Viper Energy, Inc. (VNOM) Risk Factors

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

The nature of our business activities subjects us to certain hazards and risks. The following is a summary of the material risks relating to our business activities. 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.

Risks Related to Our Business

Geopolitics and market conditions for oil and natural gas, and particularly volatility in prices for oil and natural gas, have in the past adversely affected, and may in the future adversely affect, our revenue, cash flows, profitability, growth and production.

From the beginning of 2023 through the end of 2025, WTI has ranged from $55.27 to $93.68 per Bbl, and the Henry Hub price of natural gas has ranged from $1.58 to $5.29 per MMBtu. Regional and worldwide economic activity, changes in trade or other government policies or regulations, including with respect to U.S. energy and monetary policies, tariffs or other

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trade barriers and any resulting trade tensions, regional conflicts and political instability, extreme weather conditions, and actions taken by OPEC+, continued to contribute to economic and pricing volatility. These factors and the volatility of the energy markets make it extremely difficult to predict future oil and natural gas price movements with any certainty. If the prices of oil and natural gas decline, our operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected. Our business may be also adversely impacted by any future government rule, regulation or order that may impose production limits, as well as pipeline capacity and storage constraints in the Permian Basin where we have mineral and royalty interests.

Diamondback and certain of our other operators increased production on our acreage during 2025, but Diamondback continued to exercise capital discipline by using the majority of their excess cash flow for debt repayment and/or return to their stockholders rather than expanding its drilling programs. We cannot reasonably predict whether production levels will remain at current levels or the full extent of the impact of the events above may have on our industry and our business.

Based on the current commodity pricing environment and industry conditions, we recorded non-cash ceiling test impairments of $768 million in 2025. If SEC Prices decline further as compared to commodity prices used in prior periods, we may be required to record additional impairments in future periods and such impairments could be material. Further, if commodity prices decrease, our production, proved reserves and cash flows will be adversely impacted. Lower oil and natural gas prices may also result in a reduction in the borrowing base under our revolving credit facility, which may be determined at the discretion of our lenders.

Our commodity price derivatives could result in financial losses, may fail to protect us from declines in commodity prices, prevent us from fully benefiting from commodity price increases and may expose us to other risks, including counterparty credit risk.

We use commodity price derivatives, which have historically included fixed price swap contracts, fixed price basis swap contracts and costless collar contracts with corresponding put and call options to reduce price volatility associated with certain of our royalty income. Our derivative contracts are based upon reported settlement prices on commodity exchanges, with crude oil derivative settlements based on WTI pricing (WTI Cushing and Argus WTI Midland) and with natural gas derivative settlements based on the Henry Hub and Waha Hub pricing. By using derivative instruments to economically hedge exposure to changes in commodity prices, we expose ourselves to credit risk and market risk. At settlement, market prices for commodities may exceed the contract prices in our commodity price derivatives agreements, resulting in our need to make significant cash payments to our counterparties. Further, by using commodity derivative instruments, we expose ourselves to credit risk if we are in a positive position at contract settlement and the counterparty fails to perform under the terms of the derivative contract. Our counterparties have been determined to have an acceptable credit risk; therefore, we do not require collateral from our counterparties. By using derivative instruments, we may be prevented from fully realizing the benefits of increases in the prices of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids above the price levels of the commodity price derivatives used to manage price risk.

For additional information regarding our use of commodity price derivatives and our outstanding derivative contracts as of December 31, 2025, see Note 10—Derivatives in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk—Commodity Price Risk of this report.

The risks relating to the transition to a low carbon economy could impose new costs on our operations that may have a material and adverse effect on us.

Governmental and regulatory bodies, investors, consumers, industry and other stakeholders have evolving and varied views on climate change matters in recent years. Such views, together with changes in consumer and industrial/commercial behavior, preferences and attitudes with respect to the generation and consumption of energy, the use of hydrocarbons, and the use of products manufactured with, or powered by, hydrocarbons, may result in: (i) the enactment of new or evolving climate change-related regulations, policies and initiatives by governments, investors, and other companies, including alternative energy or “zero carbon” requirements and fuel or energy conservation measures, (ii) technological advances with respect to the generation, transmission, storage and consumption of energy (including advances in battery technology), (iii) variability in demand from consumers and industry for energy sources other than oil and natural gas (including wind, solar, nuclear, and geothermal sources as well as electric vehicles), and (iv) development of, and variable demand from consumers and industry for, lower-emission products and services (including electric vehicles and renewable residential and commercial power supplies) as well as more efficient products and services.

