Energy
Oil & Gas Exploration & Production
$31.18B
99
Texas Pacific Land Corporation engages in the land and resource management, and water services and operations businesses. The Land and Resource Management segment manages surface acres of land, and oil and gas royalty interest in Permian Basin. This segment also engages in easements, such as transporting oil, gas and related hydrocarbons, power line and utility, and subsurface wellbore easements. In addition, this segment leases its land for processing, storage, and compression facilities and roads; and is involved in sale of materials, such as caliche, sand, and other material, as well as sells land. The Water Services and Operations segment provides full-service water offerings, including water sourcing, produced-water treatment, infrastructure development, and disposal solutions to operators in the Permian Basin. This segment also holds produced water royalties. The company owns a 1/128th nonparticipating perpetual oil and gas royalty interest (NPRI) under approximately 85,000 acres of land; a 1/16th NPRI under approximately 371,000 acres of land; and approximately 16,000 additional net royalty acres, total of approximately 207,000 NRA located in the Permian Basin. Texas Pacific Land Corporation was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
Key insights and themes extracted from this filing
Total revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2025, increased by 10.7% to $383.5 million from $346.5 million in the prior year. This growth was primarily fueled by a $24.3 million increase in oil and gas royalty revenue to $206.3 million and a $16.5 million increase in easements and other surface-related income to $48.8 million, partially offset by a $13.4 million decrease in water sales.
Operating income for the six months ended June 30, 2025, rose by 9.1% to $293.8 million from $269.3 million in the same period last year. However, net income only increased by 3.4% to $236.8 million from $229.0 million, indicating a moderation in profit growth relative to the top line, partly due to a significant increase in depreciation, depletion, and amortization.
Cash provided by operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2025, increased by 13.1% to $277.6 million from $245.5 million in the prior year. This strong operational cash flow, combined with a $174.1 million increase in cash and cash equivalents to $543.9 million as of June 30, 2025, provides ample liquidity to fund business operations and capital returns.
The company continues to expand its asset base through strategic acquisitions. For the six months ended June 30, 2025, TPL acquired 787 acres of land for $4.5 million and oil and gas royalty interests in 177 Net Royalty Acres (NRA) for approximately $3.5 million. This follows a significant acquisition of 4,120 acres of land and other assets for $45.0 million in August 2024, enhancing revenue streams and growth opportunities in the Permian Basin.
TPL is investing in a new energy-efficient desalination and treatment process to recycle produced water, with an initial facility capacity of 10,000 barrels per day expected to complete construction later in 2025. Cumulatively, $15.7 million has been spent on this initiative through June 30, 2025, with $10.2 million capitalized, signaling a strategic move into advanced water solutions.
The increase in easements and other surface-related income by $16.5 million and produced water royalties by $10.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2025, reflects sustained development activity in the Permian Basin. This strategy leverages TPL's extensive land ownership to capitalize on infrastructure needs and water management services for oil and gas operators.
Water service-related expenses decreased by $5.5 million to $19.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2025, compared to the prior year, primarily due to a 14.9% decrease in water sales volumes. This indicates management's ability to adjust operational costs in response to changing customer demand and activity levels, maintaining efficiency.
General and administrative expenses decreased by $3.5 million to $11.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2025, compared to $15.2 million in the prior year. This reduction was primarily due to a decrease in legal expenses, suggesting management's success in controlling overhead costs.
Management has set a target cash and cash equivalents balance of approximately $700 million, committing to deploy the majority of free cash flow above this target towards returning capital to stockholders via special dividends and share repurchases. This clear strategy provides transparency and a framework for capital deployment decisions.
The company's revenues are directly and indirectly impacted by oil and gas pricing and drilling activity in the Permian Basin, where its operations are concentrated. Fluctuations in WTI oil prices (down ~15% YTD 2025) and natural gas prices, along with decisions by third-party operators, can significantly affect financial results, as stated in the MD&A.
The filing explicitly states that there have been no material changes in the risk factors previously disclosed in the 2024 Annual Report. This suggests a stable risk profile from a disclosure standpoint, though inherent industry risks persist.
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization expense increased significantly to $25.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2025, from $7.9 million in the prior year. This substantial increase is principally due to depletion expense associated with royalty interests acquired during the second half of 2024, impacting net income despite revenue growth.
