Strong Shareholder Returns Underpinned by Continued Operational Excellence Highlights: Generated net earnings of $338 million, cash from operating activities of $659 million, Non-GAAP Cash Flow of $1,035 million and Non-GAAP Free Cash Flow of $444 million after capital expenditures of $591 million First quarter production was at the high-end or above the guidance range on every product with average total production volumes of 574 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day ("MBOE/d"), including 211 thousand barrels per day ("Mbbls/d") of oil and condensate, 88 Mbbls/d of other NGLs (C2 to C4) and 1,648 million cubic feet per day ("MMcf/d") of natural gas Returned $328 million to shareholders through the combination of base dividend payments and share buybacks Raised full year production guidance to 560 MBOE/d to 575 MBOE/d while leaving capital guidance unchanged at $2.2 billion to $2.4 billion Released 2023 Sustainability Report on Company website DENVER, May 7, 2024 /CNW/ - Ovintiv Inc. (NYSE:OVV) (TSX:OVV) ("Ovintiv" or the "Company") today announced its first quarter 2024 financial and operating results. The Company plans to hold a conference call and webcast at 9:00 a.m. MT (11:00 a.m. ET) on May 8, 2024. Please see dial-in details within this release, as well as additional details on the Company's website at www.ovintiv.com under Presentations and Events – Ovintiv. "Our solid execution continued across the portfolio during the first quarter," said Ovintiv President and CEO, Brendan McCracken. "Our combination of strong productivity, leading capital efficiency and a stronger oil price environment have raised our expectations for 2024 Non-GAAP Free Cash Flow from $1.6 billion to $1.9 billion – roughly $750 million more than last year." First Quarter 2024 Financial and Operating Results The Company recorded net earnings of $338 million, or $1.24 per diluted share of common stock. Included in net earnings were net losses on risk management of $54 million, before tax. Cash from operating activities was $659 million, Non-GAAP Cash Flow was $1,035 million and capital investment totaled approximately $591 million, resulting in $444 million of Non-GAAP Free Cash Flow. First quarter average total production volumes were approximately 574 MBOE/d, including 211 Mbbls/d of oil and condensate, 88 Mbbls/d of other NGLs and 1,648 MMcf/d of natural gas. Upstream operating expense was $4.52 per barrel of oil equivalent ("BOE"). Upstream transportation and processing costs were $7.25 per BOE. Production, mineral and other taxes were $1.60 per BOE, or 4.3% of upstream revenue. These costs were at the low-end of guidance on a combined basis. Excluding the impact of hedges, first quarter average realized prices were $74.62 per barrel for oil and condensate (97% of WTI), $21.03 per barrel for other NGLs (C2-C4) and $2.21 per thousand cubic feet ("Mcf") for natural gas (99% of NYMEX) resulting in a total average realized price of $36.97 per BOE. Including the impact of hedges, the average realized prices for oil and condensate was $74.20 per barrel (96% of WTI), $21.16 per barrel for other NGLs, and $2.56 per Mcf for natural gas (114% of NYMEX) resulting in a total average realized price of $37.84 per BOE. Guidance The Company issued its second quarter 2024 guidance and raised its full year production guidance while leaving full year capital guidance unchanged. Full year production volumes are expected to average 560 to 575 MBOE/d, with full year capital investment of $2.2 billion to $2.4 billion. Guidance Updates 2Q 2024  Full Year 2024 Total Production (MBOE/d) 560 – 575 560 – 575 Oil & Condensate (Mbbls/d)  205 – 209 204 – 208 NGLs (C2 - C4) (Mbbls/d) 89 – 92 88 – 92 Natural Gas (MMcf/d) 1,600 – 1,650 1,600 – 1,650 Capital Investment ($ Millions)  $610 – $650 $2,200 – $2,400 Returns to Shareholders Ovintiv remains committed to its capital allocation framework, which returns at least 50% of post base dividend Non-GAAP Free Cash Flow to shareholders through buybacks and/or variable dividends. In the first quarter of 2024, the Company returned $328 million to shareholders through share buybacks totaling $248 million and its base dividend of approximately $80 million. Share buybacks in the second quarter are expected to total approximately $182 million. Continued Balance Sheet Focus Ovintiv had approximately $3.0 billion in total liquidity as of March 31, 2024, which included available credit facilities of $3,250 million, available uncommitted demand lines of $237 million, and cash and cash equivalents of $5 million, net of outstanding commercial paper of $495 million. Ovintiv reported Non-GAAP Debt to EBITDA of 1.3 times and Non-GAAP Debt to Adjusted EBITDA of 1.3 times. The Company remains committed to maintaining a strong balance sheet and is currently rated investment grade by four credit rating agencies. Ovintiv maintains a long-term leverage target of 1.0 times Non-GAAP Debt to Adjusted EBITDA at mid-cycle prices, with an associated long-term total debt target of $4.0 billion. Dividend Declared On May 7, 2024, Ovintiv's Board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share of common stock payable on June 28, 2024, to shareholders of record as of June 14, 2024. Asset Highlights Permian Permian production averaged 206 MBOE/d (82% liquids) in the first quarter. The Company had 21 net wells turned in line ("TIL"). Ovintiv plans to invest approximately $1.35 to $1.45 billion in the play in 2024 to bring on 120 to 130 net wells. Montney   Montney production averaged 226 MBOE/d (19% liquids) in the first quarter. The Company had 11 net wells TIL. Ovintiv plans to invest approximately $425 to $475 million in the play in 2024 to bring on 60 to 70 net wells. Uinta Uinta production averaged 28 MBOE/d (79% liquids) in the first quarter. The Company had nine net wells TIL. Ovintiv plans to invest approximately $300 to $350 million in the play in 2024 to bring on 25 to 30 net wells. Anadarko Anadarko production averaged 108 MBOE/d (59% liquids) in the first quarter. The Company had no TILs during the quarter. Ovintiv plans to invest approximately $100 to $125 million in the play in 2024 to bring on seven to ten net wells. 2023 Sustainability Report Released Today, the Company released its 2023 Sustainability Report, highlighting its progress and performance on several key initiatives related to the environment, social responsibility and corporate governance. "We are proud of another year of strong performance in 2023," said McCracken. "Our results demonstrate our commitment to developing our resource efficiently and responsibly, while also generating durable returns for our shareholders. We believe that fostering a culture of innovation, engaging with our external stakeholders and workforce, adhering to the highest standards of conduct, and setting measurable near-term targets strengthens our business and drives better corporate outcomes." Key Sustainability Highlights Environment  Achieved a 41% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity since 2019, continuing progress toward the Company's goal of a 50% reduction by 2030   Social  Committed $10 million to local children's hospitals Developed new and updated existing safety programs and processes under the guidance of the Company's Safety Advisory Task Force to drive and sustain improved safety performance  Received an award for LINK, Ovintiv's inclusive employee resource group, for its efforts toward driving a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive culture in the workplace  Governance  Added a Board of Directors Overboarding and Change in Circumstance Policy, setting high standards for strong corporate governance  Welcomed a new independent director in January 2024, adding deep technical accounting and energy industry expertise as well as further diversity to the Board  Ovintiv's sustainability report can be found on the Company's website at Home – Ovintiv. For additional information on the Company's quarterly results, please refer to the First Quarter 2024 Results Presentation available on Ovintiv's website, www.ovintiv.com under Presentations and Events – Ovintiv. Supplemental Information, and Non-GAAP Definitions and Reconciliations, are available on Ovintiv's website under Financial Documents Library. Conference Call Information A conference call and webcast to discuss the Company's first quarter results will be held at 9:00 a.m. MT (11:00 a.m. ET) on May 8, 2024. To join the conference call without operator assistance, you may register and enter your phone number at https://emportal.ink/3tPPnb2 to receive an instant automated call back. You can also dial direct to be entered to the call by an Operator. Please dial 888-664-6383 (toll-free in North America) or 416-764-8650 (international) approximately 15 minutes prior to the call.                                                     The live audio webcast of the conference call, including slides and financial statements, will be available on Ovintiv's website, www.ovintiv.com under Investors/Presentations and Events. The webcast will be archived for approximately 90 days. Refer to Note 1 Non-GAAP measures and the tables in this release for reconciliation to comparable GAAP financial measures. Capital Investment and Production (for the period ended March 31) 1Q 2024 1Q 2023 Capital Expenditures (1) ($ millions) 591