14. Related Parties

Related Party Transactions

Transactions with Our Executive Officers, Directors and 5% Stockholders

On May 7, 2013, the Company entered into a natural gas sale and purchase agreement with Monarch Natural Gas, LLC, (“Monarch”), under which Monarch has the first right to gather the natural gas the Company produces from dedicated properties, process the NGLs from this natural gas production and market the processed natural gas and extracted NGLs. Under the Monarch agreement, the Company is paid a specified percentage of the value of the NGLs extracted and sold by Monarch, based on a set liquids recovery percentage, and the amount received from the sale of the residue gas, after deducting a fixed volume for fuel, lost and unaccounted for gas. The Company produced approximately 1.4 MMBoe of natural gas and NGLs for the year ended December 31, 2014, from the properties that became subject to the Monarch agreement. During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company recognized $37.0 million of revenue associated with the aforementioned natural gas and NGL production. Effective May 1, 2015, the rights to gather natural gas under the sale and purchase agreement transferred from Monarch to Enable Midstream Partners LP, (“Enable”), an unaffiliated third-party. Prior to closing of the transfer of these rights, the Company produced approximately 1.0 MMBoe of natural gas and NGLs for the year ended December 31, 2015 from the properties that became subject to the Monarch agreement for which the Company recognized $10.6 million of revenue. The revenue, for all years mentioned, is recorded in Oil and gas sales on the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations. The initial term of the agreement, which remains unchanged by the transfer to Enable, runs for 10 years from the effective date of September 1, 2013.

At the time the Company entered into the 2013 Monarch agreement, Metalmark Capital owned approximately 81% of the outstanding equity interests of Monarch. In addition, Metalmark Capital beneficially owns in excess of five percent of the Company’s outstanding equity interests and two of our directors, Howard I. Hoffen and Gregory D. Myers, are managing directors of Metalmark Capital.

In connection with the Company’s entering into the 2013 Monarch agreement, Monarch issued to JEH equity interests in Monarch, having an estimated fair value of $15.0 million, in return for marketing services to be provided throughout the term of the agreement. The Company recorded this amount as deferred revenue which is being amortized on an estimated units-of-production basis commencing in September 2013, the first month of product sales to Monarch. During the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015, and 2014, the Company amortized $2.4 million, $2.0 million, and $1.2 million, respectively, of the deferred revenue balance. This revenue is recorded in Other revenues on the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations.

Following the issuance of the $15.0 million Monarch equity interests, JEH assigned $2.4 million of the equity interests to Jonny Jones, the Company’s chief executive officer and chairman of the board, and reserved $2.6 million of the equity interests for future distribution through an incentive plan to certain of the Company’s officers, including Mike McConnell, Robert Brooks and Eric Niccum. The remaining $10.0 million of Monarch equity interests was distributed to certain of the Class B shareholders, which included Metalmark Capital, Wells Fargo, the Jones family entities, and certain of the Company’s officers and directors, including Jonny Jones, Mike McConnell and Eric Niccum. As of December 31, 2016, equity interests in Monarch of $0.7 million are included in Other assets on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet. During the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015, and 2014, equity interests of $0.6 million, $0.8 million, and $0.5 million, respectively, were distributed to management under the incentive plan. The Company recognized expense of $0.5 million, $0.5 million, and $0.8 million during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively, in connection with the incentive plan.

In September 2014, the Company signed a 10-year oil gathering and transportation agreement with Monarch Oil Pipeline LLC, pursuant to which Monarch Oil Pipeline LLC built, at its expense, a new oil gathering system and connected the gathering system to dedicated Company leases in Texas. At the time the Company entered into the agreement, Metalmark Capital owned the majority of the outstanding equity interests of Monarch Oil Pipeline LLC and/or its parent. The system began service during the fourth quarter of 2015 and provides connectivity to both a regional refinery market as well as the Cushing market hub. The Company incurred gathering fees, which were paid to Monarch Oil Pipeline LLC, of $2.7 million and $0.4 million associated with the approximately 1.3 MMBoe and 0.2 MMBoe of oil production transported under the agreement for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015. These costs are recorded as an offset to Oil and gas sales in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations. The aforementioned production was recognized as Oil and gas sales on the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations at the time it was sold to the purchasers, who are unaffiliated third-parties, after passing through the gathering and transportation system. The audit committee of the Board reviewed and approved the terms of the agreement with Monarch Oil Pipeline LLC.

In May 2015, the Company received a $0.7 million cash distribution associated with its equity interests in Monarch, which was accounted for following the cost method. The initial cash distribution from Monarch was treated as dividend income and is recorded in Other income (expense).

 

Purchase of Senior Unsecured Notes

 

On February 29, 2016, JEH and Jones Energy Finance Corp. purchased $50.0 million principal amount of their outstanding 2023 Notes from investment funds managed by Magnetar Capital and its affiliates, which investment funds collectively own more than 5% of a class of voting securities of the Company, for approximately $23.3 million excluding accrued interest and including any associated fees. On the same day, JEH and Jones Energy Finance Corp. purchased an additional $50.0 million principal amount of their outstanding 2023 Notes from investment funds managed by Blackstone Group Management L.L.C. and its affiliates, which investment funds collectively own more than 5% of a class of voting securities of the Company, for approximately $23.3 million excluding accrued interest and including any associated fees. In conjunction with the extinguishment of this $100.0 million principal amount of debt, JEH recognized cancellation of debt income of $48.3 million on a pre-tax basis. This income is recorded in Gain on debt extinguishment on the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations.