Diamondback Energy 10-K 2019-12-31

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019

OR

Commission File Number 001-35700

Diamondback Energy, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified in Its Charter)

(Registrant Telephone Number, Including Area Code): (432) 221-7400

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

Aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of registrant as of June 28, 2019 was approximately $15.9 billion.

As of February 14, 2020, 158,284,486 shares of the registrant’s common stock were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of Diamondback Energy, Inc.’s Proxy Statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference in Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III of this Form 10-K

DIAMONDBACK ENERGY, INC.

FORM 10-K

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GLOSSARY OF OIL AND NATURAL GAS TERMS

The following is a glossary of certain oil and natural gas industry terms used in this report:

ii

iii

iv

GLOSSARY OF CERTAIN OTHER TERMS

The following is a glossary of certain other terms that are used in this report.

v

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Various statements contained in this report that express a belief, expectation, or intention, or that are not statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, regarding our strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. When used in this report, the words “could,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “may,” “continue,” “predict,” “potential,” “project” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. In particular, the factors discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10–K, including under Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in this report, could affect our actual results and cause our actual results to differ materially from expectations, estimates or assumptions expressed, forecasted or implied in such forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements may include statements about our:

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All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report or, if earlier, as of the date they were made. We do not intend to, and disclaim any obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements unless required by securities laws. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements we make in this report are reasonable, we can give no assurance that these plans, intentions or expectations will be achieved or occur, and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements.

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PART I

Except as noted, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we refer to Diamondback, together with its consolidated subsidiaries, as “we,” “us,” “our,” or “the Company”. This report includes certain terms commonly used in the oil and gas industry, which are defined above in the “Glossary of Oil and Natural Gas Terms.”

Overview

We are an independent oil and natural gas company focused on the acquisition, development, exploration and exploitation of unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves in the Permian Basin in West Texas. This basin, which is one of the major producing basins in the United States, is characterized by an extensive production history, a favorable operating environment, mature infrastructure, long reserve life, multiple producing horizons, enhanced recovery potential and a large number of operators.

We began operations in December 2007 with our acquisition of 4,174 net acres in the Permian Basin. At December 31, 2019, our total acreage position in the Permian Basin was approximately 455,378 gross (382,337 net) acres, which consisted primarily of approximately 218,138 gross (195,461 net) acres in the Midland Basin and approximately 196,171 gross (155,296 net) acres in the Delaware Basin. In addition, our publicly traded subsidiary Viper Energy Partners LP, which we refer to as Viper, owns mineral interests underlying approximately 814,224 gross acres and 24,304 net royalty acres in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale. Approximately 50% of these net royalty acres are operated by us. We own Viper Energy Partners GP LLC, the general partner of Viper, which we refer to as Viper’s general partner, and we own approximately 58% of the limited partner interest in Viper. Further, our publicly traded subsidiary Rattler Midstream Partners LP, which we refer to as Rattler, is focused on ownership, operation, development and acquisition of midstream infrastructure assets in the Midland and Delaware Basins of the Permian Basin. We own Rattler Midstream GP LLC, the general partner of Rattler, which we refer to as Rattler’s general partner, and we own approximately 71% of the limited partner interest in Rattler. As of December 31, 2019, Rattler owned and operated 867 miles of crude oil gathering pipelines, natural gas gathering pipelines and a fully integrated water system on acreage that overlays our seven core Midland and Delaware Basin development areas. To facilitate the transportation of produced water and hydrocarbon volumes away from the producing wellhead to ensuring the efficient operations of a crude oil or natural gas well, Rattler’s midstream infrastructure includes a network of gathering pipelines that collect and transport crude oil, natural gas and produced water from our operations in the Midland and Delaware Basins.

Our activities are primarily focused on horizontal development of the Spraberry and Wolfcamp formations of the Midland Basin and the Wolfcamp and Bone Spring formations of the Delaware Basin, both of which are part of the larger Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico. The Permian Basin is characterized by high oil and liquids rich natural gas, multiple vertical and horizontal target horizons, extensive production history, long-lived reserves and high drilling success rates.

