MEXCO ENERGY CORP 10-K

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS The Company is subject to various risks and uncertainties in the ordinary course of business. The following summarizes significant risks and uncertainties that may adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. We could also face additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial. If any of these risks actually occurs, it could materially harm our business, financial condition or results of operations and the trading price of our shares could decline. Investors should carefully consider each of the following risk factors and all of the other information set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY Volatility of oil and gas prices significantly affects our results and profitability. Prices for oil and natural gas fluctuate widely. We cannot predict future oil and natural gas prices with any certainty. Historically, the markets for oil and gas have been volatile, and they are likely to continue to be volatile. Factors that can cause price fluctuations include the level of global demand for petroleum products; foreign supply and pricing of oil and gas; the actions of OPEC, its members and other state-controlled oil companies relating to oil price and production controls; nature and extent of governmental regulation and taxation, including environmental regulations; level of domestic and international exploration, drilling and production activity; the cost of exploring for, producing and delivering oil and gas; speculative trading in crude oil and natural gas derivative contracts; availability, proximity and capacity of oil and gas pipelines and other transportation facilities; weather conditions; the price and availability of alternative fuels; technological advances affecting energy consumption; national and international pandemics; and, overall political and economic conditions in oil producing countries. 10 Increases and decreases in prices also affect the amount of cash flow available for capital expenditures and our ability to borrow money or raise additional capital. The amount we can borrow from banks may be subject to redetermination based on changes in prices. In addition, we may have ceiling test writedowns when prices decline. Lower prices may also reduce the amount of crude oil and natural gas that can be produced economically. Thus, we may experience material increases or decreases in reserve quantities solely as a result of price changes and not as a result of drilling or well performance. Changes in oil and gas prices impact both estimated future net revenue and the estimated quantity of proved reserves. Any reduction in reserves, including reductions due to price fluctuations, can reduce the borrowing base under our credit facility and adversely affect the amount of cash flow available for capital expenditures and our ability to obtain additional capital for our exploration and development activities. Oil and natural gas prices do not necessarily fluctuate in direct relationship to each other. Lower prices or lack of storage may have an adverse affect on our financial condition due to reduction of our revenues, operating income and cash flows; curtailment or shut-in of our production due to lack of transportation or storage capacity; cause certain properties in our portfolio to become economically unviable; and, limit our financial condition, liquidity, and/or ability to finance planned capital expenditures and operations. Our results of operations may be negatively impacted by current global events, including the imposition of tariffs. Our business, financial condition and future results are subject to political and economic risks and uncertainties, including volatility in the political, legal and regulatory environments as a result of the change in U.S. presidential administration and instability resulting from civil unrest, political demonstrations, mass strikes or armed conflict or other crises in crude oil or natural gas producing areas such as the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and the Israel-Iran conflict. Escalating trade tensions, particularly between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, China and other countries, may lead to the imposition of tariffs and trade restrictions. Our operators could face unanticipated costs and competition for materials and components to continue their current drilling plans. In addition, the current U.S. presidential administration has signaled it will encourage increased domestic production of crude oil, which could lead to falling crude oil and natural gas prices. Changes in environmental laws could increase our operators’ costs and adversely impact our business, financial condition and cash flows. In recent years the U.S. Congress has considered legislation to reduce emissions of GHGs, including methane, a primary component of natural gas, and carbon dioxide, a byproduct of the burning of natural gas. Addressing GHG emissions with legislation on emissions fees could increase operating costs within the oil and gas industry. Fluids resulting from crude oil and natural gas production, consisting primarily of salt-water, are disposed by injection in belowground disposal wells. In recent years, state and federal regulatory agencies have focused on a possible connection between fluid injection and increased seismic activity. The Texas Railroad Commission has suspended or limited new well permits for salt water disposal wells, particularly in the Permian Basin. Increased regulation on the treatment and disposal of fluids could increase operating costs and curtail economical drilling. Lower oil and gas prices and other factors may cause us to record ceiling test writedowns. Lower oil and gas prices increase the risk of ceiling limitation write-downs. We use the full cost method to account for oil and gas operations. Accordingly, we capitalize the cost to acquire, explore for and develop crude oil and natural gas properties including the cost of abandoned properties, dry holes, geophysical costs and annual lease rentals. Sales or other dispositions of oil and