operating cash flow are highly dependent upon oil, gas and NGL prices, which can be volatile due to several varying factors. Commodity pricing remained stable through 2023 and 2024. During 2025, however, commodity prices have experienced heightened volatility and declines, driven primarily by economic uncertainty in global trade arising from geopolitical events and shifting trade policies, such as the imposition of tariffs by the U.S. and planned oil output increases by OPEC+. The graphs below show the trends in commodity prices over the past three years and their related impact on our net earnings, operating cash flow and capital investments.
As we dependably generate strong cash flow results as shown above, we will continue to prioritize delivering cash returns to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends while maintaining a strong liquidity position. Since the inception of our authorized $5.0 billion share repurchase program, we have repurchased approximately 100 million common shares for approximately $4.4 billion, or $44.02 per share. We also returned value to shareholders by paying dividends of $619 million during 2025. We exited 2025 with $4.4 billion of liquidity, comprised of $1.4 billion of cash and $3.0 billion of available credit under our Senior Credit Facility. We currently have $8.4 billion of debt outstanding, of which approximately $1.0 billion is classified as short-term. Additionally, to help mitigate the volatility of commodity prices and protect ourselves from downside risk, we currently have approximately 30% of our anticipated 2026 oil and gas production hedged.
Business and Industry Outlook
In 2025, Devon marked its 54th anniversary in the oil and gas business and its 37th year as a public company. We generated $6.7 billion of operating cash flow in 2025, demonstrating resilience despite lower oil prices through higher production volumes and lower taxes. In April 2025, we announced our business optimization plan targeting $1.0 billion in annual pre-tax free cash flow improvements by the end of 2026 through enhanced capital efficiency, production optimization, commercial improvements and corporate cost reductions. We achieved approximately 85% of these improvements through 2025, with the remainder to be realized by year-end 2026.
We remain committed to industry-leading capital returns to shareholders, supported by capital discipline and a strategy designed to succeed through commodity cycles. In 2025, we returned approximately $1.7 billion of cash to shareholders through cash dividends and share repurchases, and will continue to prioritize shareholder cash return in 2026.
In 2025, WTI oil prices averaged $64.87 per Bbl versus $75.79 per Bbl in 2024, an approximately 14% decline amid continued market volatility. Oil prices are expected to remain volatile in 2026 due to ongoing geopolitical supply risks, including developments in key producing regions, stronger forecasted non-OPEC production, and improving global demand. Henry Hub natural gas prices increased significantly in 2025, averaging $3.43 per Mcf compared to $2.27 per Mcf in 2024. Natural gas prices are expected to strengthen further in 2026 driven by increased LNG export capacity, strong power generation demand across multiple sectors, and continued producer discipline. Our 2026 cash flow is partly protected from commodity price volatility due to our current hedge position that covers approximately 30% of our anticipated oil and gas volumes. In order to further insulate our cash flow, we continue to examine and, when appropriate, execute attractive regional basis swap hedges to protect price realizations across our portfolio. With continued capital efficiency gains and operational improvements, we expect to generate material amounts of free cash flow at current commodity price levels.
Our 2026 capital program reflects our continued commitment to capital discipline and efficiency. To maximize free cash flow generation, our 2026 capital is expected to be focused on our highest returning oil play, the Delaware Basin. The remainder of our 2026 capital will continue to be deployed to our other core areas of Rockies, Eagle Ford and Anadarko Basin. Our 2026 capital budget is expected to be approximately 4% lower than 2025, driven by continued capital efficiency gains and optimized activity levels. Our disciplined approach to capital allocation is expected to continue generating substantial free cash flow.
Results of Operations
The following graph, discussion and analysis are intended to provide an understanding of our results of operations and current financial condition. To facilitate the review, these numbers are being presented before consideration of earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests. Analysis of the change in net earnings is shown below.
Our 2025 net earnings were $2.7 billion, compared to net earnings of $2.9 billion for 2024. The graph below shows the change in net earnings from 2024 to 2025. The material changes are further discussed by category on the following pages.
Production Volumes
|
2025 |
% of Total |
2024 |
Change |
|||||||||||||
|
Oil (MBbls/d) |
||||||||||||||||
|
Delaware Basin |
225 |
58 |
% |
220 |
2 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Rockies |
107 |
28 |
% |
65 |
64 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Eagle Ford |
41 |
10 |
% |
46 |
-11 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Anadarko Basin |
12 |
3 |
% |
13 |
-9 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Other |
4 |
1 |
% |
3 |
N/M |
|||||||||||
|
Total |
389 |
100 |
% |
347 |
12 |
% |
||||||||||
|
2025 |
% of Total |
2024 |
Change |
|||||||||||||
|
Gas (MMcf/d) |
||||||||||||||||
|
Delaware Basin |
812 |
59 |
% |
732 |
11 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Rockies |
235 |
17 |
% |
124 |
89 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Eagle Ford |
76 |
5 |
% |
98 |
-23 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Anadarko Basin |
258 |
19 |
% |
241 |
7 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Other |
1 |
0 |
% |
1 |
N/M |
|||||||||||
|
Total |
1,382 |
100 |
% |
1,196 |
16 |
% |
||||||||||
|
2025 |
% of Total |
2024 |
Change |
|||||||||||||
|
NGLs (MBbls/d) |
||||||||||||||||
|
Delaware Basin |
133 |
60 |
% |
123 |
8 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Rockies |
49 |
22 |
% |
21 |
130 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Eagle Ford |
11 |
5 |
% |
17 |
-33 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Anadarko Basin |
28 |
13 |
% |
29 |
-4 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Other |
- |
0 |
% |
1 |
N/M |
|||||||||||
|
Total |
221 |
100 |
% |
191 |
16 |
% |
||||||||||
|
2025 |
% of Total |
2024 |
Change |
|||||||||||||
|
Combined (MBoe/d) |
||||||||||||||||
|
Delaware Basin |
493 |
59 |
% |
465 |
6 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Rockies |
195 |
23 |
% |
107 |
82 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Eagle Ford |
65 |
8 |
% |
79 |
-18 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Anadarko Basin |
83 |
10 |
% |
82 |
1 |
% |
||||||||||
|
Other |
4 |
0 |
% |
4 |
N/M |
|||||||||||
|
Total |
840 |
100 |
% |
737 |
14 |
% |
||||||||||
From 2024 to 2025, the change in volumes contributed to a $1.4 billion increase in earnings. Volumes increased primarily due to the Grayson Mill acquisition in the Rockies, which closed in the third quarter of 2024, as well as new well activity in the Delaware Basin.