As of December 31, 2019, our estimated proved oil and natural gas reserves were 1,127,575 MBOE (which includes estimated reserves of 88,946 MBOE attributable to the mineral interests owned by Viper), based on reserve reports prepared by Ryder Scott Company, L.P., or Ryder Scott, our independent reserve engineers. Of these reserves, approximately 67% are classified as proved developed producing. Proved undeveloped, or PUD, reserves included in this estimate are from 477 gross (434 net) horizontal well locations in which we have a working interest, and 22 horizontal wells in which we own only a mineral interest through our subsidiary, Viper. As of December 31, 2019, our estimated proved reserves were approximately 63% oil, 20% natural gas liquids and 17% natural gas.

Based on our evaluation of applicable geologic and engineering data, we currently have approximately 12,310 gross (8,141 net) identified economic potential horizontal drilling locations in multiple horizons on our acreage at an assumed price of approximately $60.00 per Bbl WTI. We intend to continue to develop our reserves and increase production through development drilling and exploitation and exploration activities on this multi-year project inventory of identified potential drilling locations and through additional acquisitions that meet our strategic and financial objectives, targeting oil-weighted reserves.

Significant 2019 Transactions

Divestiture of Certain Conventional and Non-Core Assets Acquired from Energen

On May 23, 2019, we completed our divestiture of 6,589 net acres of certain non-core Permian assets, which we acquired in our November 2018 merger with Energen Corporation, which we refer to as the Energen merger, for an aggregate sale price of $37 million.

On July 1, 2019, we completed our divestiture of 103,750 net acres of certain conventional and non-core Permian assets, which we acquired in the Energen merger, for an aggregate sale price of $285 million.

Drop-Down

On October 1, 2019, we completed a transaction to divest certain mineral and royalty interests to Viper for approximately 18.3 million of Viper’s newly-issued Class B units, approximately 18.3 million newly-issued units of Viper LLC with a fair value of $497 million and $190 million in cash, after giving effect to closing adjustments for net title benefits, which we refer to as the Drop-Down. The mineral and royalty interests divested in the Drop-Down represent approximately 5,490 net royalty acres across the Midland and Delaware Basins, of which over 95% are operated by us, and have an average net royalty interest of approximately 3.2%.

Rattler’s Initial Public Offering

In May 2019, Rattler completed its initial public offering, which we refer to as the Rattler Offering, of an aggregate 43,700,000 common units at a price to the public of $17.50 per share, which common units are traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “RTLR.” Rattler received aggregate net proceeds of approximately $720 million from the sale of these common units, after deducting the underwriting discount and offering expenses.

Our Business Strategy

Our business strategy is to continue to profitably grow our business through the following:

(1) Of these 1,770 total horizontal wells, we are the operator of 1,489 producing wells and have a non-operated working interest in 281 additional wells.

The following table presents the average number of days in which we were able to drill our horizontal wells to total depth specified below during the year ended December 31, 2019:

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The nature of our business activities subjects us to certain hazards and risks. The following is a summary of some of the material risks relating to our business activities. Other risks are described in Item 1. “Business and Properties” and Item 7A. “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.” These risks are not the only risks we face. We could also face additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to the Company or that we currently deem to be immaterial. If any of these risks actually occurs, it could materially harm our business, financial condition or results of operations and the trading price of our shares could decline.

Risks Related to the Oil and Natural Gas Industry and Our Business

Market conditions for oil and natural gas, and particularly volatility in prices for oil and natural gas, have in the past adversely affected, and may in the future adversely affect, our revenue, cash flows, profitability, growth, production and the present value of our estimated reserves.

Our revenues, operating results, profitability, future rate of growth and the carrying value of our oil and natural gas properties depend significantly upon the prevailing prices for oil and natural gas. Historically, oil and natural gas prices have

been volatile and are subject to fluctuations in response to changes in supply and demand, market uncertainty and a variety of additional factors that are beyond our control, including:

These factors and the volatility of the energy markets make it extremely difficult to predict future oil and natural gas price movements with any certainty. During the past five years, the posted price for West Texas intermediate light sweet crude oil, which we refer to as WTI Futures Contract 1 price for crude oil has ranged from a low of $26.21 per barrel, or Bbl, in February 2016 to a high of $76.41 per Bbl in October 2018. The Natural Gas Futures Contract 1 price spot market price of natural gas has ranged from a low of $1.64 per MMBtu in March 2016 to a high of $4.84 per MMBtu in November 2018. During 2019, WTI Futures Contract 1 prices ranged from $46.54 to $66.30 per Bbl and the Natural Gas Futures Contract 1 spot market price of natural gas ranged from $2.07 to $3.59 per MMBtu. On January 31, 2020, the WTI Futures Contract 1 posted price for crude oil was $51.56 per Bbl and the Natural Gas Futures Contract 1 spot market price of natural gas was $1.84 per MMBtu, representing decreases of 22% and 49%, respectively, from the high of $66.30 per Bbl of oil and $3.59 per MMBtu for natural gas during 2019. In response to recent volatility in commodity prices, many producers have reduced their capital expenditure budgets. If the prices of oil and natural gas decline further, our operations, financial condition and level of expenditures for the development of our oil and natural gas reserves may be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, lower oil and natural gas prices may reduce the amount of oil and natural gas that we can produce economically. This may result in our having to make substantial downward adjustments to our estimated proved reserves. If this occurs or if our production estimates change or our exploration or development activities are curtailed, full cost accounting rules may require us to write down, as a non-cash charge to earnings, the carrying value of our oil and natural gas properties. Reductions in our

reserves could also negatively impact the borrowing base under our revolving credit facility, which could further limit our liquidity and ability to conduct additional exploration and development activities.

Concerns over general economic, business or industry conditions may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition.

Concerns over global economic conditions, energy costs, geopolitical issues, inflation, the availability and cost of credit, the European, Asian and the United States financial markets have in the past contributed, and may in the future contribute, to economic uncertainty and diminished expectations for the global economy. In addition, continued hostilities in the Middle East, the occurrence or threat of terrorist attacks in the United States or other countries and global or national health concerns could adversely affect the global economy. These factors, combined with volatility in commodity prices, business and consumer confidence and unemployment rates, may precipitate an economic slowdown. Concerns about global economic growth may have an adverse impact on global financial markets and commodity prices. If the economic climate in the United States or abroad deteriorates, worldwide demand for petroleum products could diminish, which could impact the price at which we can sell our production, affect the ability of our vendors, suppliers and customers to continue operations and ultimately adversely impact our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition.

A significant portion of our net leasehold acreage is undeveloped, and that acreage may not ultimately be developed or become commercially productive, which could cause us to lose rights under our leases as well as have a material adverse effect on our oil and natural gas reserves and future production and, therefore, our future cash flow and income.

A significant portion of our net leasehold acreage is undeveloped, or acreage on which wells have not been drilled or completed to a point that would permit the production of commercial quantities of oil and natural gas regardless of whether such acreage contains proved reserves. In addition, many of our oil and natural gas leases require us to drill wells that are commercially productive, and if we are unsuccessful in drilling such wells, we could lose our rights under such leases. Our future oil and natural gas reserves and production and, therefore, our future cash flow and income are highly dependent on successfully developing our undeveloped leasehold acreage.

**Our development and expl

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None.

We are a party to various legal proceedings, disputes and claims arising in the course of our business, including those that arise from interpretation of federal and state laws and regulations affecting the natural gas and crude oil industry, personal injury claims, title disputes, royalty disputes, contract claims, contamination claims relating to oil and gas exploration and development and environmental claims, including claims involving assets previously sold to third parties and no longer part of our current operations. While the ultimate outcome of the pending proceedings, disputes or claims, and any resulting impact on us, cannot be predicted with certainty, we believe that none of these matters, if ultimately decided adversely, will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows or results of operations.

For additional information regarding contingencies, see Note 18—Commitments and Contingencies included in Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

Not applicable.

PART II

Listing and Holders of Record

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Select Global Market under the symbol “FANG”. There were 20 holders of record of our common stock on February 13, 2020.

Dividend Policy

On February 13, 2018, we announced the initiation of an annual cash dividend in the amount of $0.50 per share of our common stock payable quarterly which began with the first quarter of 2018. Beginning with the first quarter of 2019, the annual cash dividend was increased to $0.75 per share of our common stock. Additionally, beginning with the fourth quarter of 2019, the annual cash dividend was increased to $1.50 per share of our common stock. The decision to pay any future dividends is solely within the discretion of, and subject to approval by, our board of directors. Our board of directors’ determination with respect to any such dividends, including the record date, the payment date and the actual amount of the dividend, will depend upon our profitability and financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors that the board deems relevant at the time of such determination.

Repurchases of Equity Securities

Our common stock repurchase activity for the year ended December 31, 2019 was as follows:

This section presents our selected historical combined consolidated financial data. The selected historical combined consolidated financial data presented below is not intended to replace our historical consolidated financial statements. You should read the following data along with Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes, each of which is included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Presented below is our historical financial data for the periods and as of the dates indicated. The historical financial data for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 and the balance sheet data as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The historical financial data for the year ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 and the balance sheet data as of December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 are derived from our audited financial statements not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Non-GAAP financial measure and reconciliation

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. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) plus non-cash (gain) loss on derivative instruments, net, net interest expense, depreciation, depletion and amortization expense, impairment of oil and natural gas properties, non-cash equity-based compensation expense, capitalized equity-based compensation expense, asset retirement obligation accretion expense, (gain) loss on revaluation of investment, loss on extinguishment of debt, merger and integration expense, income tax (benefit) provision and non-controlling interest in net (income) loss. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of net income (loss) as determined by GAAP. Management believes Adjusted EBITDA is useful because it allows it to more effectively evaluate our operating performance and compare the results of our operations from period to period without regard to our financing methods or capital structure. We add the items listed above to net income (loss) in arriving at Adjusted EBITDA because these amounts can vary substantially from company to company within our industry depending upon accounting methods and book values of assets, capital structures and the method by which the assets were acquired. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income (loss) as determined in accordance with GAAP or as an indicator of our operating performance or liquidity. 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, none of which are components of Adjusted EBITDA. Our computations of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other similarly titled measure of other companies or to such measure in our revolving credit facility or any of our other contracts.

The following presents a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure of Adjusted EBITDA to the GAAP financial measure of net income (loss):

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10–K. The following discussion contains “forward-looking statements” that reflect our future plans, estimates, beliefs, and expected performance. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors. See Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Overview

We operate in two business segments: (i) the upstream segment, which is engaged in the acquisition, development, exploration and exploitation of unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves in the Permian Basin in West Texas and (ii) through our subsidiary, Rattler, the midstream operations segment, which is focused on ownership, operation, development and acquisition of the midstream infrastructure assets in the Midland and Delaware Basins of the Permian Basin.

Upstream Operations

In our upstream segment, our activities are primarily directed at the horizontal development of the Wolfcamp and Spraberry formations in the Midland Basin and the Wolfcamp and Bone Spring formations in the Delaware Basin. We intend to continue to develop our reserves and increase production through development drilling and exploitation and exploration activities on our multi-year inventory of identified potential drilling locations and through acquisitions that meet our strategic and financial objectives, targeting oil-weighted reserves.

As of December 31, 2019, we had approximately 382,337 net acres, which primarily consisted of approximately 195,461 net acres in the Midland Basin and approximately 155,296 net acres in the Delaware Basin. As of December 31, 2019, we had an estimated 12,310 gross horizontal locations that we believe to be economic at $60.00 per Bbl West Texas Intermediate, or WTI.

In addition, our publicly traded subsidiary Viper owns mineral interests underlying approximately 814,224 gross acres and 24,304 net royalty acres in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale. Approximately 50% of these net royalty acres are operated by us. We own Viper’s general partner and, together with one of our subsidiaries, approximately 58% of the limited partner interest in Viper, represented by common units and Class B units. We, as the holder of the Class B units in Viper and Viper’s general partner, as the holder of the general partner interest, are entitled to receive cash preferred distributions equal to 8% per annum on the outstanding amount of their respective capital contributions payable quarterly.

Midstream Operations

In our midstream operations segment, Rattler’s crude oil infrastructure assets consist of gathering pipelines and metering facilities, which collectively gather crude oil for its customers. Rattler’s facilities gather crude oil from horizontal and vertical wells in our ReWard, Spanish Trail, Pecos and Fivestones areas within the Permian Basin. Rattler’s natural gas gathering and compression system consists of gathering pipelines, compression and metering facilities, which collectively service the production from our Pecos area assets within the Permian Basin. Rattler’s water sourcing and distribution assets consists of water wells, frac pits, pipelines and water treatment facilities, which collectively gather and distribute water from Permian Basin aquifers to the drilling and completion sites through buried pipelines and temporary surface pipelines. Rattler’s gathering and disposal system spans approximately 474 miles and consists of gathering pipelines along with produced water disposal, or PWD, wells and facilities which collectively gather and dispose of produced water from operations throughout our Permian Basin acreage.