Any of these developments may reduce the demand for products manufactured with (or powered by) hydrocarbons and the demand for, and in turn the prices of, oil and natural gas, which would likely have a material adverse impact on our

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investments. The enactment of climate change-related regulations, policies and initiatives may also result in increases in our compliance costs and other operating costs and have other adverse effects, such as a greater potential for governmental investigations or litigation. For further discussion regarding the risks to us of climate change-related regulations, policies and initiatives, see Items 1 and 2. Business and Properties—Regulation—Climate Change of this report.

In addition to potentially reducing demand for oil and natural gas, and the availability of oilfield services and midstream and downstream customers, further regulatory or other climate change initiatives, to the extent they continue, may create investment and reputational risks associated with the exploration for, and production of, hydrocarbons, which may adversely affect the availability and cost to us of capital. Certain stakeholders and capital providers may seek to restrict or seek to impose more stringent conditions with respect to their investment in or financing of certain carbon intensive sectors, which could result in capital being unavailable to us, or only at a significantly increased cost.

Changing political and social perspectives on climate change and other environmental, social and governance factors may create risks and uncertainties impacting our business.

We may not be able to meet evolving expectations of stakeholders, including governmental officials, standard setters, investors, employees, and customers, relating to climate change, human capital, and other environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) issues. There is conflicting and evolving pressures from proponents and opponents of ESG, and a failure to adapt to changing views could negatively impact our reputation. Proponents and opponents of these issues are increasingly resorting to activism, including litigation, to advance their positions. Such activism also includes attempts to effect changes to public companies’ businesses or governance to deal with climate change-related issues through shareholder proposals, public campaigns, proxy solicitations or other actions. Any such future actions may result in significant management distraction and potentially significant expense.

Additionally, cities, counties, and other governmental entities in several states in the U.S. have filed lawsuits against energy companies seeking damages allegedly associated with climate change. Similar lawsuits may be filed in other jurisdictions. If any such lawsuits were to be filed against us, whether due to our activities or the activities of the acquired entities or operations prior to their acquisition by us, we could incur substantial legal defense costs and, if any such litigation were adversely determined, we could incur substantial damages. Any of these climate change-related litigation risks could result in unexpected costs, negative sentiments about our company, disruptions to our business, and increases to our operating expenses, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and cash flow.

Increased costs of capital could adversely affect our business.

Our business could be harmed by factors such as the availability, terms and cost of capital, increases in interest rates or a reduction in our credit rating. Changes in any one or more of these factors could cause our cost of doing business to increase, limit our access to capital, limit our ability to pursue acquisition opportunities, reduce our cash flows available and place us at a competitive disadvantage. Continuing disruptions and volatility in the global financial markets may lead to an increase in interest rates or a contraction in credit availability impacting our ability to finance our activities. A significant reduction in the availability of credit could materially and adversely affect our ability to achieve our business strategy and cash flows.

We may not have sufficient available cash to pay any quarterly dividend on our Common Stock, our cash available for dividends may vary significantly from quarter to quarter and our board of directors may in the future modify or revoke our cash dividend policy at any time at its discretion. Our dividend policy could limit our ability to grow and make acquisitions.

We may not have sufficient cash available to pay base or variable dividends to our common stockholders each quarter. Furthermore, our cash dividend policy does not require us to pay dividends on a quarterly basis or otherwise. The amount of cash we have to distribute each quarter principally depends upon the amount of royalty income we generate, which is dependent upon the volumes of production sold and the prices that our operators realize from the sale of such production. In addition, the actual amount of cash we will have to distribute each quarter under our cash dividend policy will be reduced by payments in respect of income taxes, debt service and other contractual obligations and fixed charges, increases in reserves for future operating or capital needs that the board of directors may determine is appropriate, lease bonus income, dividend equivalent rights payments and preferred dividends, if any, and any common share repurchases. The board of directors may further modify or revoke our dividend policy at any time in the future at its discretion. For information regarding our dividend policy and the recent modifications, see Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities—Dividend Policy and Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of this report. As a result, quarterly dividends paid to our stockholders may vary significantly from quarter to quarter and may be zero.

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As a result of our cash dividend policy, we have limited cash available to reinvest in our business or to fund acquisitions. We expect that we will continue to fund a portion of our capital expenditures and other needs with borrowings under the revolving credit facility and from the proceeds of debt and equity offerings. If the availability under the revolving credit facility were reduced, and we were otherwise unable to secure other sources of financing, we may be required to curtail our capital expenditures, which could result in an inability to complete acquisitions or finance the capital expenditures necessary to replace our reserves.

To the extent we issue additional shares in connection with any acquisitions or growth capital expenditures or as in-kind dividends, the payment of dividends on those additional shares may increase the risk that we will be unable to maintain or increase our per share dividend level.

We depend on a small number of operators for a substantial portion of the development and production on our mineral and royalty acreage. A reduction in the expected number of wells to be drilled on our acreage by these operators or the failure of an operator to adequately and efficiently develop and operate our acreage could have an adverse effect on our expected growth and our results of operations.

The failure of our operators to adequately or efficiently perform operations or an operator’s failure to act in ways that are in our best interests could reduce production and revenues. Any development and production activities on our properties are subject to our operators’ reasonable discretion. The level, success and timing of drilling and development activities on our properties, and whether the operators elect to drill any additional wells on our acreage, depends on a number of factors that will be largely outside of our control, including: commodity prices; the timing and amount of capital expenditures by our operators, which could be significantly more than anticipated; the ability of our operators to access capital; the availability, high cost or shortages of rigs and other suitable drilling equipment, raw materials, supplies and oilfield services; the availability of production and transportation infrastructure and qualified operating personnel; regulatory restrictions; the operators’ expertise, operating efficiency and financial resources; approval of other participants in drilling wells; the operators’ expected return on investment in wells drilled on our acreage as compared to opportunities in other areas; the selection of technology; the selection of counterparties for the sale of production; and the rate of production of the reserves.

The operators may elect not to undertake development activities, or may undertake such activities in an unanticipated fashion, which may result in significant fluctuations in our royalty income and cash available for dividends to our stockholders. If reductions in production by the operators are implemented on our properties and sustained, our revenues may also be substantially affected. Additionally, if an operator were to experience financial difficulty, the operator might not be able to pay its royalty payments or continue its operations, which could have a material adverse impact on us.

The development of our proved undeveloped reserves may take longer and may require higher levels of capital expenditures by operators than we currently anticipate.

Approximately 22% of our total estimated proved reserves as of December 31, 2025, were proved undeveloped reserves and may not be ultimately developed or produced. Recovery of proved undeveloped reserves requires significant capital expenditures and successful drilling operations by the operators on our mineral and royalty acreage. The reserve data included in our reserve reports assumes that substantial capital expenditures are required to develop such reserves. We cannot be certain that the estimated costs of the development of these reserves are accurate, that development will occur as scheduled or that the results of such development will be as estimated. Delays in the development of our reserves, increases in costs to drill, complete and develop such reserves, or further decreases in commodity prices will reduce the future net revenues of our estimated proved undeveloped reserves and may result in some projects becoming uneconomical. In addition, delays in the development of reserves could force us to reclassify certain of our proved reserves as unproved reserves.

We may not be able to terminate our leases if any of our operators declare bankruptcy, and we may experience delays and be unable to replace operators that do not make royalty payments.

Under many of the leases that cover our mineral and royalty interests, a failure on the part of our operators to make royalty payments to us gives us the right to terminate the applicable lease, repossess the property and enforce payment obligations under the lease. If we repossessed any of our properties, we would seek a replacement operator. However, we might not be able to find a replacement operator and, if we did, we might not be able to enter into a new lease on favorable terms within a reasonable period of time. In addition, the outgoing operator could be subject to bankruptcy proceedings that could prevent the execution of a new lease or the assignment of the existing lease to another operator. In addition, if we enter into a new lease, the replacement operator may not achieve the same levels of production or sell oil or natural gas at the same price as the operator it replaced.