Production volumes for the first quarter of 2026 are expected to decrease by approximately 1%, or 10 MBoe/d, as a result of severe winter weather conditions.
Realized Prices
|
2025 |
Realization |
2024 |
Change |
|||||||||||
|
Oil (per Bbl) |
||||||||||||||
|
WTI index |
$ |
64.87 |
$ |
75.79 |
-14 |
% |
||||||||
|
Realized price, unhedged |
$ |
62.77 |
97% |
$ |
73.78 |
-15 |
% |
|||||||
|
Cash settlements |
$ |
1.14 |
$ |
0.35 |
||||||||||
|
Realized price, with hedges |
$ |
63.91 |
99% |
$ |
74.13 |
-14 |
% |
|||||||
|
2025 |
Realization |
2024 |
Change |
|||||||||||
|
Gas (per Mcf) |
||||||||||||||
|
Henry Hub index |
$ |
3.43 |
$ |
2.27 |
51 |
% |
||||||||
|
Realized price, unhedged |
$ |
1.67 |
49% |
$ |
0.91 |
84 |
% |
|||||||
|
Cash settlements |
$ |
0.12 |
$ |
0.35 |
||||||||||
|
Realized price, with hedges |
$ |
1.79 |
52% |
$ |
1.26 |
42 |
% |
|||||||
|
2025 |
Realization |
2024 |
Change |
|||||||||||
|
NGLs (per Bbl) |
||||||||||||||
|
WTI index |
$ |
64.87 |
$ |
75.79 |
-14 |
% |
||||||||
|
Realized price, unhedged |
$ |
18.28 |
28% |
$ |
20.20 |
-9 |
% |
|||||||
|
Cash settlements |
$ |
0.11 |
$ |
0.02 |
||||||||||
|
Realized price, with hedges |
$ |
18.39 |
28% |
$ |
20.22 |
-9 |
% |
|||||||
|
2025 |
2024 |
Change |
||||||||||
|
Combined (per Boe) |
||||||||||||
|
Realized price, unhedged |
$ |
36.60 |
$ |
41.44 |
-12 |
% |
||||||
|
Cash settlements |
$ |
0.76 |
$ |
0.73 |
||||||||
|
Realized price, with hedges |
$ |
37.36 |
$ |
42.17 |
-11 |
% |
||||||
From 2024 to 2025, realized prices contributed to an approximately $1.3 billion decrease in earnings. This decrease was due to lower unhedged realized oil and NGL prices which decreased primarily due to lower WTI and Mont Belvieu index prices, respectively. This decrease was partially offset by an increase in unhedged realized gas prices which was primarily due to higher Henry Hub index prices. Realized prices were also positively impacted by oil, gas and NGL hedge cash settlements.
Hedge Settlements
|
2025 |
2024 |
Change |
||||||||||
|
Oil |
$ |
162 |
$ |
44 |
268 |
% |
||||||
|
Natural gas |
61 |
152 |
-60 |
% |
||||||||
|
NGL |
9 |
1 |
N/M |
|||||||||
|
Total cash settlements (1) |
$ |
232 |
$ |
197 |
18 |
% |
||||||
Cash settlements as presented in the tables above represent realized gains or losses related to the instruments described in Note 3in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this report.
Production Expenses
|
2025 |
2024 |
Change |
||||||||||
|
LOE |
$ |
1,922 |
$ |
1,574 |
22 |
% |
||||||
|
Gathering, processing & transportation |
831 |
790 |
5 |
% |
||||||||
|
Production taxes |
748 |
748 |
0 |
% |
||||||||
|
Property taxes |
66 |
71 |
-7 |
% |
||||||||
|
Total |
$ |
3,567 |
$ |
3,183 |
12 |
% |
||||||
|
Per Boe: |
||||||||||||
|
LOE |
$ |
6.27 |
$ |
5.83 |
8 |
% |
||||||
|
Gathering, processing & transportation |
$ |
2.71 |
$ |
2.93 |
-8 |
% |
||||||
|
Percent of oil, gas and NGL sales: |
||||||||||||
|
Production taxes |
6.7 |
% |
6.7 |
% |
0 |
% |
||||||
Production expenses increased in 2025 primarily due to increased activity in the Rockies related to the Grayson Mill acquisition in addition to new well activity in the Delaware Basin.
Field-Level Cash Margin
The table below presents the field-level cash margin for each of our operating areas. Field-level cash margin is computed as oil, gas and NGL revenues less production expenses and is not prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation to the comparable GAAP measures is found in "Non-GAAP Measures" in this Item 7. The changes in production volumes, realized prices and production expenses, shown above, had the following impacts on our field-level cash margins by asset.
|
2025 |
$ per BOE |
2024 |
$ per BOE |
|||||||||||||
|
Field-level cash margin (Non-GAAP) |
||||||||||||||||
|
Delaware Basin |
$ |
4,636 |
$ |
25.74 |
$ |
5,197 |
$ |
30.56 |
||||||||
|
Rockies |
1,652 |
$ |
23.20 |
1,122 |
$ |
28.61 |
||||||||||
|
Eagle Ford |
853 |
$ |
35.96 |
1,150 |
$ |
39.72 |
||||||||||
|
Anadarko Basin |
468 |
$ |
15.54 |
464 |
$ |
15.50 |
||||||||||
|
Other |
47 |
N/M |
60 |
N/M |
||||||||||||
|
Total |
$ |
7,656 |
$ |
24.97 |
$ |
7,993 |
$ |
29.63 |
||||||||
DD&A and Asset Impairments
|
2025 |
2024 |
Change |
||||||||||
|
Oil and gas per Boe |
$ |
11.35 |
$ |
11.70 |
-3 |
% |
||||||
|
Oil and gas |
$ |
3,479 |
$ |
3,156 |
10 |
% |
||||||
|
Other property and equipment |
116 |
99 |
17 |
% |
||||||||
|
Total DD&A |
$ |
3,595 |
$ |
3,255 |
10 |
% |
||||||
|
Asset impairments |
$ |
254 |
$ |
- |
N/M |
|||||||
DD&A increased in 2025 primarily due to higher volumes driven by the Grayson Mill acquisition and new well activity in the Delaware Basin.
In the first quarter of 2025, Devon rationalized two headquarters-related real estate assets resulting in total asset impairments of $254 million. See Note 5in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this report for further discussion.
General and Administrative Expense
|
2025 |
2024 |
Change |
||||||||||
|
G&A per Boe |
$ |
1.60 |
$ |
1.85 |
-13 |
% |
||||||
|
Labor and benefits |
$ |
259 |
$ |
285 |
-9 |
% |
||||||
|
Non-labor |
233 |
215 |
8 |
% |
||||||||
|
Total |
$ |
492 |
$ |
500 |
-2 |
% |
||||||
G&A per BOE decreased in 2025 due to the Grayson Mill acquisition efficiently expanding our operating scale and production.
Other Items
|
2025 |
2024 |
Change in earnings |
||||||||||
|
Commodity hedge valuation changes (1) |
$ |
170 |
$ |
(176 |
) |
$ |
346 |
|||||
|
Marketing and midstream operations |
(72 |
) |
(49 |
) |
(23 |
) |
||||||
|
Exploration expenses |
43 |
28 |
(15 |
) |
||||||||
|
Asset dispositions |
(343 |
) |
11 |
354 |
||||||||
|
Net financing costs |
455 |
363 |
(92 |
) |
||||||||
|
Other, net |
24 |
96 |
72 |
|||||||||
|
$ |
642 |
|||||||||||
We recognize fair value changes on our oil, gas and NGL derivative instruments in each reporting period. The changes in fair value resulted from new positions and settlements that occurred during each period, as well as the relationship between contract prices and the associated forward curves.
During 2025, Devon sold its investment in Matterhorn for $409 million and recognized a pre-tax gain of $342 million ($266 million, net of tax), which was recorded to asset dispositions. The monetization of this investment did not change the terms or conditions of Devon's secured capacity on the pipeline. For additional information, see Note 12in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" in this report.
During the third quarter of 2024, we issued $3.25 billion of debt to partially fund the Grayson Mill acquisition. Additionally, we retired $472 million of debt in the third quarter of 2024. During the third quarter of 2025, Devon early redeemed the $485 million of 5.85% senior notes due in December 2025 pursuant to the "par-call" rights set forth in the indenture document. For additional information, see Note 13in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" in this report.
Income Taxes
|
2025 |
2024 |
|||||||
|
Current expense |
$ |
301 |
$ |
459 |
||||
|
Deferred expense |
484 |
311 |
||||||
|
Total expense |
$ |
785 |
$ |
770 |
||||
|
Current tax rate |
9 |
% |
12 |
% |
||||
|
Deferred tax rate |
14 |
% |
9 |
% |
||||
|
Effective income tax rate |
23 |
% |
21 |
% |
||||
For discussion on income taxes, see Note 6in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this report.
Capital Resources, Uses and Liquidity
Sources and Uses of Cash
The following table presents the major changes in cash and cash equivalents for the time periods presented below.
|
Year Ended December 31, |
||||||||
|
2025 |
2024 |
|||||||
|
Operating cash flow |
$ |
6,711 |
$ |
6,600 |
||||
|
Grayson Mill acquired cash |
- |
147 |
||||||
|
Capital expenditures |
(3,592 |
) |
(3,645 |
) |
||||
|
Acquisitions of property and equipment |
(322 |
) |
(3,808 |
) |
||||
|
Divestitures of property, equipment and investments |
545 |
24 |
||||||
|
Investment activity, net |
(24 |
) |
(50 |
) |
||||
|
Debt activity, net |
(485 |
) |
2,747 |
|||||
|
Repurchases of common stock |
(1,050 |
) |
(1,057 |
) |
||||
|
Common stock dividends |
(619 |
) |
(937 |
) |
||||
|
Noncontrolling interest activity, net |
(269 |
) |
1 |
|||||
|
Repayment of finance leases |
(282 |
) |
- |
|||||
|
Other |
(25 |
) |
(51 |
) |
||||
|
Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash |
$ |
588 |
$ |
(29 |
) |
|||
|
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period |
$ |
1,434 |
$ |
846 |
||||
Operating Cash Flow
As presented in the table above, net cash provided by operating activities continued to be a significant source of capital and liquidity. Operating cash flow funded our capital expenditures, and we continued to return value to our shareholders by utilizing cash flow and cash balances for dividends and share repurchases.
Capital Expenditures
The amounts in the table below reflect cash payments for capital expenditures, including cash paid for capital expenditures incurred in prior periods.
|
Year Ended December 31, |
||||||||
|
2025 |
2024 |
|||||||
|
Delaware Basin |
$ |
1,834 |
$ |
2,049 |
||||
|
Rockies |
858 |
504 |
||||||
|
Eagle Ford |
575 |
670 |
||||||
|
Anadarko Basin |
150 |
225 |
||||||
|
Other |
4 |
7 |
||||||
|
Total oil and gas |
3,421 |
3,455 |
||||||
|
Midstream |
118 |
101 |
||||||
|
Other |
53 |
89 |
||||||
|
Total capital expenditures |
$ |
3,592 |
$ |
3,645 |
||||
Capital expenditures consist primarily of amounts related to our oil and gas exploration and development operations, midstream operations and other corporate activities. Our capital investment program is driven by a disciplined allocation process focused on moderating our production growth and maximizing our returns. As such, our capital expenditures for 2025 represent approximately 54% of our operating cash flow.
Acquisitions of Property and Equipment
During 2025, we completed acquisitions of property primarily related to state and federal land sales in the Delaware Basin.
During the third quarter of 2024, we acquired the Williston Basin business of Grayson Mill. The transaction consisted of $3.5 billion of cash and approximately 37.3 million shares of Devon common stock. For additional information, please see Note 2in "Part II. Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" in this report.
Divestitures of Property and Equipment
During 2025, we generated additional cash flow of $545 million by monetizing our investment in Matterhorn for $409 million and divesting headquarters-related real estate assets for $134 million as part of our real estate rationalization initiatives. These proceeds will be used to further strengthen our investment-grade financial position. For additional information regarding these divestitures, see Note 12andNote 5, respectively, in "Part II. Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" in this report.
During 2025 and 2024, we received contingent earnout payments related to assets previously sold. For additional information, please see Note 2in "Part II. Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" in this report.
Investment Activity
During 2025 and 2024, Devon received distributions from our investments of $38 million and $68 million, respectively. Devon contributed $62 million and $118 million to our investments during 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Debt Activity
In 2025, Devon early redeemed the $485 million of 5.85% senior notes due in December 2025 pursuant to the "par-call" rights set forth in the indenture document.
In 2024, Devon issued $1.25 billion of 5.20% senior notes due 2034 and $1.0 billion of 5.75% senior notes due 2054. Additionally, in 2024, Devon borrowed $1.0 billion from the Term Loan. These debt issuances helped fund the Grayson Mill acquisition. During 2024, we repaid $472 million of senior notes at maturity.
Shareholder Distributions and Stock Activity
We repurchased 30.8 million shares of common stock for $1.1 billion in 2025 and 24.2 million shares of common stock for $1.1 billion in 2024 under the share repurchase program authorized by our Board of Directors. For additional information, see Note 17in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" in this report.
The following table summarizes our common stock dividends in 2025 and 2024. Devon most recently raised its fixed dividend by 9% from $0.22 to $0.24 per share in the first quarter of 2025.
|
Dividends |
Rate Per Share |
|||||||
|
2025: |
||||||||
|
First quarter |
$ |
163 |
$ |
0.24 |
||||
|
Second quarter |
156 |
$ |
0.24 |
|||||
|
Third quarter |
151 |
$ |
0.24 |
|||||
|
Fourth quarter |
149 |
$ |
0.24 |
|||||
|
Total year-to-date |
$ |
619 |
||||||
|
2024: |
||||||||
|
First quarter |
$ |
299 |
$ |
0.44 |
||||
|
Second quarter |
223 |
$ |
0.35 |
|||||
|
Third quarter |
272 |
$ |
0.44 |
|||||
|
Fourth quarter |
143 |
$ |
0.22 |
|||||
|
Total year-to-date (1) |
$ |
937 |
||||||
Noncontrolling Interest Activity
On August 1, 2025, Devon completed the acquisition of all outstanding noncontrolling interests in CDM for $260 million. Accordingly, all future net income and cash flows from CDM are fully attributable to Devon and there will be no further distributions to or contributions from noncontrolling interest holders.
During 2025 and 2024, we received $14 million and $52 million, respectively, of contributions from our noncontrolling interests in CDM. During 2025 and 2024, we distributed $23 million and $51 million, respectively, to our noncontrolling interests in CDM.
Repayment of Finance Leases
During 2025, we paid $282 million in cash repayments of finance leases, primarily consisting of a $274 million payment to extinguish a financing lease related to a headquarters-related real estate asset as part of our real estate rationalization initiatives. For additional information, see Note 14in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" in this report.
Liquidity
The business of exploring for, developing and producing oil and natural gas is capital intensive. Because oil, natural gas and NGL reserves are a depleting resource, we, like all upstream operators, must continually make capital investments to grow and even sustain production. Generally, our capital investments are focused on drilling and completing new wells and maintaining production from existing wells. At opportunistic times, we also acquire operations and properties from other operators or landowners to enhance our existing portfolio of assets.
To emphasize our commitment to maximizing free cash flow and creating value for shareholders, we have implemented a business optimization plan which is anticipated to improve our annual pre-tax cash flow by $1.0 billion. These optimization initiatives will be primarily focused on capital efficiencies, production optimization, commercial opportunities and corporate cost reductions. These savings are on track to be achieved by the end of 2026 with approximately $850 million achieved through 2025.
Historically, our primary sources of capital funding and liquidity have been our operating cash flow and cash on hand. Additionally, we maintain a commercial paper program, supported by our revolving line of credit, which can be accessed as needed to supplement operating cash flow and cash balances. If needed, we can also issue debt and equity securities, including through transactions under our shelf registration statement filed with the SEC. We estimate the combination of our sources of capital will continue to be adequate to fund our planned capital requirements, as discussed in this section, as well as execute our cash-return business model.
Operating Cash Flow
Key inputs into determining our planned capital investment is the amount of cash we hold and operating cash flow we expect to generate over the next one to three or more years. At the end of 2025, we held approximately $1.4 billion of cash. Our operating cash flow forecasts are sensitive to many variables and include a measure of uncertainty as actual results may differ from our expectations.
Commodity Prices- The most uncertain and volatile variables for our operating cash flow are the prices of the oil, gas and NGLs we produce and sell. Prices are determined primarily by prevailing market conditions. Regional and worldwide economic activity, weather and other highly variable factors influence market conditions for these products. These factors, which are difficult to predict, create volatility in prices and are beyond our control.
To mitigate some of the risk inherent in prices, we utilize various derivative financial instruments to protect a portion of our production against downside price risk. The key terms to our oil, gas and NGL derivative financial instruments as of December 31, 2025 are presented in Note 3in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this report.
Further, when considering the current commodity price environment and our current hedge position, we expect to achieve our capital investment priorities. Additionally, we remain committed to capital discipline and focused on delivering the objectives that underpin our capital plan for 2026. However, if commodity prices decline further, we will adapt our plan by reducing activity in order to maximize free cash flow.
Operating Expenses- Commodity prices can also affect our operating cash flow through an indirect effect on operating expenses. Significant commodity price decreases can lead to a decrease in drilling and development activities. As a result, the demand and cost for people, services, equipment and materials may also decrease, causing a positive impact on our cash flow as the prices paid for services and equipment decline. However, the inverse is also generally true during periods of rising commodity prices.
Additionally, the economic uncertainty in global trade arising from geopolitical events and shifting trade policies, such as the imposition of tariffs by the U.S., may contribute to higher inflation rates and disrupt supply chains, negatively impacting our cash flow. While we actively work to mitigate the impact of these potential risks through operational efficiencies gained from the scale of our operations as well as by leveraging long-standing relationships with our suppliers, the ultimate impacts remain uncertain.
Credit Losses- Our operating cash flow is also exposed to credit risk in a variety of ways. This includes the credit risk related to customers who purchase our oil, gas and NGL production, the collection of receivables from joint interest owners for their proportionate share of expenditures made on projects we operate and counterparties to our derivative financial contracts. We utilize a variety of mechanisms to limit our exposure to the credit risks of our customers, joint interest owners and counterparties. Such mechanisms include, under certain conditions, requiring letters of credit, prepayments or collateral postings.
Credit Availability
We had approximately $3.0 billion of available borrowing capacity under our Senior Credit Facility at December 31, 2025. In the first quarter of 2025, Devon exercised its option to extend the Senior Credit Facility maturity date from March 24, 2029 to March 24, 2030. Devon has the option to extend the March 24, 2030 maturity date by an additional year subject to lender consent. As of December 31, 2025, Devon had no outstanding borrowings under the Senior Credit Facility and had less than $1.0 million in outstanding letters of credit under this facility. See Note 13in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this report for further discussion.
The Senior Credit Facility contains only one material financial covenant. This covenant requires us to maintain a ratio of total funded debt to total capitalization, as defined in the credit agreement, of no more than 65%. As of December 31, 2025, we were in compliance with this covenant with a 24.8% debt-to-capitalization ratio.
Our access to funds from the Senior Credit Facility is not subject to a specific funding condition requiring the absence of a "material adverse effect". It is not uncommon for credit agreements to include such provisions. In general, these provisions can remove the obligation of the banks to fund the credit line if any condition or event would reasonably be expected to have a material
and adverse effect on the borrower's financial condition, operations, properties or business considered as a whole, the borrower's ability to make timely debt payments or the enforceability of material terms of the credit agreement. While our credit agreement includes provisions qualified by material adverse effect as well as a covenant that requires us to report a condition or event having a material adverse effect, the obligation of the banks to fund the Senior Credit Facility is not conditioned on the absence of a material adverse effect.
As market conditions warrant and subject to our contractual restrictions, liquidity position and other factors, we may from time to time seek to repurchase or retire our outstanding debt through cash purchases and/or exchanges for other debt or equity securities in open market transactions, privately negotiated transactions, by tender offer or otherwise. Any such cash repurchases by us may be funded by cash on hand or incurring new debt. The amounts involved in any such transactions, individually or in the aggregate, may be material. Furthermore, any such repurchases or exchanges may result in our acquiring and retiring a substantial amount of such indebtedness, which would impact the trading liquidity of such indebtedness.
Debt Ratings
We receive debt ratings from the major ratings agencies in the U.S. In determining our debt ratings, the agencies consider a number of qualitative and quantitative items including, but not limited to, commodity pricing levels, our liquidity, asset quality, reserve mix, debt levels, cost structure, planned asset sales and size and scale of our production. Our credit rating from Standard and Poor's Financial Services is BBB with a positive outlook. Our credit rating from Fitch is BBB+ with a positive outlook. Our credit rating from Moody's Investor Service is Baa2 with a positive outlook. Any rating downgrades may result in additional letters of credit or cash collateral being posted under certain contractual arrangements.
There are no "rating triggers" in any of our contractual debt obligations that would accelerate scheduled maturities should our debt rating fall below a specified level. However, a downgrade could adversely impact our interest rate on any credit facility borrowings and the ability to economically access debt markets in the future.
Cash Returns to Shareholders
We are committed to returning cash to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. Our Board of Directors will consider a number of factors when setting the quarterly dividend, if any, including a general target of paying out approximately 10% of operating cash flow through the fixed dividend. In addition to the fixed quarterly dividend, we may pay a variable dividend or complete share repurchases. The declaration and payment of any future dividend, whether fixed or variable, will remain at the full discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on our financial results, cash requirements, future prospects and other factors deemed relevant by the Board.
In February 2026, we announced a cash dividend of $0.24 per share payable in the first quarter of 2026, which is expected to total approximately $149 million.
Our Board of Directors has authorized a $5.0 billion share repurchase program that expires on June 30, 2026. Through February 1, 2026, we had executed $4.5 billion of the authorized program. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, our share repurchase activity has been suspended and is expected to remain suspended through the completion of the Merger.
Capital Expenditures
Our 2026 capital expenditure budget is expected to be approximately $3.5 billion to $3.7 billion, which is approximately 4% lower than our 2025 capital expenditures, driven by continued capital efficiency gains and operational improvements.
Contractual Obligations
As of December 31, 2025, our material contractual obligations include debt, interest expense, asset retirement obligations, lease obligations, operational agreements, drilling and facility obligations, various tax obligations and retained obligations related to our divested Canadian business. As discussed above, we estimate the combination of our sources of capital will continue to be adequate to fund our short- and long-term contractual obligations. See Notes 6, 13, 14, 15and 18in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this report for further discussion.
Tax Contingencies
As we are regularly audited by tax authorities, we have and will continue to have our tax positions challenged. Certain tax authorities require material cash deposits be made to further dispute and respond to any of our challenged tax positions.
Strategic Merger of Equals
On February 1, 2026, Devon and Coterra entered into the Merger Agreement to combine in an all-stock merger of equals transaction expected to close in the second quarter of 2026. The strategic combination is expected to unlock substantial value for shareholders by leveraging enhanced scale to improve margins, increase free cash flow and accelerate cash returns through the capture of $1.0 billion in sustainable annual synergies. Following the Merger and subject to the approval of the board of directors of the combined company, we expect to enhance cash returns to shareholders through a planned quarterly dividend of $0.315 per share and a new share repurchase authorization exceeding $5 billion.
Contingencies and Legal Matters
For a detailed discussion of contingencies and legal matters, see Note 18in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this report.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. requires us to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual amounts could differ from these estimates, and changes in these estimates are recorded when known. We consider the following to be our most critical accounting estimates that involve judgment and have reviewed these critical accounting estimates with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors.
Purchase Accounting
Periodically, we acquire assets and assume liabilities in transactions accounted for as business combinations, such as the acquisition of the Williston Basin business of Grayson Mill. In connection with the acquisition, we allocated the $5.0 billion of purchase price consideration to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on estimated fair values as of the date of the acquisition.
We made a number of assumptions in estimating the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the acquisition. The most significant assumptions relate to the estimated fair values of proved and unproved oil and gas properties. Since sufficient market data was not available regarding the fair values of proved and unproved oil and gas properties, we prepared estimates and engaged third-party valuation experts. Significant judgments and assumptions are inherent in these estimates and include, among other things, estimates of reserve quantities, estimates of future commodity prices, drilling plans, expected development costs, lease operating costs, reserve risk adjustment factors and an estimate of an applicable market participant discount rate that reflects the risk of the underlying cash flow estimates.
Estimated fair values ascribed to assets acquired can have a significant impact on future results of operations presented in our financial statements. A higher fair value ascribed to a property results in higher DD&A expense, which results in lower net earnings. Fair values are based on estimates of future commodity prices, reserve quantities, development costs and operating costs. In the event that future commodity prices or reserve quantities are lower than those used as inputs to determine estimates of acquisition date fair values, the likelihood increases that certain costs may be determined to not be recoverable.
Oil and Gas Assets Accounting, Classification, Reserves & Valuation
Successful Efforts Method of Accounting and Classification
We utilize the successful efforts method of accounting for our oil and natural gas exploration and development activities which requires management's assessment of the proper designation of wells and associated costs as developmental or exploratory. This classification assessment is dependent on the determination and existence of proved reserves, which is a critical estimate discussed in the section below. The classification of developmental and exploratory costs has a direct impact on the amount of costs we initially recognize as exploration expense or capitalize, then subject to DD&A calculations and impairment assessments and valuations.
Once a well is drilled, the determination that proved reserves have been discovered may take considerable time and requires both judgment and application of industry experience. Development wells are always capitalized. Costs associated with drilling an exploratory well are initially capitalized, or suspended, pending a determination as to whether proved reserves have been found. At the end of each quarter, management reviews the status of all suspended exploratory drilling costs to determine whether the costs should continue to remain capitalized or shall be expensed. When making this determination, management considers current activities, near-term plans for additional exploratory or appraisal drilling and the likelihood of reaching a development program. If management determines future development activities and the determination of proved reserves are unlikely to occur, the associated suspended exploratory well costs are recorded as dry hole expense and reported in exploration expense in the consolidated statements of comprehensive earnings. Otherwise, the costs of exploratory wells remain capitalized. At December 31, 2025, all material suspended well costs have been suspended for less than one year.
Similar to the evaluation of suspended exploratory well costs, costs for undeveloped leasehold, for which reserves have not been proven, must also be evaluated for continued capitalization or impairment. At the end of each quarter, management assesses undeveloped leasehold costs for impairment by considering future drilling plans, drilling activity results, commodity price outlooks, planned future sales or expiration of all or a portion of such projects. At December 31, 2025, Devon had approximately $800 million of undeveloped leasehold costs. Of the remaining undeveloped leasehold costs at December 31, 2025, $17 million is scheduled to expire in 2026.
Reserves
Our estimates of proved and proved developed reserves are a major component of DD&A calculations. Additionally, our proved reserves represent the element of these calculations that require the most subjective judgments. Estimates of reserves are forecasts based on engineering data, projected future rates of production and the timing of future expenditures. The process of estimating oil, gas and NGL reserves requires substantial judgment, resulting in imprecise determinations, particularly for new discoveries. Different reserve engineers may make different estimates of reserve quantities based on the same data. Our engineers prepare our reserve estimates. We then subject certain of our reserve estimates to audits performed by a third-party petroleum consulting firm. In 2025, 91% of our proved reserves were subjected to such an audit.
The passage of time provides additional information which may result in revisions to previous estimates to reflect updated information. In the past five years, annual revisions other than price to our proved reserve estimates, which have been both increases and decreases in individual years, have averaged approximately 4% of the previous year's estimate. However, there can be no assurance that more significant revisions will not be necessary in the future. For example, revisions may be driven broadly by economic factors such as significant changes in operating costs, or they may be more focused such as in a given area or reservoir. The data for a given reservoir may change substantially over time as a result of numerous factors, including, but not limited to, additional development activity, evolving production history and continual reassessment of the viability of production under varying economic conditions.
Valuation of Long-Lived Assets
Long-lived assets used in operations, including proved and unproved oil and gas properties, are depreciated and assessed for impairment annually or whenever changes in facts and circumstances indicate a possible significant deterioration in future cash flows is expected to be generated by an asset group. For DD&A calculations and impairment assessments, management groups individual assets based on a judgmental assessment of the lowest level ("common operating field") for which there are identifiable cash flows that are largely independent of the cash flows of other groups of assets. The determination of common operating fields is largely based on geological structural features or stratigraphic condition, which requires judgment. Management also considers the nature of production, common infrastructure, common sales points, common processing plants, common regulation and management oversight
to make common operating field determinations. These determinations impact the amount of DD&A recognized each period and could impact the determination and measurement of a potential asset impairment.
Management evaluates assets for impairment through an established process in which changes to significant assumptions such as prices, volumes and future development plans are reviewed. If, upon review, the sum of the undiscounted pre-tax cash flows is less than the carrying value of the asset group, the carrying value is written down to estimated fair value. Because there usually is a lack of quoted market prices for long-lived assets, the fair value of impaired assets is typically determined based on the present values of expected future cash flows using discount rates believed to be consistent with those used by principal market participants. The expected future cash flows used for impairment reviews and related fair value calculations are typically based on judgmental assessments of future production volumes, commodity prices, operating costs and capital investment plans, considering all available information at the date of review. The expected future cash flows used for impairment reviews include future production volumes associated with proved producing and risk-adjusted proved undeveloped reserves, and when needed, probable and possible reserves.
Besides the risk-adjusted estimates of reserves and future production volumes, future commodity prices are the largest driver in the variability of undiscounted pre-tax cash flows. For our impairment determinations, we utilize NYMEX forward strip prices and incorporate internally generated price forecasts along with price forecasts published by reputable investment banks and reservoir engineering firms to estimate our future revenues.
We also estimate and escalate or de-escalate future capital and operating costs by using a method that correlates cost movements to price movements similar to recent history. To measure indicated impairments, we use a market-based weighted-average cost of capital to discount the future net cash flows. Changes to any of the reserves or market-based assumptions can significantly affect estimates of undiscounted and discounted pre-tax cash flows and impact the recognition and amount of impairments.
None of our oil and gas assets were at risk of impairment as of December 31, 2025.
Income Taxes
The amount of income taxes recorded requires interpretations of complex rules and regulations of federal, state, provincial and foreign tax jurisdictions. We recognize current tax expense based on estimated taxable income for the current period and the applicable statutory tax rates. We routinely assess potential uncertain tax positions and, if required, estimate and establish accruals for such amounts. We have recognized deferred tax assets and liabilities for temporary differences, operating losses and other tax carryforwards. We routinely assess our deferred tax assets and reduce such assets by a valuation allowance if we deem it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
On July 4, 2025, OBBB was signed into law. In addition to other provisions, OBBB includes permanent reinstatement of 100% bonus depreciation and the expensing of domestic research costs beginning in 2025 and allows for deduction of intangible drilling costs as part of the computation of the CAMT beginning in 2026. The Company continues to assess the impact of OBBB, including its impacts on the CAMT. Material incremental cash benefits are expected, the amount of which will depend on actual operating results as well as future U.S. Treasury guidance.
Further, in the event we were to undergo an "ownership change" (as defined in Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended), our ability to use net operating losses and tax credits generated prior to the ownership change may be limited. Generally, an "ownership change" occurs if one or more shareholders, each of whom owns five percent or more in value of a corporation's stock, increase their aggregate percentage ownership by more than 50 percent over the lowest percentage of stock owned by those shareholders at any time during the preceding three-year period. Based on currently available information, we do not believe an ownership change has occurred during 2025 for Devon.
Non-GAAP Measures
Core Earnings
We make reference to "core earnings attributable to Devon" and "core earnings per share attributable to Devon" in "Overview of 2025 Results" in this Item 7 that are not required by or presented in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures are not alternatives to GAAP measures and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results reported under GAAP. Core earnings attributable to Devon, as well as the per share amount, represent net earnings excluding certain noncash and other items that are typically excluded by securities analysts in their published estimates of our quarterly financial results. Our
non-GAAP measures are typically used as a quarterly performance measure. Amounts excluded for 2025 relate to asset dispositions, noncash asset impairments (including unproved asset impairments), change in tax legislation, fair value changes in derivative financial instruments and restructuring and transaction costs.
Amounts excluded for 2024 relate to asset dispositions, noncash asset impairments (including unproved asset impairments), fair value changes in derivative financial instruments and restructuring and transaction costs. Amounts excluded for 2023 relate to asset dispositions, noncash asset impairments (including unproved asset impairments), deferred tax asset valuation allowance and fair value changes in derivative financial instruments.
We believe these non-GAAP measures facilitate comparisons of our performance to earnings estimates published by securities analysts. We also believe these non-GAAP measures can facilitate comparisons of our performance between periods and to the performance of our peers.
