Taking flight: Stone profits soar in third quarter.
Stone soars in third quarter
Louisiana independent Stone Energy reported a third-quarter profit that beat estimates, helped by an increase in production, and raised its full-year production outlook.
For the quarter, net income was $51.1 million, or $1.06 per share, compared to $34.1 million, or $1.04 per share, a year earlier.
Operating revenue rose 18% to $202.7 million, according to a Reuters report.
Analysts on average were expecting Stone to earn 64 cents per share, on revenue of $144.6 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Net daily production volumes during the quarter averaged 239 million cubic feet of gas equivalent compared with 129 MMcfe a year earlier.
Stone forecast fourth-quarter production of 225 to 235 MMcfepd and raised its full-year outlook to 210 MMcfepd to 220 MMcfepd from 205MMcfepd to 225 MMcfepd.
"We expect to gain further traction in exploration in 2010 with increased drilling in our Marcellus shale play in Appalachia and in the GOM deep-water," Stone boss David Welch said in a statement.