We have entered into multiple fee-based commercial agreements with Rattler, each with an initial term ending in 2034, utilizing Rattler’s infrastructure assets or its planned infrastructure assets to provide an array of essential services critical to our upstream operations in the Delaware and Midland Basins. Our agreements with Rattler include substantial acreage dedications.

2019 Transactions and Recent Developments

Rattler Midstream LP

Rattler is a publicly traded Delaware limited partnership, the common units of which are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “RTLR”. Rattler was formed by us in July 2018 to own, operate, develop and acquire midstream infrastructure assets in the Midland and Delaware Basins of the Permian Basin. Rattler Midstream GP LLC, or Rattler’s General Partner, a wholly-owned subsidiary of us, serves as the general partner of Rattler. As of December 31, 2019, we owned approximately 71% of Rattler’s total units outstanding.

In May 2019, Rattler completed its initial public offering, which we refer to as the Rattler Offering. Prior to the completion of the Rattler Offering, we owned all of the general and limited partner interests in Rattler. The Rattler Offering consisted of an aggregate of 43,700,000 common units representing approximately 29% of the limited partner interests in Rattler at a price to the public of $17.50 per common unit, which included 5,700,000 common units issued pursuant to an option to purchase additional common units granted to the underwriters on the same terms which closed on May 30, 2019. Rattler received net proceeds of approximately $720 million from the sale of these common units, after deducting offering expenses and underwriting discounts and commissions.

In connection with the completion of the Rattler Offering, Rattler (i) issued 107,815,152 Class B units representing an aggregate 71% voting limited partner interest in Rattler in exchange for a $1 million cash contribution from us, (ii) issued a general partner interest in Rattler to Rattler’s general partner, in exchange for a $1 million cash contribution from Rattler’s general partner, and (iii) caused Rattler LLC to make a distribution of approximately $727 million to us. We, as the beneficial holder of the Class B units, and Rattler’s general partner, as the holder of the general partner interest, are entitled to receive cash preferred distributions equal to 8% per annum on the outstanding amount of their respective $1 million capital contributions, payable quarterly.

Fourth Quarter 2019 Dividend Declaration and Increase

On February 14, 2020, our board of directors declared a cash dividend for the fourth quarter of 2019 of $0.3750 per share of common stock, payable on March 10, 2020 to our stockholders of record at the close of business on March 3, 2020, representing an increase of $0.1875 per share from the previously paid quarterly dividend.

Stock Repurchase Program

In May 2019, our board of directors approved a stock repurchase program to acquire up to $2 billion of our outstanding common stock through December 31, 2020. This repurchase program is another component of our capital return program that includes the quarterly dividend discussed above. We anticipate that the repurchase program will be funded primarily by free cash flow generated from operations and liquidity events such as the sale of assets. Purchases under the repurchase program may be made from time to time in open market or privately negotiated transactions, and are subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements, contractual obligations and other factors. The repurchase program does not require us to acquire any specific number of shares. This repurchase program may be suspended from time to time, modified, extended or discontinued by the board of directors at any time. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we repurchased approximately $598 million of common stock under our repurchase program. As of December 31, 2019, $1.4 billion remains available for use to repurchase shares under ou

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Commodity Price Risk

Our major market risk exposure is in the pricing applicable to our oil and natural gas production. Realized pricing is primarily driven by the prevailing worldwide price for crude oil and spot market prices applicable to our natural gas production. Pricing for oil and natural gas production has been volatile and unpredictable for several years, and we expect this volatility to continue in the future. The prices we receive for production depend on many factors outside of our control.

We use price swap derivatives, including basis swaps, double-up swaps, put spreads, interest rate swaps and three-way collars, to reduce price volatility associated with certain of our oil and natural gas sales. With respect to these fixed price swap contracts, the counterparty is required to make a payment to us if the settlement price for any settlement period is less than the swap price, and we are required to make a payment to the counterparty if the settlement price for any settlement period is greater than the swap price. Our derivative contracts are based upon reported settlement prices on commodity exchanges, with crude oil derivative settlements based on NYMEX West Texas Intermediate pricing (Cushing and Magellan East Houston) and Crude Oil - Brent and with natural gas derivative settlements based on NYMEX Henry Hub and Waha Hub pricing.

At December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, we had a net asset derivative position of $26 million and $216 million, respectively, related to our price swap, price basis swap derivatives and three-way collars. Utilizing actual derivative contractual volumes under our fixed price swaps and fixed price basis swaps as of December 31, 2019, a 10% increase in forward curves associated with the underlying commodity would have decreased the net asset position to a net liability position of $178 million, a decrease of $204 million, while a 10% decrease in forward curves associated with the underlying commodity would have increased the net asset derivative position to $232 million, an increase of $206 million. However, any cash derivative gain or loss would be substantially offset by a decrease or increase, respectively, in the actual sales value of production covered by the derivative instrument.

Counterparty and Customer Credit Risk

Our principal exposures to credit risk are through receivables resulting from joint interest receivables (approximately $186 million at December 31, 2019) and receivables from the sale of our oil and natural gas production (approximately $429 million at December 31, 2019).

We are subject to credit risk due to the concentration of our oil and natural gas receivables with several significant customers. We do not require our customers to post collateral, and the inability of our significant customers to meet their obligations to us or their insolvency or liquidation may adversely affect our financial results. For the year ended December 31, 2019, three purchasers each accounted for more than 10% of our revenue: Shell (27%); Plains (23%); and Vitol (15%). For the year ended December 31, 2018, three purchasers each accounted for more than 10% of our revenue: Shell (26%); Koch (15%); and Occidental Energy Marketing Inc. (11%). For the year ended December 31, 2017, three purchasers each accounted for more than 10% of our revenue: Shell (31%); Koch (19%); and Enterprise Crude Oil LLC (11%). No other customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenue during these periods.

Joint operations receivables arise from billings to entities that own partial interests in the wells we operate. These entities participate in our wells primarily based on their ownership in leases on which we intend to drill. We have little ability to control whether these entities will participate in our wells. At December 31, 2019, we had 15 customers that represented approximately 80% of our total joint operations receivables. At December 31, 2018, we had four customer that represented approximately 82% of our total joint operations receivables.

Interest Rate Risk

We are subject to market risk exposure related to changes in interest rates on our indebtedness under our revolving credit facility. The outstanding borrowings under the credit agreement bear interest at a per annum rate elected by us that is equal an alternate base rate (which is equal to the greatest of the prime rate, the Federal Funds effective rate plus 0.50% and 3-month LIBOR plus 1.0%) or LIBOR, in each case plus the applicable margin. The applicable margin ranges from 0.125% to 1.0% per annum and from 1.125% to 2.0% per annum in the case of LIBOR, in each case, depending on the pricing level, which in turn depends on the rating agencies’ rating of our unsecured debt. We are obligated to pay a quarterly commitment fee ranging from 0.125% to 0.350% per year on the unused portion of the commitment, based on the pricing level, which in turn depends on the rating agencies’ rating of our unsecured debt.

As of December 31, 2019, we had $13 million borrowings outstanding under our revolving credit facility. Our weighted average interest rate on borrowings under our revolving credit facility was 3.20% on December 31, 2019. An increase or decrease of 1% in the interest rate would have a corresponding increase or decrease in our interest expense of approximately $130,000 based on the $13 million outstanding in the aggregate under our revolving credit facility as of such date.

As of December 31, 2019, Viper LLC had $97 million in outstanding borrowings. Viper LLC’s weighted average interest rate was 4.30%. An increase or decrease of 1% in the interest rate would have a corresponding increase or decrease in Viper LLC’s interest expense of approximately $1 million based on the $97 million outstanding in the aggregate under the Viper credit agreement on December 31, 2019.

As of December 31, 2019, Rattler LLC had $424 million of outstanding borrowings. Rattler LLC’s weighted average interest rate was 2.98%. An increase or decrease of 1% in the interest rate would have a corresponding increase or decrease in Rattler LLC’s interest expense of approximately $4 million based on the $424 million outstanding under the Rattler credit agreement as of December 31, 2019.

The information required by this item appears beginning on page F-1 of this report.