TPL is one of the largest landowners in Texas, primarily concentrated in the Permian Basin, and derives revenue from nonparticipating perpetual oil and gas royalty interests. This royalty model requires no capital expenditures or operating expense burden for well development, offering a distinct advantage over traditional E&P companies, as highlighted in the MD&A.
The company's share of oil and gas production increased to 32.2 thousand Boe per day for the six months ended June 30, 2025, up from 24.9 thousand Boe per day in the prior year. This volume growth, despite a decrease in average realized oil prices, indicates strong underlying activity on TPL's royalty lands and potential market share gains for its royalty interests.
Water sales revenue decreased by $13.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2025, primarily due to a 14.9% decrease in water sales volumes. This suggests that the water services segment is subject to customer demand fluctuations and competitive dynamics within the Permian Basin, impacting pricing power and market conditions.
Water service-related expenses decreased by $5.5 million (22%) for the six months ended June 30, 2025, to $19.6 million, even as produced water royalties increased. This indicates improved operational efficiency in managing costs associated with water treatment, transfer, and other related services, despite varying customer needs.
General and administrative expenses decreased by $3.5 million (23%) to $11.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2025, compared to the same period in 2024. This reduction was primarily driven by a decrease in legal expenses, demonstrating effective management of overhead costs.
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization expense increased significantly by $17.7 million to $25.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2025. This rise is attributed to depletion expense from newly acquired royalty interests and depreciation from new water service-related assets, indicating asset base expansion rather than a decline in operational efficiency.
The company is actively developing a patented, energy-efficient desalination and treatment process for produced water, with $15.7 million cumulatively spent and $10.2 million capitalized through June 30, 2025. This investment in new technology aims to convert produced water into fresh water for beneficial reuse, addressing a critical need in the Permian Basin.
The desalination technology provides an attractive alternative to subsurface injection for over 20 million barrels of produced water generated daily in the Permian. This initiative not only enhances TPL's service offering but also positions it to address environmental concerns and operational challenges for E&P operators.
Construction of the new desalination facility, with an initial capacity of 10,000 barrels of water per day, is expected to be completed later in 2025. This timeline suggests a near-term realization of the benefits from the company's R&D investments and a potential new revenue stream.
The company paid $74.2 million in dividends for the six months ended June 30, 2025, an increase from $53.8 million in the prior year, and declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.60 per share on August 5, 2025. This consistent and increased return of capital to stockholders signals management's confidence in sustained free cash flow.
TPL did not repurchase any shares of common stock during the six months ended June 30, 2025, compared to $16.6 million in repurchases during the same period in 2024. While a $178.5 million authorization remains, the absence of repurchases in the current period suggests a shift in immediate capital deployment priorities or market conditions not favoring repurchases.
Capital expenditures for the Water Services and Operations segment increased to $13.55 million for the six months ended June 30, 2025, from $12.02 million in the prior year. This includes substantial investment in the new desalination facility and maintaining/enhancing water sourcing assets, aligning with the strategic focus on expanding water solutions.
The company's investment in a patented, energy-efficient desalination and treatment process aims to recycle produced water into fresh water for beneficial reuse, providing a critical alternative to subsurface injection. This initiative directly addresses environmental concerns related to produced water disposal in the Permian Basin.
The 10-Q filing does not contain a dedicated section or specific material updates on new environmental, social, or governance (ESG) commitments or initiatives beyond the operational impact of the desalination project. This suggests that there were no new material developments in ESG disclosures for the quarter.
Management, including the CEO and CFO, concluded that the company's disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of June 30, 2025, and reported no material changes in internal control over financial reporting during the quarter. This indicates stable governance practices regarding financial reporting integrity.
Average WTI oil prices for the six months ended June 30, 2025, decreased by approximately 15% to $68.12 per barrel compared to $79.69 per barrel in the prior year. Conversely, average Henry Hub natural gas prices increased by approximately 74% to $3.66 per mmbtu from $2.11 per mmbtu, indicating a bifurcated commodity market.
While the total average U.S. weekly horizontal rig count decreased to 520 from 560 year-over-year, Permian Basin activity remained robust, with average monthly horizontal wells drilled increasing to 494 from 509. This resilience in drilling activity supports TPL's royalty and surface-related revenues in its core operating area.
Waha Hub natural gas prices improved significantly to $1.49 per mmbtu for the six months ended June 30, 2025, from $0.23 per mmbtu in the prior year. However, the MD&A notes that Waha Hub has experienced significant negative price differentials due to growing local production and limited pipeline takeaway capacity, which remains a factor to monitor.