El Paso Corp. (ticker: EP, exchange: New York Stock Exchange (.N))
News Release -
28-Mar-2005
El Paso Corporation Files 2004 Form 10-K; Restates 2002 Earnings and Revises 2004 Earnings ReleaseHOUSTON, TEXAS, March 28, 2005—El Paso Corporation (NYSE:EP)
announced today it has filed its 2004 Form 10-K with the SEC and has restated
its 2002 financial results. The Form 10-K is available on the company's
Web site, www.elpaso.com, on the Investors main page under El Paso Corporation
Financial Filings and in the SEC Filings section.
As previously reported, during the completion of El Paso's financial
statements for the year ended December 31, 2004, the company identified a potential
error related to the manner in which it originally adopted the provisions of
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 141, Business Combinations,
and SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets in 2002. The potential
error related to accounting for investments in certain unconsolidated affiliates
acquired before July 1, 2001, where the fair value of these investments was
greater than their original cost or acquisition price. As El Paso disclosed
in its prior SEC filings, when the company originally adopted the new accounting
standards in 2002, El Paso wrote off what it believed to be unallocated negative
goodwill totaling $154 million as a cumulative effect of accounting change.
Impact on Prior Periods
Upon further review, El Paso has now determined that these amounts were not
negative goodwill but rather amounts that should have been allocated to the
long-lived assets of the underlying investments. As a result, El Paso restated
its 2002 financial statements to reverse the cumulative effect amount of $154
million and further reflect the impact on unrealized losses and a related tax
adjustment the company recorded on these investments in 2002. This change had
no effect on the company's reported cash flows for any period.
Impact on 2004
Following the 2002 restatement and final closing adjustments, the financial
results reported earlier this month should be adjusted as follows for the fourth
quarter of 2004 and for year end 2004:
Unaudited financial results for the three months and twelve months ended December
31, 2004 are as follows:
| |
Three
months ended
December 31, 2004 |
Twelve
months ended
December 31, 2004 |
($ in
millions, except per share amounts) |
3/16/05
Release |
|
3/16/05
Release |
Reported |
Net
loss |
$(620) |
$(544) |
$(1,024) |
$(948) |
Discontinued
operations, net of income taxes |
4 |
4 |
(146) |
(146) |
| |

|
Loss
from continuing operations |
$(624)
|
$(548)
|
$(878)
|
$(802)
|
| Loss per share -
diluted |
$(0.97) |
$(0.85) |
$(1.60) |
$(1.48) |
| Discontinued operations
per share |
.01 |
.01 |
(0.23) |
(0.23) |
| |

|
| Loss from continuing
operations per share - diluted |
$(0.98)
|
$(0.86)
|
$(1.37)
 |
$(1.25)
|
Restated detailed operating statistics for each of El Paso's businesses,
updated for the foregoing matters, will be posted at www.elpaso.com in the Investors
section.
El Paso Corporation provides natural gas and related energy products in a
safe, efficient, dependable manner. The company owns North America's largest
natural gas pipeline system and one of North America's largest independent
natural gas producers. For more information, visit www.elpaso.com.
This release includes forward-looking statements and projections, made
in reliance on the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. The company has made every reasonable effort to ensure that
the information and assumptions on which these statements and projections are
based are current, reasonable, and complete. However, a variety of factors could
cause actual results to differ materially from the projections, anticipated
results or other expectations expressed in this release, including, without
limitation, changes in unaudited and/or unreviewed financial information; our
ability to implement and achieve our objectives in the long-range plan, including
achieving our debt-reduction targets; changes in reserve estimates based upon
internal and third-party reserve analyses; our ability to meet production volume
targets in our Production segment; uncertainties and potential consequences
associated with the outcome of governmental investigations, including, without
limitation, those related to the reserve revisions and natural gas hedge transactions;
outcome of litigation, including shareholder derivative and class actions related
to reserve revisions and restatements; our ability to comply with the covenants
in our various financing documents; our ability to obtain necessary governmental
approvals for proposed pipeline projects and our ability to successfully construct
and operate such projects; the risks associated with recontracting of transportation
commitments by our pipelines; regulatory uncertainties associated with pipeline
rate cases; actions by the credit rating agencies; the successful close of our
financing transactions; our ability to successfully exit the energy trading
business; our ability to close our announced asset sales on a timely basis;
changes in commodity prices for oil, natural gas, and power; inability to realize
anticipated synergies and cost savings associated with restructurings and divestitures
on a timely basis; general economic and weather conditions in geographic regions
or markets served by the company and its affiliates, or where operations of
the company and its affiliates are located; the uncertainties associated with
governmental regulation; political and currency risks associated with international
operations of the company and its affiliates; competition; and other factors
described in the company's (and its affiliates') Securities and
Exchange Commission filings. While the company makes these statements and projections
in good faith, neither the company nor its management can guarantee that anticipated
future results will be achieved. Reference must be made to those filings for
additional important factors that may affect actual results. The company assumes
no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made
herein or any other forward-looking statements made by the company, whether
as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
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