None.

Evaluation of Disclosure Control and Procedures

Under the direction of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we have established disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. The disclosure controls and procedures are also intended to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and that management is required to apply judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.

As of December 31, 2019, an evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon our evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that as of December 31, 2019, our disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There have not been any changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2019 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, internal controls over financial reporting.

MANAGEMENT’S REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

The management of the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed under the supervision of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of the Company’s financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in the 2013 Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on its evaluation under the framework in the 2013 Internal Control-Integrated Framework, management did not identify any material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and determined that the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Grant Thornton LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm that audited the consolidated financial statements of the Company included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, has issued their report on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting at December 31, 2019. The report, which expresses an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting at December 31, 2019, is included in this Item under the heading “Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.”

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Board of Directors and Stockholders

Diamondback Energy, Inc.

Opinion on internal control over financial reporting

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of Diamondback Energy, Inc. (a Delaware corporation) and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2019, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on the criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by COSO.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), the consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019, and our report dated February 26, 2020 expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.

Basis for opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and limitations of internal control over financial reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ GRANT THORNTON LLP

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

February 26, 2020

Senior Management Severance Plan

Effective February 20, 2020, we adopted the Diamondback Energy, Inc. Senior Management Severance Plan, or the Severance Plan, and have entered into a participation agreement thereunder with each of our named executive officers. Pursuant to the participation agreements, the benefits under the Severance Plan replace the employment agreements with each of our named executive officers. The Severance Plan also covers other eligible executives who are selected to participate and replaces any employment agreement they may have.

Payments and Benefits Unrelated to a Change in Control. In the event that the employment of a participating executive is terminated by us other than for “cause” (and not by reason of death or disability) or if the participant terminates his or her employment for “good reason” (in each case as defined in the Severance Plan), in addition to any accrued but unpaid base salary or unreimbursed business expenses payable in accordance with the requirements of applicable law, the participant is entitled to receive severance benefits consisting of:

Severance Benefits Related to a Change in Control). In the event that employment of a participant is terminated by us other than for “cause” (and not by reason of death or disability) or if the participant terminates his or her employment for “good reason,” in either case within the two year period immediately following a change in control (as defined in the Severance Plan), the participant will be entitled to the benefits described above, except that the salary continuation described in clause (ii) will be replaced by a lump sum cash payment equal to a multiple of the participant’s base salary plus such participant’s average bonus for the preceding three years (3.0x for the Chief Executive Officer, 2.5x for Executive Vice-Presidents, 2.25x for Senior Vice-Presidents and 2.0x for Vice-Presidents).

Severance Benefits Related to Death or Disability. The Severance Plan also provides the same benefits described in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) (but not clause (iv)) in the event that a participant dies or becomes disabled (as defined in the Severance Agreement) while employed by us. Mr. Stice’s participation agreement includes terms that are intended to maintain certain benefits under his prior employment agreement and are consistent with prior public disclosure that require the Company to pay 100 percent of the premiums to continue his, his spouse’s and any of his eligible dependents’ group health plan continuation coverage under COBRA.

Release and Restrictive Covenants. The payment of any benefits under the Severance Plan is conditioned on the participant’s (or if applicable, the participant’s personal representative’s or estate’s) execution of a general release of claims. The Severance Plan also includes certain restrictive covenants that continue beyond the employment period, including non-competition and non-solicitation obligations for a period of one year following termination of employment. If a participating executive terminates employment on a basis that is not eligible for severance benefits, we can elect to apply the restrictive covenants for up to 12 months and receive a release by payment of an amount equal to one-twelfth of the participant’s annualized base salary plus target annual bonus for each month the restrictive covenants will apply.

We believe that these severance benefits provide the same type of income transition protections that were provided to our executives under their prior employment agreements. These arrangements are intended to attract and retain qualified executives that could have job alternatives that may appear to them to be less risky absent these arrangements. We believe that the enhanced severance benefits resulting from terminations related to a change in control transaction are in the interest of our stockholders because they provide an incentive for executives to continue to help successfully execute such a transaction from its early stages through consummation. We also believe that these benefits provide important protection to our named executive officers, are consistent with the prior employment protections and the practices of peer group companies and are appropriate for the attraction and retention of executive talent.

