DALLAS, Aug. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alerian announced today that Williams Partners (NYSE: WPZ) is expected to be removed from the Alerian Midstream Energy Index (AMNA), Alerian MLP Infrastructure Index (AMZI), Alerian US Midstream Energy Index (AMUS), Alerian MLP Index (AMZ), Alerian MLP Equal Weight Index (AMZE), Alerian Natural Gas MLP Index (ANGI), and Alerian Large Cap MLP Index (AMLI) in a special rebalancing.

Special rebalancings are triggered by corporate actions such as mergers, bankruptcies, and liquidations. Pending unitholder approval, WPZ will cease to trade due to its merger with the Williams Companies (NYSE: WMB). If approved, the rebalancing will take place one full trading day after the issuance of a press release indicating all needed merger votes have passed.

Each index will be rebalanced in accordance with its existing methodology. Constituent additions to and deletions from an index do not reflect an opinion by Alerian on the investment merits of the respective securities.

About Alerian
Alerian equips investors to make informed decisions about energy infrastructure and Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs). Its benchmarks are widely used by industry executives, investment professionals, research analysts, and national media to analyze relative performance. As of July 31, 2018, over $15 billion is directly tied to the Alerian Index Series through exchange-traded funds and notes, separately managed accounts, and structured products. For more information, including index values and constituents, research content, and announcements regarding rebalancings, please visit alerian.com.

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SOURCE Alerian

DALLAS, Aug. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alerian reported index linked product positions of $15.0 billion as of June 30, 2018. Linked products include exchange-traded funds, exchange-traded notes, return of capital notes, variable insurance portfolios, and mutual funds.

Below is a full list of energy master limited partnership (MLP) positions, as of June 30, 2018, in products linked to the Alerian Index Series.

About Alerian
Alerian equips investors to make informed decisions about energy infrastructure and Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs). Its benchmarks are widely used by industry executives, investment professionals, research analysts, and national media to analyze relative performance. As of June 30, 2018, over $15 billion is directly tied to the Alerian Index Series through exchange-traded funds and notes, separately managed accounts, and structured products. For more information, including index values and constituents, research content, and announcements regarding rebalancings, please visit alerian.com.

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SOURCE Alerian

DALLAS, June 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Swank Capital, LLC and Cushing^® Asset Management, LP, announce today an upcoming interim rebalancing of The Cushing^® Energy Index (the "Index"). Per the Index's methodology guide, the removal of an Index constituent from a Sub-Index without a named direct replacement necessitates the rebalancing of the Index. The Cushing^® 30 MLP Index (the "Sub-Index") announced today that Index constituents Spectra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: SEP) and Tallgrass Energy GP, LP (NYSE: TEGP) will be removed from the Sub-Index after the markets close on June 15, 2018, and effective on June 18, 2018. Replacements named for the removed constituents are not direct replacements. After the markets close on June 15, 2018, the constituents of the Index will be rebalanced, and the changes in the table below will become effective on June 18, 2018.

Cushing^® Energy Index constituents, effective June 18, 2018:

Constituents removed, effective June 18, 2018:

ABOUT THE CUSHING^® ENERGY INDEX

The Cushing^® Energy Index tracks the performance of widely held companies engaged in exploration and production, refining and marketing, and storage and transportation of oil, natural gas, coal and consumable fuels, as well as oil and natural gas equipment and services companies. Constituents of the Index are weighted based on current yield. The Index price level is calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices and reported on a real-time basis under the Bloomberg ticker "CENI".

ABOUT SWANK CAPITAL AND CUSHING^® ASSET MANAGEMENT

Cushing^® Asset Management, LP ("Cushing"), a subsidiary of Swank Capital, LLC, is an SEC-registered investment adviser headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Cushing serves as investment adviser to affiliated funds and managed accounts which invest primarily in securities of MLPs and other natural resource companies.

Cushing is also dedicated to serving the needs of investors by sponsoring a variety of benchmarks, including The Cushing^® 30 MLP Index (Bloomberg Ticker: MLPX), The Cushing^® 30 MLP Market Cap Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CMCI), The Cushing^® MLP High Income Index (Bloomberg Ticker: MLPY), The Cushing^® Energy Supply Chain Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CSCI), The Cushing^® Transportation Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CTRI) and The Cushing^® Utility Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CUTI). For more information, please visit http://www.cushingasset.com/indices.

Contact:
Judson Redmond
214-692-6334
www.cushingasset.com

The Cushing^® Energy Index (the "Index") is the exclusive property of Swank Capital, LLC, and Cushing Asset Management, LP, which have contracted with S&P Opco, LLC (a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC) ("S&P Dow Jones Indices") to calculate and maintain the Index. S&P® is a registered trademark of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC ("SPFS"); Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC ("Dow Jones"); and, these trademarks have been licensed to S&P Dow Jones Indices. "Calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices" and its related stylized mark(s) have been licensed for use by Swank Capital, LLC, and Cushing Asset Management, LP. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices, SPFS, Dow Jones nor any of their affiliates sponsor and promote the Index and none shall be liable for any errors or omissions in calculating the Index.

CUSH-CENI

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SOURCE Cushing Asset Management, LP; Swank Capital, LLC

DALLAS, May 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Swank Capital, LLC and Cushing^® Asset Management, LP announce an upcoming interim change to the constituents of The Cushing^® 30 MLP Index (the "Index"). On February 23, 2018, Index constituents Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) and Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP) announced a series of simplification transactions (the "Simplification Transactions") whereby ARLP would acquire AHGP, subject to the written consent of the holders of a majority of AHGP's common units. AHGP sent notice to unitholders soliciting their written consent on April 27, 2018, and established a date 20 business days after that date, or May 25, 2018, as the earliest end of the consent period.

In the notice to unitholders sent April 27, 2018, AHGP stated that certain AHGP unitholders, which collectively own a majority of the outstanding AHGP common units, have agreed to deliver a written consent approving the Simplification Transactions pursuant to a support agreement. As AHGP has received sufficient consent to approve the transactions, per the Index's Methodology Guide, the earliest end of the consent period, or May 25, 2018, will be deemed the date for replacing AHGP in the Index. Consequently, after the market closes on May 25, 2018, and effective on May 29, 2018, Williams Partners, L.P. (NYSE: WPZ) will replace AHGP as a constituent of the Index at AHGP's then-current weight.

There will be no changes to the remaining constituents of the Index.

ABOUT THE CUSHING^® 30 MLP INDEX

The Cushing^® 30 MLP Index tracks the performance of 30 publicly traded MLP securities that hold midstream energy infrastructure assets in North America, chosen according to a formula-based proprietary valuation model developed by Cushing^® Asset Management, LP to rank MLPs for potential inclusion in the Index. The Index price level is calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices and reported on a real-time basis under the Bloomberg ticker "MLPX".

ABOUT SWANK CAPITAL AND CUSHING^® ASSET MANAGEMENT

Cushing^® Asset Management, LP ("Cushing"), a subsidiary of Swank Capital, LLC, is an SEC-registered investment adviser headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Cushing serves as investment adviser to affiliated funds and managed accounts which invest primarily in securities of MLPs and other natural resource companies.

Cushing is also dedicated to serving the needs of MLP and energy income investors by sponsoring a variety of industry benchmarks, including The Cushing^® MLP Market Cap Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CMCI), The Cushing^® MLP High Income Index (Bloomberg Ticker: MLPY), The Cushing^® Energy Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CENI), The Cushing^® Energy Supply Chain Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CSCI), The Cushing^® Transportation Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CTRI) and The Cushing^® Utility Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CUTI). For more information, please visit http://www.cushingasset.com/indices.

Contact:
Judson Redmond
214-692-6334
www.cushingasset.com

The Cushing® 30 MLP Index (the "Index") is the exclusive property of Swank Capital, LLC, and Cushing Asset Management, LP, which have contracted with S&P Opco, LLC (a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC) ("S&P Dow Jones Indices") to calculate and maintain the Index. S&P® is a registered trademark of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC ("SPFS"); Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC ("Dow Jones"); and, these trademarks have been licensed to S&P Dow Jones Indices. "Calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices" and its related stylized mark(s) have been licensed for use by Swank Capital, LLC, and Cushing Asset Management, LP. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices, SPFS, Dow Jones nor any of their affiliates sponsor and promote the Index and none shall be liable for any errors or omissions in calculating the Index.