Below are reconciliations of our core earnings and earnings per share to their comparable GAAP measures.
|
Year Ended December 31, |
|||||||||||||||
|
Before Tax |
After Tax |
After NCI |
Per Diluted Share |
||||||||||||
|
2025: |
|||||||||||||||
|
Earnings attributable to Devon (GAAP) |
$ |
3,466 |
$ |
2,681 |
$ |
2,642 |
$ |
4.17 |
|||||||
|
Adjustments: |
|||||||||||||||
|
Asset dispositions |
(343 |
) |
(266 |
) |
(266 |
) |
(0.42 |
) |
|||||||
|
Asset and exploration impairments |
265 |
206 |
206 |
0.33 |
|||||||||||
|
Change in tax legislation |
- |
5 |
5 |
0.01 |
|||||||||||
|
Fair value changes in financial instruments |
(172 |
) |
(134 |
) |
(134 |
) |
(0.21 |
) |
|||||||
|
Restructuring and transaction costs |
36 |
28 |
28 |
0.04 |
|||||||||||
|
Core earnings attributable to Devon (Non-GAAP) |
$ |
3,252 |
$ |
2,520 |
$ |
2,481 |
$ |
3.92 |
|||||||
|
2024: |
|||||||||||||||
|
Earnings attributable to Devon (GAAP) |
$ |
3,712 |
$ |
2,942 |
$ |
2,891 |
$ |
4.56 |
|||||||
|
Adjustments: |
|||||||||||||||
|
Asset dispositions |
11 |
9 |
9 |
0.01 |
|||||||||||
|
Asset and exploration impairments |
5 |
4 |
4 |
0.01 |
|||||||||||
|
Fair value changes in financial instruments |
182 |
143 |
143 |
0.23 |
|||||||||||
|
Restructuring and transaction costs |
9 |
7 |
7 |
0.01 |
|||||||||||
|
Core earnings attributable to Devon (Non-GAAP) |
$ |
3,919 |
$ |
3,105 |
$ |
3,054 |
$ |
4.82 |
|||||||
|
2023: |
|||||||||||||||
|
Earnings attributable to Devon (GAAP) |
$ |
4,623 |
$ |
3,782 |
$ |
3,747 |
$ |
5.84 |
|||||||
|
Adjustments: |
|||||||||||||||
|
Asset dispositions |
(30 |
) |
(24 |
) |
(24 |
) |
(0.04 |
) |
|||||||
|
Asset and exploration impairments |
5 |
3 |
3 |
- |
|||||||||||
|
Deferred tax asset valuation allowance |
- |
(1 |
) |
(1 |
) |
- |
|||||||||
|
Fair value changes in financial instruments |
(74 |
) |
(58 |
) |
(58 |
) |
(0.09 |
) |
|||||||
|
Core earnings attributable to Devon (Non-GAAP) |
$ |
4,524 |
$ |
3,702 |
$ |
3,667 |
$ |
5.71 |
|||||||
EBITDAX and Field-Level Cash Margin
To assess the performance of our assets, we use EBITDAX and Field-Level Cash Margin. We compute EBITDAX as net earnings before income tax expense; financing costs, net; exploration expenses; DD&A; asset impairments; asset disposition gains and losses; non-cash share-based compensation; non-cash valuation changes for derivatives and financial instruments; accretion on discounted liabilities; and other items not related to our normal operations. Field-Level Cash Margin is computed as oil, gas and NGL revenues less production expenses. Production expenses consist of lease operating, gathering, processing and transportation expenses, as well as production and property taxes.
We exclude financing costs from EBITDAX to assess our operating results without regard to our financing methods or capital structure. Exploration expenses and asset disposition gains and losses are excluded from EBITDAX because they generally are not indicators of operating efficiency for a given reporting period. DD&A and impairments are excluded from EBITDAX because capital expenditures are evaluated at the time capital costs are incurred. We exclude share-based compensation, valuation changes, accretion on discounted liabilities and other items from EBITDAX because they are not considered a measure of asset operating performance.
We believe EBITDAX and Field-Level Cash Margin provide information useful in assessing our operating and financial performance across periods. EBITDAX and Field-Level Cash Margin as defined by Devon may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies and should be considered in conjunction with net earnings from operations.
Below are reconciliations of net earnings to EBITDAX and a further reconciliation to Field-Level Cash Margin.
|
Year Ended December 31, |
||||||||||||
|
2025 |
2024 |
2023 |
||||||||||
|
Net earnings (GAAP) |
$ |
2,681 |
$ |
2,942 |
$ |
3,782 |
||||||
|
Financing costs, net |
455 |
363 |
308 |
|||||||||
|
Income tax expense |
785 |
770 |
841 |
|||||||||
|
Exploration expenses |
43 |
28 |
20 |
|||||||||
|
Depreciation, depletion and amortization |
3,595 |
3,255 |
2,554 |
|||||||||
|
Asset impairments |
254 |
- |
- |
|||||||||
|
Asset dispositions |
(343 |
) |
11 |
(30 |
) |
|||||||
|
Share-based compensation |
89 |
98 |
92 |
|||||||||
|
Derivative and financial instrument non-cash valuation changes |
(170 |
) |
176 |
(71 |
) |
|||||||
|
Accretion on discounted liabilities and other |
24 |
96 |
38 |
|||||||||
|
EBITDAX (Non-GAAP) |
7,413 |
7,739 |
7,534 |
|||||||||
|
Marketing and midstream revenues and expenses, net |
72 |
49 |
60 |
|||||||||
|
Commodity derivative cash settlements |
(232 |
) |
(197 |
) |
(47 |
) |
||||||
|
General and administrative expenses, cash-based |
403 |
402 |
316 |
|||||||||
|
Field-level cash margin (Non-GAAP) |
$ |
7,656 |
$ |
7,993 |
$ |
7,863 |
||||||