natural gas properties are accounted for as adjustments to capitalized costs, with no gain or loss recorded. Depletion of evaluated oil and natural gas properties is computed in the units of production method, whereby capitalized costs are amortized over total proved reserves. Under the full cost accounting rules, the net capitalized cost of crude oil and natural gas properties may not exceed a “ceiling limit” which is based upon the present value of estimated future net cash flows from proved reserves, discounted at 10% plus the lower of cost or fair market value of unproved properties. If net capitalized costs of oil and natural gas properties exceed the ceiling limit, we must charge the amount of the excess against earnings. This is called a “ceiling test writedown.” We use the unweighted arithmetic average first day of the month price for oil and natural gas for the 12-month period preceding the calculation date in estimating discounted future net reserves. Under the accounting rules, we are required to perform a ceiling test each quarter. A ceiling test writedown does not impact cash flow from operating activities, but does reduce stockholders’ equity and earnings. The risk that we will be required to write down the carrying value of oil and natural gas properties increases when oil and natural gas prices are low. There were no ceiling test impairments on our oil and gas properties during fiscal 2025 and 2024. 11 We must replace reserves we produce. Our future success depends upon our ability to find, develop or acquire additional, economically recoverable oil and gas reserves. Our proved reserves will generally decline as reserves are depleted, except to the extent that we can find, develop or acquire replacement reserves. One offset to the obvious benefits afforded by higher product prices especially for small to mid-cap companies in this industry, is that quality domestic oil and gas reserves are hard to find. Approximately 28% and 33% of our total estimated net proved reserves at March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, were undeveloped, and those reserves may not ultimately be developed. Recovery of undeveloped reserves requires significant capital expenditures and successful drilling. Our reserve data assumes that we can and will make these expenditures and conduct these operations successfully. These assumptions, however, may not prove correct. Delays in the development of our reserves, increases in costs to develop such reserves, or decreases in commodity prices will reduce the future net revenues or our estimated proved undeveloped reserves and may result in some projects becoming uneconomical. In addition, if we or the outside operators of our properties choose not to spend the capital to develop these reserves, or if we are not able to successfully develop these reserves, we will be required to write-off these reserves. Any such write-offs of our reserves could reduce our ability to borrow money and could reduce the value of our common stock. Information concerning our reserves and future net revenues estimates is inherently uncertain. Estimates of oil and gas reserves, by necessity, are projections based on engineering data, and there are uncertainties inherent in the interpretation of such data as well as the projection of future rates of production and the timing of development expenditures. Reserve engineering is a subjective process of estimating underground accumulations of oil and gas that are difficult to measure. Estimates of economically recoverable oil and gas reserves and of future net cash flows depend upon a number of variable factors and assumptions, such as future production, oil and gas prices, operating costs, development costs and remedial costs, all of which may vary considerably from actual results. As a result, estimates of the economically recoverable quantities of oil and gas and of future net cash flows expected therefrom may vary substantially. As required by the SEC, the estimated discounted future net cash flows from proved reserves are based on a twelve month un-weighted first-day-of-the-month average oil and gas prices for the twelve months prior to the date of the report. Actual future prices and costs may be materially higher or lower. An increase in the differential between NYMEX and the reference or regional index price used to price our oil and gas would reduce our cash flow from operations. Our oil and gas is priced in the local markets where it is produced based on local or regional supply and demand factors. The prices we receive for our oil and gas are typically lower than the relevant benchmark prices, such as The New York Mercantile Exchange (“NYMEX”). The difference between the benchmark price and the price we receive is called a differential. Numerous factors may influence local pricing, such as refinery capacity, pipeline capacity and specifications, upsets in the midstream or downstream sectors of the industry, trade restrictions and governmental regulations such as policies of the Trump Administration. Additionally, insufficient pipeline capacity, lack of demand in any given operating area or other factors may cause the differential to increase in a particular area compared with other producing areas. During fiscal 2025, differentials averaged $2.79 per Bbl of oil and ($0.30) per Mcf of gas. Increases in the differential between the benchmark prices for oil and gas and the wellhead price we receive could significantly reduce our revenues and our cash flow from operations. 