Western Midstream Partners, LP Q1 FY26 Results

"WES delivered record Adjusted EBITDA of $683.1 million in the first-quarter of 2026, increasing 7-percent sequentially and 15-percent compared to the prior-year period, which was primarily driven by a full quarter’s contribution from the Aris acquisition, throughput growth across all three products, and successful cost reduction efforts." "Additionally, our Adjusted Gross Margin in the first quarter benefited as crude-oil prices increased in March. This performance also reflects the results of our efficiency and cost reduction strategies, as this and several other variables came together to produce the strongest quarter in the Partnership’s history." "What distinguished Aris among its peers was the quality and structure of its long-term contracts, which include substantial acreage dedications that provide the same fee-based cash flow foundation that defines WES’s broader portfolio, and the ability to create additional value from retained skim oil volumes in a favorable commodity price environment. As crude-oil prices increased in March, we benefited directly through skim oil recoveries on the Aris system and the fixed recovery natural-gas 2 processing contracts we have been deliberately building across our portfolio. Combined with the cost reduction actions executed in 2025, which have materially improved our operating leverage, the earnings power of WES is increasingly evident." "The Delaware Basin remains the cornerstone of our growth strategy and the primary driver of our capital allocation. It is the premier operating basin in North America, and WES has built one of the most integrated midstream platforms across crude-oil, natural-gas, and produced-water in an area which will continue to attract producer capital for decades. The sanctioning of the Pathfinder Pipeline and North Loving II, the Aris acquisition, and today’s announcement pertaining to the purchase of Brazos, each reflect that conviction. More than 60-percent of WES’s 2026 Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be generated from the Delaware Basin, and that proportion will only grow as our organic growth projects come online in first and second quarters of 2027." "The Brazos acquisition further enhances our Delaware Basin footprint and is in line with WES’s M&A philosophy of making accretive, strategic acquisitions that enhance the value of WES’s existing asset base, provide a diverse set of high-quality customers, and generate strong Free Cash Flow, all while protecting our investment grade credit ratings. The asset is contiguous to our existing footprint, can be efficiently integrated into our system, and provides exposure to additional geologic trends, including the growing Woodford Shale. The transaction is expected to contribute approximately $100 million of incremental Adjusted EBITDA in 2026, assuming a close by the end of the second quarter." "Looking ahead, our fee-based contract structures, supported by substantial minimum-volume commitments and acreage dedications, provide durable, protected cash flows across commodity cycles. While we are not currently updating our annual guidance ranges, as we have not yet received formal changes to our producers’ drilling plans for this year, we expect to be towards the high end of both the Adjusted EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow ranges, without taking into account the impact of the Brazos transaction. This improved outlook is due to increased commercial discussions, the very favorable commodity price environment, and our improving operating leverage due to our successful and ongoing cost competitiveness efforts. With that said, we intend to reevaluate our 2026 guidance ranges in conjunction with our second-quarter results after the scheduled close of the Brazos transaction." "All in all, years of hard work that have culminated in multiple quarters of record operational and financial results continue to demonstrate WES’s financial flexibility to consummate accretive M&A, fund its organic growth program, and sustain a balanced capital return program, all while maintaining one of the strongest balance sheets in the midstream sector."