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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries and have been prepared in accordance with GAAP and the instructions to Form 10-K and Regulation S-X. Subsidiaries that the Company does not control are accounted for using the equity or cost methods as appropriate. Equity method investments are included in other noncurrent assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets (“accompanying balance sheets”). Intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. In connection with the preparation of the consolidated financial statements, the Company evaluated subsequent events after the balance sheet date of December 31, 2013, through the filing date of this report. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation
Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of proved oil and gas reserves, assets and liabilities, 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 results could differ from those estimates. Estimates of proved oil and gas reserve quantities provide the basis for the calculation of depletion, depreciation, and amortization expense, impairment of proved properties, asset retirement obligations, and the Net Profits Interest Bonus Plan (“Net Profits Plan”) liability, each of which represents a significant component of the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all liquid investments purchased with an initial maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents approximates fair value due to the short-term nature of these instruments.
Restricted cash [Policy Text Block]
Restricted Cash
The Company’s restricted cash balance mainly consists of cash payments that are contractually restricted to be used solely for development of long-term capital assets pursuant to the Company’s Acquisition and Development Agreement with Mitsui and accordingly are classified as non-current assets. Please refer to Note 12 - Acquisition and Development Agreement for additional information.
Receivables, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Accounts Receivable
The Company’s accounts receivable consist mainly of receivables from oil, gas, and NGL purchasers and from joint interest owners on properties the Company operates. For receivables from joint interest owners, the Company typically has the ability to withhold future revenue disbursements to recover non-payment of joint interest billings. Generally, the Company’s oil and gas receivables are collected within two months, and the Company has had minimal bad debts.
Although diversified among many companies, collectability is dependent upon the financial wherewithal of each individual company and is influenced by the general economic conditions of the industry. Receivables are not collateralized. As of December 31, 2013 and 2012, the Company had no allowance for doubtful accounts recorded.
Full Cost or Successful Efforts, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Oil and Gas Producing Activities
The Company accounts for its oil and gas exploration and development costs using the successful efforts method. Geological and geophysical costs are expensed as incurred. Exploratory well costs are capitalized pending further evaluation of whether economically recoverable reserves have been found. If economically recoverable reserves are not found, exploratory well costs are expensed as dry holes. The application of the successful efforts method of accounting requires management’s judgment to determine the proper designation of wells as either development or exploratory, which will ultimately determine the proper accounting treatment of costs of dry holes. Once a well is drilled, the determination that economic proved reserves have been discovered may take considerable time and judgment. Exploratory dry hole costs are included in cash flows from investing activities as part of capital expenditures within the accompanying statements of cash flows. The costs of development wells are capitalized whether those wells are successful or unsuccessful.
DD&A of capitalized costs related to proved oil and gas properties is calculated on a pool-by-pool basis using the units-of-production method based upon proved reserves. The computation of DD&A takes into consideration restoration, dismantlement, and abandonment costs as well as the anticipated proceeds from salvaging equipment. As of December 31, 2013, and 2012, the estimated salvage value of the Company's equipment was $57.5 million and $64.4 million, respectively.
Net Profits Plan [Policy Text Block]
Net Profits Plan

The Company records the estimated fair value of expected future payments made under the Net Profits Plan as a noncurrent liability in the accompanying balance sheets. The underlying assumptions used in the calculation of the estimated liability include estimates of production, proved reserves, recurring and workover lease operating expense, transportation, production and ad valorem tax rates, present value discount factors, pricing assumptions, and overall market conditions. The estimates used in calculating the long-term liability are adjusted from period-to-period based on the most current information attributable to the underlying assumptions. Changes in the estimated liability of future payments associated with the Net Profits Plan are recorded as increases or decreases to expense in the current period as a separate line item in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations (“accompanying statements of operations”), as these changes are considered changes in estimates.
The distribution amounts due to participants and payable in each period under the Net Profits Plan as cash compensation related to periodic operations are recognized as compensation expense and are included within general and administrative expense and exploration expense in the accompanying statements of operations. The corresponding current liability is included in accounts payable and accrued expenses in the accompanying balance sheets. This treatment provides for a consistent matching of cash expense with net cash flows from the oil and gas properties in each respective pool of the Net Profits Plan. For additional discussion, please refer to the heading Net Profits Plan in Note 7 – Compensation Plans and Note 11 – Fair Value Measurements.
Asset Retirement Obligations, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Asset Retirement Obligations
The Company recognizes an estimated liability for future costs associated with the abandonment of its oil and gas properties. A liability for the fair value of an asset retirement obligation and corresponding increase to the carrying value of the related long-lived asset are recorded at the time a well is completed or acquired. The increase in carrying value is included in proved oil and gas properties in the accompanying balance sheets. The Company depletes the amount added to proved oil and gas property costs and recognizes expense in connection with the accretion of the discounted liability over the remaining estimated economic lives of the respective oil and gas properties. For additional discussion, please refer to Note 9 – Asset Retirement Obligations.
Revenue Recognition, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Revenue Recognition
The Company derives revenue primarily from the sale of produced oil, gas, and NGLs. Revenue is recognized when the Company’s production is delivered to the purchaser, but payment is generally received between 30 and 90 days after the date of production. No revenue is recognized unless it is determined that title to the product has transferred to the purchaser. At the end of each month, the Company estimates the amount of production delivered to the purchaser and the price the Company will receive. The Company uses knowledge of its properties and historical performance, NYMEX, OPIS, and local spot market prices, quality and transportation differentials, and other factors as the basis for these estimates.
The Company uses the sales method of accounting for gas revenue whereby sales revenue is recognized on all gas sold to purchasers, regardless of whether the sales are proportionate to the Company’s ownership in the property. An asset or liability is recognized to the extent that there is an imbalance in excess of the remaining gas reserves on the underlying properties.
Property, Plant and Equipment, Impairment [Policy Text Block]
Impairment of Proved and Unproved Properties
Proved oil and gas property costs are evaluated for impairment and reduced to fair value, which is based on expected future discounted cash flows, when there is an indication that the carrying costs may not be recoverable. Expected future cash flows are calculated on all developed proved reserves and risk adjusted proved undeveloped, probable, and possible reserves using a discount rate and price forecasts that management believes are representative of current market conditions. The prices for oil and gas are forecasted based on NYMEX strip pricing, adjusted for basis differentials, for the first five years, after which a flat terminal price is used for each commodity stream. The prices for NGLs are forecasted using OPIS pricing, adjusted for basis differentials, for as long as the market is actively trading, after which a flat terminal price is used. Future operating costs are also adjusted as deemed appropriate for these estimates. An impairment is recorded on unproved property when the Company determines that either the property will not be developed or the carrying value is not realizable.
Share-based Compensation, Option and Incentive Plans Policy [Policy Text Block]
Stock-Based Compensation

At December 31, 2013, the Company had stock-based employee compensation plans that included RSUs, PSUs, restricted stock awards, and stock options issued to employees and non-employee directors, as more fully described in Note 7 - Compensation Plans. The Company records expense associated with the fair value of stock-based compensation in accordance with authoritative accounting guidance, which is based on the estimated fair value of these awards determined at the time of grant
Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for deferred income taxes whereby deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized based on the tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts on the financial statements and the tax basis of assets and liabilities, as measured using current enacted tax rates. These differences will result in taxable income or deductions in future years when the reported amounts of the assets or liabilities are recorded or settled, respectively. The Company records deferred tax assets and associated valuation allowances, when appropriate, to reflect amounts more likely than not to be realized based upon Company analysis.
Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Earnings per Share
Basic net income (loss) per common share is calculated by dividing net income or loss available to common stockholders by the basic weighted-average common shares outstanding for the respective period. The earnings per share calculations reflect the impact of any repurchases of shares of common stock made by the Company.
Diluted net income (loss) per common share is calculated by dividing adjusted net income or loss by the diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding, which includes the effect of potentially dilutive securities. Potentially dilutive securities for this calculation consist of in-the-money outstanding stock options, unvested RSUs, contingent PSUs, and shares into which the 3.50% Senior Convertible Notes were convertible. When there is a loss from continuing operations, as was the case for the year ended December 31, 2012, all potentially dilutive shares are anti-dilutive and are consequently excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share.
PSUs represent the right to receive, upon settlement of the PSUs after the completion of the three-year performance period, a number of shares of the Company’s common stock that may range from zero to two times the number of PSUs granted on the award date. The number of potentially dilutive shares related to PSUs is based on the number of shares, if any, which would be issuable at the end of the respective reporting period, assuming that date was the end of the contingency period applicable to such PSUs. For additional discussion on PSUs, please refer to Note 7 – Compensation Plans under the heading Performance Share Units Under the Equity Incentive Compensation Plan.
Segment Reporting, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Industry Segment and Geographic Information
The Company operates exclusively in the exploration and production segment of the oil and gas industry and all of the Company’s operations are conducted entirely within the United States. The Company reports as a single industry segment. The Company’s gas marketing function provides mostly internal services and acts as the first purchaser of natural gas and natural gas liquids produced by the Company in certain cases. The Company considers its marketing function as ancillary to its oil and gas producing activities. The amount of income these operations generate from marketing gas produced by third parties is not material to the Company’s results of operations, and segmentation of such activity would not provide a better understanding of the Company’s performance. However, gross revenue and expense related to marketing activities for gas produced by third parties are presented in the marketed gas system revenue and marketed gas system expense line items in the accompanying statements of operations.
Off-Balance-Sheet Credit Exposure, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
The Company has not participated in transactions that generate relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities (“SPEs”), which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes. The Company has not been involved in any unconsolidated SPE transactions.
The Company evaluates its transactions to determine if any variable interest entities exist. If it is determined that SM Energy is the primary beneficiary of a variable interest entity, that entity is consolidated into SM Energy. As of December 31, 2013, all variable interest entities have been consolidated.
Pension Benefits Policy
The Company recognizes the funded status, (i.e. the difference between the fair value of plan assets and the projected benefit obligation) of the Company’s Pension Plans in the accompanying balance sheets as either an asset or a liability and recognizes a corresponding adjustment to accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax. The projected benefit obligation is the actuarial present value of the benefits earned to date by plan participants based on employee service and compensation including the effect of assumed future salary increases. The accumulated benefit obligation uses the same factors as the projected benefit obligation but excludes the effects of assumed future salary increases. The Company’s measurement date for plan assets and obligations is December 31.
Fair Value Measurement Policy Surrounding Derivatives
The Company’s commodity derivatives are measured at fair value and are included in the accompanying balance sheets as derivative assets and liabilities.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Derivatives
The Company uses Level 2 inputs to measure the fair value of oil, gas, and NGL commodity derivatives. Fair values are based upon interpolated data. The Company derives internal valuation estimates taking into consideration forward commodity price curves, counterparties’ credit ratings, the Company’s credit rating, and the time value of money. These valuations are then compared to the respective counterparties’ mark-to-market statements. The considered factors result in an estimated exit-price that management believes provides a reasonable and consistent methodology for valuing derivative instruments. The derivative instruments utilized by the Company are not considered by management to be complex, structured, or illiquid. The oil, gas, and NGL commodity derivative markets are highly active.