12 Drilling and operating activities are high risk activities that subject us to a variety of factors that we cannot control. These factors include availability of workover and drilling rigs, well blowouts, cratering, explosions, fires, formations with abnormal pressures, pollution, releases of toxic gases and other environmental hazards and risks. Any of these operating hazards could result in substantial losses to us. In addition, we incur the risk that no commercially productive reservoirs will be encountered, and there is no assurance that we will recover all or any portion of our investment in wells drilled or re-entered. We may not be able to fund the capital expenditures that will be required for us to increase reserves and production. We must make capital expenditures to develop our existing reserves and to acquire new reserves. Historically, we have used our cash flow from operations and borrowings under our credit facility to fund our capital expenditures, however, lower oil and gas prices may prevent these options. Volatility in oil and gas prices, the timing of our drilling programs and drilling results will affect our cash flow from operations. Lower prices and/or lower production will also decrease revenues and cash flow, thus reducing the amount of financial resources available to meet our capital requirements, including reducing the amount available to pursue our drilling opportunities. The borrowing base under our credit facility will be determined from time to time by the lender. Reductions in estimates of oil and gas reserves could result in a reduction in the borrowing base, which would reduce the amount of financial resources available under the credit facility to meet our capital requirements. Such a reduction could be the result of lower commodity prices and/or production, inability to drill or unfavorable drilling results, changes in oil and gas reserve engineering, the lender’s inability to agree to an adequate borrowing base or adverse changes in the lender’s practices regarding estimation of reserves. If cash flow from operations or our borrowing base decrease for any reason, our ability to undertake exploration and development activities could be adversely affected. As a result, our ability to replace production may be limited. Our identified drilling locations are scheduled out over several years, making them susceptible to uncertainties that could materially alter the occurrence or timing of their drilling. Our management and outside operators have specifically identified and scheduled drilling locations as an estimation of our future multi-year drilling activities on our existing acreage. These drilling locations represent a significant part of our growth strategy. Our ability to drill and develop these locations depends on a number of uncertainties, including crude oil and natural gas prices, the availability of capital, costs, drilling results, regulatory approvals and other factors. If future drilling results in these projects do not establish sufficient reserves to achieve an economic return, we may curtail drilling in these projects. Because of these uncertainties, we do not know if the numerous potential drilling locations we have identified will ever be drilled or if we will be able to produce crude oil or natural gas from these or any other potential drilling locations. Our business depends on oil and natural gas transportation facilities which are owned by others. The marketability of our production depends in part on the availability, proximity and capacity of natural gas gathering systems, pipelines and processing facilities. Federal and state regulation of oil and gas production and transportation, tax and energy policies, changes in supply and demand and general economic conditions could all affect our ability to produce and market our oil and gas. We own non-operating interests in properties developed and operated by third parties and, as a result, we are unable to control the operation and profitability of such properties. We participate in the drilling and completion of wells with third-party operators that exercise exclusive control over such operations. As a participant, we rely on third-party operators to successfully operate these properties pursuant to joint operating agreements and other similar contractual arrangements. As a participant in these operations, we may not be able to maximize the value associated with these properties in the manner we believe appropriate, or at all. For example, we cannot control the success of drilling and development activities on properties operated by third-parties, which depend on a number of factors under the control of a third-party operator, including such operator’s determinations with respect to, among other things, the nature and timing of drilling and operational activities, the timing and amount of capital expenditures and the selection of suitable technology. In addition, the third-party operator’s operational expertise and financial resources and its ability to gain the approval of other participants in drilling wells will impact the timing and potential success of drilling and development activities in a manner that we are unable to control. A third-party operator’s failure to adequately perform operations, breach of the applicable agreements or failure to act in ways that are favorable to us could reduce our production and revenues, negatively impact our liquidity and cause us to spend capital in excess of our current plans, and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. 13 Acquiring reserves in the oil and gas industry is highly competitive. Competition for oil and gas reserve acquisitions is significant. We may compete with major oil and gas companies, other independent oil and gas companies and individual producers and operators, some of which have financial and personnel resources substantially in excess of those available to us. As a result, we may be placed at a competitive disadvantage. Our ability to acquire and develop additional properties in the future will depend upon our ability to select and acquire suitable producing properties and prospects for future development activities. We may not be insured against all of the operating hazards to which our business is exposed. Our operations are subject to all the risks inherent in the exploration for, and development and production of oil and gas including blowouts, fires and other casualties. We maintain insurance coverage customary for operations of a similar nature, but losses could arise from uninsured risks or in amounts in excess of existing insurance coverage. Changes in effective tax rates or laws could adversely impact our results of operations. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including: changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities; tax effects of stock-based compensation; or changes in tax laws, regulations or interpretations thereof. For example, in previous years, legislation has been proposed to eliminate or defer certain key U.S. federal income tax deductions historically available to crude oil and natural gas exploration and production companies. Such proposed changes have included: a repeal of the percentage depletion allowance for crude oil and natural gas properties; the elimination of deductions for intangible drilling and exploration and development costs; the elimination of the deduction for certain production activities; and an extension of the amortization period for certain geological and geophysical expenditures. The passage of any legislation as a result of these proposals or other similar changes in U.S. federal income tax laws that alter, eliminate or defer these or other tax deductions utilized within the industry could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Our reliance on information technology, including those hosted by third parties, exposes us to cyber security risks that could affect our business, financial condition or reputation. The oil and natural gas industry has become increasingly dependent on digital technologies to conduct certain exploration, development, production, and processing activities, including digital technologies to interpret seismic data, manage drilling rigs, production equipment and gathering systems, conduct reservoir modeling and reserves estimation, and process and record financial and operating data. At the same time, cyber incidents, including deliberate attacks or unintentional events, have increased. The U.S. government has issued public warnings that indicate energy assets might be specific targets of cyber security threats. Our and our operators’ technologies, systems, networks, and those of vendors, suppliers and other business partners, may become the target of cyberattacks or information security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of proprietary and other information, or other disruption of business activities. In addition, certain cyber incidents, such as surveillance, may remain undetected for an extended period. Our systems for protecting against cyber security risks may not be sufficient. As cyber incidents continue to evolve, we may be required to expend additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to cyber incidents. 14 The loss of our chief executive officer or president could adversely impact our ability to execute our business strategy. We depend, and will continue to depend in the foreseeable future, upon the continued services of our Chief Executive Officer, Nicholas C. Taylor and our President and Chief Financial Officer, Tamala L. McComic, who have extensive experience and expertise in evaluating and analyzing producing oil and gas properties and drilling prospects, maximizing production from oil and gas properties and developing and executing acquisitions and financing. As of March 31, 2025, we do not have key-man insurance on the lives of Mr. Taylor and Ms. McComic. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of these individuals could, therefore, significantly and adversely affect our operations. We may be affected by one substantial shareholder. Nicholas C. Taylor beneficially owns approximately 46% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. Mr. Taylor is also our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. As a result, Mr. Taylor has significant influence in matters voted on by our shareholders, including the election of our Board members. Mr. Taylor participates in all facets of our business and has a significant impact on both our business strategy and daily operations. The retirement, incapacity or death of Mr. Taylor, or any change in the power to vote shares beneficially owned by Mr. Taylor, could result in negative market or industry perception and could have an adverse effect on our business. RISKS RELATED TO OUR COMMON STOCK We may issue additional shares of common stock in the future, which could cause dilution to all shareholders. We may seek to raise additional equity capital in the future. Any issuance of additional shares of our common stock will dilute the percentage ownership interest of all shareholders and may dilute the book value per share of our common stock. Control by our executive officers and directors may limit your ability to influence the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval and could discourage our potential acquisition by third parties. As of March 31, 2025, our executive officers and directors beneficially owned approximately 49% of our common stock. These stockholders, if acting together, would be able to influence significantly all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of our board of directors and the approval of mergers or other business combination transactions. The price of our common stock has been volatile and could continue to fluctuate substantially. Mexco common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange’s NYSE American. The market price of our common stock has and could continue to experience volatility due to reasons unrelated to our operating performance. These reasons include: supply and demand for oil and natural gas; political conditions in oil and natural gas producing regions; demand for our common stock and limited trading volume; investor perception of our industry; fluctuations in commodity prices; variations in our results of operations; legislative or regulatory changes; general trends in the oil and natural gas industry; market conditions and analysts’ estimates; and, other events in the oil and gas industry. Many of these factors are beyond our control, and we cannot predict their potential effects on the price of our common stock. We cannot assure you that the market price of our common stock will not fluctuate or decline significantly in the future. In addition, the stock markets in general can experience considerable price and volume fluctuations.