EOG -- 4Q11 and 2011 Results -- 320-Acre Spacing in the Bakken -- Raises Dividend

EOG today reported fourth quarter 2011 net income of $120.7 million, or $0.45 per share. This compares to fourth quarter 2010 net income of $53.7 million, or $0.21 per share. For the full year 2011, EOG reported net income of $1,091.1 million, or $4.10 per share, as compared to $160.7 million, or $0.63 per share, for the full year 2010.

The press release.

Most of the press release had to do with EOG's largest asset, the Eagle Ford in Texas, which was incredible for investors, but this about the Bakken, was also quite incredible:

Consistent with its game plan to increase recovery rates in existing fields, during 2011 EOG continued infill drilling on its core acreage in the North Dakota Bakken Parshall Field, which it discovered in 2006.

Although originally developed on 640-acre spacing, EOG has successfully tested 320-acre down-spacing in various areas and around the perimeters of the field. A recent well in Mountrail County, the Fertile 48-0905H, in which EOG has a 96 percent working interest, was completed at an initial rate of 1,324 Bopd. Also in Mountrail County, the Liberty 24-2531H and Liberty LR 20-26H were drilled on 320-acre spacing.

The wells, in which EOG has 82 and 95 percent working interest, respectively, were turned to sales at initial crude oil rates of 1,507 and 1,165 Bopd, respectively. Over the course of 2012, EOG will continue its efforts to increase recovery of the oil-in-place on its Bakken acreage through further down-spacing tests and the initiation of a secondary recovery pilot project. [See first comment: water vs CO2?]

320-acre spacing. I-M-P-R-E-S-S-I-V-E.

Going forward:

EOG has hedged approximately 23 percent of its North American crude oil production for 2012. For the period February 1 through June 30, 2012, EOG has crude oil financial price swap contracts in place for approximately 33 percent of its production at a weighted average price of $105.36 per barrel, excluding unexercised options. For the period July 1 through December 31, 2012, EOG has 14 percent of its production hedged at a weighted average price of $104.26 per barrel, excluding unexercised options.