Fair Value Measurements

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Certain of the Company’s assets and liabilities are carried at fair value and measured either on a recurring or nonrecurring basis. The Company’s fair value measurements are based either on actual market data or assumptions that other market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability in an orderly transaction, using the valuation hierarchy prescribed by GAAP under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820.

The three levels of the fair value hierarchy under ASC 820 are as follows:

Level I - Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical investments at the measurement date are used.

Level II - Pricing inputs are other than quoted prices included within Level I that are observable for the investment, either directly or indirectly. Level II pricing inputs include quoted prices for similar investments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar investments in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the investment, and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means.

Level III - Pricing inputs are unobservable and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the investment. The inputs used in determination of fair value require significant judgment and estimation.

Recurring Fair Value Measurements

Debt Obligations

The carrying value and fair value of the financial instrument that is not carried at fair value in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 is as follows:


	September 30, 2020				December 31, 2019
(In thousands)	Carrying Value		Fair Value		Carrying Value		Fair Value
Long-term debt	$	390,787	$	392,000	$	389,835	$	412,000

The fair value of the 2026 Senior Notes at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 is based on unadjusted quoted prices in an active market, which are considered a Level 1 input in the fair value hierarchy.

The Company has other financial instruments consisting primarily of receivables, payables, and other current assets and liabilities that approximate fair value due to the nature of the instrument and their relatively short maturities. Non-financial assets and liabilities initially measured at fair value include assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business combinations and asset retirement obligations.

Derivative Instruments

The fair value of the Company’s natural gas costless collar derivative instruments are measured using an industry-standard pricing model and are provided by a third party. The inputs used in the third-party pricing model include quoted forward prices for natural gas, the contracted volumes, volatility factors, and time to maturity, which are considered Level 2 inputs. The Company’s derivative instruments are recorded at fair value within “Other current liabilities” on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2020. These fair values are recorded by netting asset and liability positions with the same counterparty and are subject to contractual terms, which provide for net settlement. There are no long-term derivative assets or liabilities as of September 30, 2020 and there were no outstanding derivative instruments as of December 31, 2019.

The following table presents the classification of the outstanding derivative instruments and the fair value hierarchy table for the Company’s derivative assets and liabilities that are required to be measured at fair value on a recurring basis:


	Fair Value Measurements Using
(In thousands)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total Fair Value		Netting		Carrying Amount
September 30, 2020
Current assets:
Natural gas derivative instruments	$	—	$	2,181	$	—	$	2,181	$	(2,181)	$	—
Current liabilities:
Natural gas derivative instruments	$	—	$	4,389	$	—	$	4,389	$	(2,181)	$	2,208

See Note 5—Derivative Instruments for notional volumes and terms with the Company’s derivative contracts.

Nonrecurring Fair Value Measurements

The Company applies the provisions of the fair value measurement standard on a nonrecurring basis to its non-financial assets and liabilities, including oil and natural gas properties. These assets and liabilities are not measured at fair value on a recurring basis but are subject to fair value adjustments when facts and circumstances arise that indicate a need for remeasurement.

During the first quarter of 2020, Magnolia recorded impairments of $1.9 billion related to proved and unproved properties as a result of a sharp decline in commodity prices. Proved property impairment of $1.4 billion is included in “Impairment of oil and natural gas properties” and unproved property impairment of $0.6 billion is included in “Exploration expense” on the Company’s consolidated statement of operations. Proved and unproved properties that were impaired had aggregate fair values of $0.8 billion and $0.3 billion, respectively. The fair values of these oil and natural gas properties were measured using the income approach based on inputs that are not observable in the market, and therefore, represent Level 3 inputs. The Company calculated the estimated fair values of its oil and natural gas properties using a discounted future cash flow model. Significant inputs associated with the calculation of discounted future net cash flows include estimates of future commodity prices based on NYMEX strip pricing adjusted for price differentials, estimates of proved oil and natural gas reserves and risk adjusted probable and possible reserves, estimates of future expected operating and capital costs, and a market participant based weighted average cost of capital of 10% for proved property impairments and 12% for unproved property impairments.

Deemed Dividend

In July 2019, the Company issued an aggregate of 9.2 million shares of Class A Common Stock in exchange for all of its warrants. The difference in fair value between the Class A Common Stock issued and the warrants exchanged was recorded as a non-cash deemed dividend for the incremental value provided to the holders of the warrants. The fair value of the non-cash deemed dividend related to the warrant exchange was determined based on unadjusted quoted prices in an active market, which are considered a Level 1 input in the fair value hierarchy. Refer to Note 1 2—Stockholders’ Equity for additional information.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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