Appointment of Executive Vice President-Operations

On February 20, 2020, our board of directors promoted Daniel N. Wesson to serve as our Executive Vice President-Operations, effective March 1, 2020. Until the effective date of this promotion, Mr. Wesson will continue to serve as our Senior Vice President of Operations, a position he has held since February 2019. Mr. Wesson served as our Vice President of Operations from April 2017 to February 2019 and as our Completions Manager from January 2013 to April 2017. He joined us as an Operations Engineer in February 2012. Before joining our company, Mr. Wesson served in various operations and engineering roles for BOPCO L.P. from 2010 to 2012 and ConocoPhillips from 2007 to 2010. Mr. Wesson received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Louisiana State University and is a member of the Permian Basin Society of Petroleum Engineers.

In his role as our Executive Vice President-Operations, Mr. Wesson is entitled to receive an annual base salary and participate in (i) our annual executive cash incentive program, which provides an opportunity to receive an annual bonus, based on a target percentage of the annual base salary and pre-established performance goals, (ii) our equity incentive plan, under which we grant annual performance-based and time-vesting equity awards, (iii) the Severance Plan described above and (iv) any other employee benefit plans generally available to similarly situated employees of our company, as in effect from time to time.

PART III

Information as to Item 10 will be set forth in our definitive proxy statement, which is to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A with the SEC within 120 days after the close of the year ended December 31, 2019.

We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, principal accounting officer and controller and persons performing similar functions. Any amendments to or waivers from the code of business conduct and ethics will be disclosed on our website. The Company also has made the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics available on our website under the “Corporate Governance” section at http://ir.diamondbackenergy.com. We intend to satisfy the disclosure requirements under Item 5.05 of Form 8-K regarding an amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics by posting such information on our website at the address specified above.

Information as to Item 11 will be set forth in our definitive proxy statement, which is to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A with the SEC within 120 days after the close of the year ended December 31, 2019.

Information as to Item 12 will be set forth in our definitive proxy statement, which is to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A with the SEC within 120 days after the close of the year ended December 31, 2019.

Information as to Item 13 will be set forth in our definitive proxy statement, which is to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A with the SEC within 120 days after the close of the year ended December 31, 2019.

Information as to Item 14 will be set forth in our definitive proxy statement, which is to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A with the SEC within 120 days after the close of the year ended December 31, 2019.

None.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

S-1

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Board of Directors and Stockholders

Diamondback Energy, Inc.

Opinion on the financial statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Diamondback Energy, Inc. (a Delaware corporation) and subsidiaries (collectively the “Company”) as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), and our report dated February 26, 2020 expressed an unqualified opinion.

Basis for opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical audit matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Depletion expense, impairment evaluation and acquisition of oil and gas properties

As described in Note 2 to the financial statements, the Company accounts for its oil and gas properties using the full cost method of accounting which requires management to make estimates of proved reserve volumes and future revenues to record depletion expense and measure its oil and gas properties for potential impairment. Additionally, as described in Note 3 to the financial statements, the Company acquired significant oil and gas properties throughout the year. To estimate the volume of proved reserves and future revenues, management makes significant estimates and assumptions including forecasting the production decline rate of producing properties, forecasting the timing and volume of production associated with the Company’s development plan for proved undeveloped properties, and for acquisitions that included proved developed producing properties using an estimated fair value pricing model for the valuation of proved producing reserves. In addition, the estimation of proved reserves is also impacted by management’s judgments and estimates regarding the financial performance of wells associated with proved reserves to determine if wells are expected, with reasonable certainty, to be economical under the appropriate pricing assumptions required in the estimation of depletion expense and potential impairment measurements. We identified the estimation of proved reserves of oil and gas properties, due to its impact on depletion expense, impairment evaluation and acquisition valuation of oil and gas properties, as a critical audit matter.

F-1

The principal consideration for our determination that the estimation of proved reserves is a critical audit matter is that relatively minor changes in certain inputs and assumptions, which require a high degree of subjectivity, necessary to estimate the volume and future revenues of the Company’s proved reserves could have a significant impact on the measurement of depletion expense or impairment expense. In turn, auditing those inputs and assumptions required subjective and complex auditor judgment.

Our audit procedures related to the estimation of proved reserves included the following, among others.

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