CUSH-MLPX

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SOURCE Cushing® Asset Management, LP; Swank Capital, LLC

DALLAS, May 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Swank Capital, LLC and Cushing^® Asset Management, LP announce an upcoming interim change to the constituents of The Cushing^® Utility Index (the "Index"). The Cushing^® 30 MLP Index (the "Sub-Index") announced today that after the market closes on May 25, 2018, and effective on May 29, 2018, Index constituent Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) will be removed from the Sub-Index and replaced with Williams Partners, L.P. (NYSE: WPZ). Consequently, per the Index's Methodology Guide, after the market closes on May 25, 2018, and effective on May 29, 2018, WPZ will replace AHGP in the Index at AHGP's then-current weight.

There will be no changes to the remaining constituents of the Index.

ABOUT THE CUSHING^® UTILITY INDEX

The Cushing^® Utility Index tracks the performance of widely held companies engaged in electric, gas and water utility services as well as master limited partnerships (MLPs) engaged in storage and transportation of oil, natural gas, coal and consumable fuels. Constituents of the Index are weighted based on current yield. The Index price level is calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices and reported on a real-time basis under the Bloomberg ticker "CUTI".

ABOUT SWANK CAPITAL AND CUSHING^® ASSET MANAGEMENT

Cushing^® Asset Management, LP ("Cushing"), a subsidiary of Swank Capital, LLC, is an SEC-registered investment adviser headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Cushing serves as investment adviser to affiliated funds and managed accounts which invest primarily in securities of MLPs and other natural resource companies.

Cushing is also dedicated to serving the needs of investors by sponsoring a variety of benchmarks, including The Cushing^® 30 MLP Index (Bloomberg Ticker: MLPX), The Cushing^® 30 MLP Market Cap Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CMCI), The Cushing^® MLP High Income Index (Bloomberg Ticker: MLPY), The Cushing^® Energy Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CENI), The Cushing^® Energy Supply Chain Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CSCI) and The Cushing^® Transportation Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CTRI). For more information, please visit http://www.cushingasset.com/indices.

Contact:
Judson Redmond
214-692-6334
www.cushingasset.com

The Cushing^® Utility Index (the "Index") is the exclusive property of Swank Capital, LLC, and Cushing Asset Management, LP, which have contracted with S&P Opco, LLC (a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC) ("S&P Dow Jones Indices") to calculate and maintain the Index. S&P® is a registered trademark of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC ("SPFS"); Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC ("Dow Jones"); and, these trademarks have been licensed to S&P Dow Jones Indices. "Calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices" and its related stylized mark(s) have been licensed for use by Swank Capital, LLC, and Cushing Asset Management, LP. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices, SPFS, Dow Jones nor any of their affiliates sponsor and promote the Index and none shall be liable for any errors or omissions in calculating the Index.

CUSH-CUTI

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SOURCE Cushing® Asset Management, LP; Swank Capital, LLC

DALLAS, Feb. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alerian reported index linked product positions of $16.3 billion as of December 31, 2017. Linked products include exchange-traded funds, exchange-traded notes, return of capital notes, variable insurance portfolios, and mutual funds.

Below is a full list of energy master limited partnership (MLP) positions, as of December 31, 2017, in products linked to the Alerian Index Series.

About Alerian
Alerian equips investors to make informed decisions about Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) and energy infrastructure. Its benchmarks, including the flagship Alerian MLP Index (AMZ), are widely used by industry executives, investment professionals, research analysts, and national media to analyze relative performance. As of December 31, 2017, over $16 billion was directly tied to the Alerian Index Series through exchange-traded funds and notes, separately managed accounts, and structured products. For more information, including index values and constituents, research content, and announcements regarding rebalancings, please visit alerian.com.

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SOURCE Alerian

HOUSTON, Dec. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (NYSE: COG) ("Cabot" or the "Company") today announced that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") issued its final Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") for Williams Partners' (NYSE: WPZ) Atlantic Sunrise project. The issuance of the final EIS is a key step toward the FERC's final decision on the project, which is expected in early 2017. Following the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, Williams Partners anticipates beginning construction in mid-2017, allowing for a full in-service of the project in mid-2018.

In addition to previously announced gas sale and purchase agreements related to Cabot's 850,000 MMBtu per day of transportation capacity on the Atlantic Sunrise project, Cabot also reported the execution of a new definitive gas sale and purchase agreement with an undisclosed company. Under the terms of this new agreement, the Company has agreed to sell an additional 150,000 MMBtu per day of natural gas for a term of three years commencing on the full in-service of the Atlantic Sunrise project.

"Today's final EIS issuance represents a major milestone toward the final approval of the Atlantic Sunrise project," commented Dan O. Dinges, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are also excited to increase our committed sales on the Atlantic Sunrise project utilizing capacity subscribed to by Cabot or by third parties to approximately 1 billion cubic feet (Bcf) per day through the addition of this new sales agreement that is linked to the Gulf Coast market."

Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a leading independent natural gas producer with its entire resource base located in the continental United States. For additional information, visit the Company's website at www.cabotog.com.

This press release includes forward‐looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The statements regarding future financial and operating performance and results, strategic pursuits and goals, market prices, future hedging and risk management activities, and other statements that are not historical facts contained in this report are forward-looking statements. The words "expect", "project", "estimate", "believe", "anticipate", "intend", "budget", "plan", "forecast", "predict", "may", "should", "could", "will" and similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, market factors, market prices (including geographic basis differentials) of natural gas and crude oil, results of future drilling and marketing activity, future production and costs, legislative and regulatory initiatives, electronic, cyber or physical security breaches and other factors detailed herein and in our other Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings. See "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of the Form 10-K and subsequent public filings for additional information about these risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those indicated.  Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as the result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Matt Kerin (281) 589-4642

SOURCE Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation

OKLAHOMA CITY, Nov. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK) today reported financial and operational results for the 2016 third quarter plus other recent developments. Highlights include:

• Enhanced operating and capital efficiencies drive 2016 third quarter average production of 638,100 boe per day
• Oil production of 86,600 barrels per day lower sequentially after divestiture impacts of 8,200 barrels per day in the 2016 third quarter; 2016 fourth quarter oil production projected to be 90,000 to 95,000 barrels per day
• Decrease in production expenses of $0.25 per boe sequentially, resulting in lower full-year 2016 and 2017 production expense guidance
• Improved financial flexibility following refinancing of near and mid-term maturities through new offerings and subsequent tender offers
• Enhanced operating flexibility through Barnett Shale exit, Mid-Continent and Rockies gathering agreement restructuring and significant reductions of future midstream commitments
• Total liquidity following Barnett Shale closing of approximately $3.7 billion
• Over 60% and 50% of projected natural gas and oil production, respectively, hedged in 2017
• Exit rate production, driven by oil volumes, poised to grow significantly in 2017 and 2018

Doug Lawler, Chesapeake's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We continue to make progress in reducing leverage, decreasing total cash costs and improving future midstream expenses. Our achievements in these areas, particularly in regard to our balance sheet, provide a stronger foundation for improving profitability and enhanced returns from our capital program in 2017 and beyond. As we have previously stated, our large resource base and significant inventory of high-return drilling opportunities offer long-term growth and flexibility for our shareholders."

2016 Third Quarter Results

For the 2016 third quarter, Chesapeake's revenues declined by 33% year over year due to a decrease in the average realized commodity prices received for its production, lower production volumes and a decrease in the volumes sold and prices received by the company's marketing affiliate on behalf of third-party producers. Average daily production for the 2016 third quarter of approximately 638,100 barrels of oil equivalent (boe) consisted of approximately 86,600 barrels (bbls) of oil, 2.914 billion cubic feet (bcf) of natural gas and 65,700 bbls of natural gas liquids (NGL).

Chesapeake's operating expenses continue to decline. Average production expenses during the 2016 third quarter were $2.80 per boe, while G&A expenses (including stock-based compensation) during the 2016 third quarter were $1.08 per boe. Combined production and G&A expenses (including stock-based compensation) during the 2016 third quarter were $3.88 per boe, a decrease of 20% year over year and 5% from the 2016 second quarter. A summary of the company's production and operating cost guidance for 2016 and 2017 is provided in the Outlook dated November 3, 2016, beginning on Page 20.

Chesapeake reported a net loss available to common stockholders of $1.197 billion, or $1.54 per share, while the company's ebitda for the 2016 third quarter was a loss of $801 million. The primary drivers of the net loss were Barnett Shale exit costs of approximately $616 million and a noncash impairment of the carrying value of Chesapeake's oil and natural gas properties of approximately $433 million, largely resulting from decreases in the trailing 12-month average first-day-of-the-month oil and natural gas prices as of September 30, 2016, as compared to June 30, 2016. Adjusting for these and other items that are typically excluded by securities analysts, the 2016 third quarter adjusted net income available to common stockholders was $27 million, or $0.09 per common share, while the company's adjusted ebitda was $421 million in the 2016 third quarter. These adjusted results include a recorded gain of $146 million of proceeds related to the sale of a long-term natural gas supply contract which was sold in the 2016 third quarter and reflected in the company's marketing, gathering and compression revenues. Reconciliations of financial measures calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) to non-GAAP measures are provided on pages 12 – 18 of this release.

Capital Spending Overview

Chesapeake's total capital investments were approximately $412 million during the 2016 third quarter, compared to approximately $623 million in the 2015 third quarter, as summarized in the table below. A summary of the company's capital expenditure guidance for 2016 and 2017 is provided in the Outlook dated November 3, 2016, beginning on Page 20.

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

As of September 30, 2016, Chesapeake's debt principal balance was approximately $8.7 billion, including approximately $240 million of borrowings outstanding on the company's revolving credit facility, compared to $9.7 billion as of December 31, 2015, and $11.7 billion as of September 30, 2015.

During the 2016 third quarter, the company entered into a $1.5 billion secured five-year term loan facility. Chesapeake used the net proceeds from this term loan to purchase and retire $898 million principal amount of its senior notes and $708 million principal amount of its contingent convertible senior notes for $1.5 billion pursuant to tender offers.

In October 2016, Chesapeake issued in a private placement $1.25 billion principal amount of unsecured 5.5% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026. The company intends to use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes, which may include debt repurchases and the repayment of borrowings under its credit facility and senior notes with near-term maturities as they become due. Additionally, the company completed private exchanges in aggregate of approximately 110.3 million shares of its common stock for 134,000 shares of 5.00% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (Series 2005B), 606,271 shares of 5.75% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock and 553,007 shares of 5.75% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (Series A). This amount of preferred stock represents approximately $1.2 billion of liquidation value, which was exchanged at a discount of approximately 40%. The company also repurchased in the open market approximately $105 million principal amount of its outstanding debt scheduled to mature or that could be put to the company in 2017 and 2018 for $106 million.

Since September 30, 2015, Chesapeake has significantly reduced its near-term debt maturities. As of November 2, 2016, Chesapeake's principal debt maturities by year, including debt that could be put to the company, are as follows:

Asset Acquisitions and Divestitures Update

In the 2016 third quarter, the company entered into an agreement to convey its interests in the Barnett Shale operating area located in North Texas to Total S.A. (NYSE: TOT) and simultaneously terminate future commitments associated with this asset. The transaction closed on October 31, 2016, and Chesapeake paid $334 million to terminate an existing gathering agreement with Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE: WPZ) ("Williams").

Also in the 2016 third quarter, the company entered into a purchase and sale agreement to sell the majority of its upstream and midstream assets in the Devonian Shale located in West Virginia and Kentucky, which includes approximately 882,000 net acres and approximately 5,600 wells along with related gathering assets, as well as other property, plant and equipment. Chesapeake will retain deep drilling rights in the area after the anticipated disposition. In connection with this divestiture, the company expects to repurchase one of its two remaining volumetric production payment (VPP) transactions. All of the acquired interests will be conveyed in the divestiture and the company will no longer have any future obligations related to this VPP. After the repurchase of this VPP, the company expects net cash proceeds from this disposition to be nominal.

In the 2016 third quarter, Chesapeake purchased additional working interests in certain of its operated properties in its Haynesville Shale operating area for approximately $85 million, adding approximately 72,500 net acres to its net acreage position and approximately 55 million cubic feet (mmcf) per day of net natural gas production.

The company continues to focus on select asset divestitures and is currently planning to sell additional properties by year-end 2016, including a portion of its Haynesville Shale properties.

Midstream Update

In addition to the gas gathering agreement termination with Williams in the Barnett Shale, Chesapeake renegotiated its existing cost-of-service gas gathering agreement with Williams in the Mid-Continent operating area to a fixed-fee arrangement in exchange for a $66 million payment in the 2016 third quarter. This new agreement became effective July 1, 2016.

The company also accelerated the value of a long-term natural gas supply contract in the 2016 third quarter by selling rights under a long-term gas supply agreement for $146 million in cash proceeds. In connection with this sale, the company reversed a $280 million derivative asset which was reflected as an unrealized hedging loss during the current quarter.

In October 2016, Chesapeake announced that it signed a letter of intent to restructure its natural gas gathering and service agreement in its Powder River Basin operating area with Williams and Crestwood Equity Partners L.P. (NYSE: CEQP). The restructured services are expected to replace the current cost-of-service arrangement and improve economics which support increased development across an expanded area of dedication in the region. Subject to board approvals from all three companies of the definitive agreement, the restructured services are to become effective January 1, 2017, for a 20-year term.

Operations Update

Chesapeake's average daily production for the 2016 third quarter was approximately 638,100 boe and is further detailed in the table below. For the 2016 fourth quarter, the company expects its average daily production to range between 550,000 and 570,000 boe (including approximately one month of production from the Barnett Shale assets). With average daily oil production of approximately 91,000 barrels per day for the month of October 2016, the company expects its average daily oil production to range between 90,000 and 95,000 barrels per day for the 2016 fourth quarter.

Chesapeake currently expects its exit rate production to grow significantly over the next two years. The company is currently projecting an exit-to-exit increase in total production from the fourth quarter of 2016 to the fourth quarter of 2017 of approximately 7%, adjusted for asset sales. More importantly, the company is projecting an exit-to-exit increase in its oil production from the fourth quarter of 2016 to the fourth quarter of 2017 of approximately 10%. For 2018, the company is currently projecting an increase in its total production from the fourth quarter of 2017 to the fourth quarter of 2018 of approximately 15%, primarily driven by an exit-to-exit increase in its oil production from the fourth quarter of 2017 to the fourth quarter of 2018 of approximately 20%. Chesapeake's projected growth rates are preliminary and its flexible capital expenditure program will be adjusted based on prevailing market conditions and are subject to final capital allocation decisions for 2017 and 2018.

Chesapeake is currently utilizing 11 drilling rigs across its operating areas, three of which are located in the Eagle Ford Shale, three in the Haynesville Shale, three in the Mid-Continent area and two rigs in the Utica Shale. Chesapeake plans to utilize its existing rigs through year-end and plans to drill 50 to 60 wells and place approximately 100 to 110 wells on production in the 2016 fourth quarter.

Key Financial and Operational Results

The table below summarizes Chesapeake's key financial and operational results during the 2016 third quarter as compared to results in prior periods.

2016 Third Quarter Financial and Operational Results Conference Call Information

A conference call to discuss this release has been scheduled on Thursday, November 3, 2016, at 9:00 am EDT. The telephone number to access the conference call is 913-312-6668 or toll-free 888-609-5667. The passcode for the call is 2510197. The number to access the conference call replay is 719-457-0820 or toll-free 888-203-1112 and the passcode for the replay is 2510197. The conference call will be webcast and can be found at www.chk.com in the "Investors" section of the company's website. The webcast of the conference will be available on the website for one year.

Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Chesapeake Energy Corporation's (NYSE: CHK) operations are focused on discovering and developing its large and geographically diverse resource base of unconventional oil and natural gas assets onshore in the United States.  The company also owns oil and natural gas marketing and natural gas gathering and compression businesses.  Further information is available at www.chk.com where Chesapeake routinely posts announcements, updates, events, investor information, presentations and news releases.

This news release and the accompanying Outlook include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are statements other than statements of historical fact. They include statements that give our current expectations or forecasts of future events, production and well connection forecasts, estimates of operating costs, anticipated capital and operational efficiencies, planned development drilling and expected drilling cost reductions, general and administrative expenses, capital expenditures, the timing of anticipated noncore asset sales and proceeds to be received therefrom, projected cash flow and liquidity, our ability to enhance our cash flow and financial flexibility, plans and objectives for future operations (including our ability to optimize base production and execute gas gathering agreements), the ability of our employees, portfolio strength and operational leadership to create long-term value, and the assumptions on which such statements are based. Although we believe the expectations and forecasts reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance they will prove to have been correct. They can be affected by inaccurate or changed assumptions or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results include those described under "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of our annual report on Form 10-K and any updates to those factors set forth in Chesapeake's subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K (available at http://www.chk.com/investors/sec-filings).  These risk factors include the volatility of oil, natural gas and NGL prices; the limitations our level of indebtedness may have on our financial flexibility; our inability to access the capital markets on favorable terms or at all; the availability of cash flows from operations and other funds to finance reserve replacement costs or satisfy our debt obligations; a further downgrade in our credit rating requiring us to post more collateral under certain commercial arrangements; write-downs of our oil and natural gas asset carrying values due to low commodity prices; our ability to replace reserves and sustain production; uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of oil, natural gas and NGL reserves and projecting future rates of production and the amount and timing of development expenditures; our ability to generate profits or achieve targeted results in drilling and well operations; leasehold terms expiring before production can be established; commodity derivative activities resulting in lower prices realized on oil, natural gas and NGL sales; the need to secure derivative liabilities and the inability of counterparties to satisfy their obligations; adverse developments or losses from pending or future litigation and regulatory proceedings, including royalty claims; charges incurred in response to market conditions and in connection with our ongoing actions to reduce financial leverage and complexity; drilling and operating risks and resulting liabilities; effects of environmental protection laws and regulation on our business; legislative and regulatory initiatives further regulating hydraulic fracturing; our need to secure adequate supplies of water for our drilling operations and to dispose of or recycle the water used; impacts of potential legislative and regulatory actions addressing climate change; federal and state tax proposals affecting our industry; potential OTC derivatives regulation limiting our ability to hedge against commodity price fluctuations; competition in the oil and gas exploration and production industry; a deterioration in general economic, business or industry conditions; negative public perceptions of our industry; limited control over properties we do not operate; pipeline and gathering system capacity constraints and transportation interruptions; terrorist activities and cyber-attacks adversely impacting our operations; potential challenges of our spin-off of Seventy Seven Energy Inc. (SSE) in connection with SSE's recently completed bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code; an interruption in operations at our headquarters due to a catastrophic event; the continuation of suspended dividend payments on our common stock and preferred stock; certain anti-takeover provisions that affect shareholder rights; and our inability to increase or maintain our liquidity through debt repurchases, capital exchanges, asset sales, joint ventures, farmouts or other means.

In addition, disclosures concerning the estimated contribution of derivative contracts to our future results of operations are based upon market information as of a specific date.  These market prices are subject to significant volatility.  Our production forecasts are also dependent upon many assumptions, including estimates of production decline rates from existing wells and the outcome of future drilling activity.  Expected asset sales may not be completed in the time frame anticipated or at all.  We caution you not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release, and we undertake no obligation to update any of the information provided in this release or the accompanying Outlook, except as required by applicable law.