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However, many of our mineral and royalty interests are covered by leases that do not provide us with the contractual right to terminate the lease or repossess the property if an operator fails to timely make royalty payments to us. In such instances, we may be forced to resort to litigation to seek payment of past due royalties and statutory interest, without the ability to replace the operator.

The producing properties in which we have mineral and royalty interests are primarily concentrated in the Permian Basin of West Texas, making us vulnerable to risks (including weather-related risks) associated with a single geographic area. In addition, a large amount of our proved reserves is attributable to a small number of producing horizons within this area.

The producing properties in which we have mineral and royalty interests are currently geographically primarily concentrated in the Permian Basin of West Texas. As a result of this concentration, we may be disproportionately exposed to the impact of regional supply and demand factors, delays or interruptions of production from wells in this area caused by governmental regulation, processing or transportation capacity constraints faced by our operators or their customers, availability of equipment, facilities, personnel or services market limitations or interruption of the processing or transportation of crude oil, natural gas or natural gas liquids on our mineral and royalty acreage, and extreme weather conditions and their adverse impact on production volumes, availability of electrical power, road accessibility and transportation facilities on our mineral and royalty acreage.

Extreme regional weather events may occur that can affect our operators’ suppliers or customers, which could adversely affect us. Climate changes may also increase the frequency and severity of significant weather events over time. Further, any increase in flaring of natural gas production on our mineral and royalty acreage due to weather-related events, or otherwise, could expose us to reputational risks and adversely impact our or our operators’ contractual and other business relationships. Any of the above-referenced events could have a material adverse effect on us. Likewise, a weather event could reduce the availability of electrical power, road accessibility, and transportation facilities, which could have an adverse impact on production volumes on our mineral and royalty acreage (and therefore on our financial condition and results of operations).

In addition, the effect of fluctuations on supply and demand may become more pronounced within specific geographic oil and natural gas producing areas such as the Permian Basin, which may cause these conditions to occur with greater frequency or magnify the effects of these conditions. Due to the concentrated nature of our mineral and royalty acreage, we could experience any of these conditions at the same time, resulting in a relatively greater impact on us than they might have on other companies that have a more diversified portfolio of assets. Such delays or interruptions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and cash flow.

In addition to the geographic concentration of our mineral and royalty acreage, as of December 31, 2025, most of our proved reserves are concentrated in the Wolfberry resource play in the Midland Basin. This concentration of assets within a small number of producing horizons exposes us to additional risks, such as changes in field-wide rules and regulations that could cause our operators to permanently or temporarily shut-in all of the wells on our mineral and royalty acreage.

Our future success depends on the development or acquisition of additional reserves, and our failure to successfully identify, complete and integrate acquisitions of properties or businesses could slow our growth and adversely affect our results of operations and cash available for dividends.

Our future success depends upon the development or acquisition of additional oil and natural gas reserves that are economically recoverable, as our proved reserves will generally decline as reserves are depleted. To increase reserves and production, we would need to undertake replacement activities or use our operators to undertake development, exploration and other replacement activities, requiring substantial capital expenditures. We may not have sufficient resources to acquire additional reserves and our operators may not have sufficient resources to undertake exploration, development, production or other replacement activities. Such activities by our operators may not result in significant additional reserves and efforts to drill productive wells at low finding costs may be unsuccessful. In addition, we do not expect to retain cash from our operations for replacement capital expenditures. Furthermore, although our revenues and cash available for dividends may increase if prevailing oil and natural gas prices increase significantly, finding costs for additional reserves could also increase.

There is intense competition for acquisition opportunities in our industry. The successful acquisition of producing properties requires an assessment of several factors, including: recoverable reserves, future oil and natural gas prices and their applicable differentials, operating costs and potential environmental and other liabilities. The accuracy of these assessments is inherently uncertain and we may not be able to identify attractive acquisition opportunities. In connection with these assessments, we perform a review of the subject properties that we believe to be generally consistent with industry practices. Our review will not reveal all existing or potential problems including title defects or environmental issues, which, if material, can render an interest worthless, nor will it permit us to become sufficiently familiar with the properties to assess fully their

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deficiencies and capabilities. Inspections may not always be performed on every well, and environmental problems, such as groundwater contamination, are not necessarily observable even when an inspection is undertaken. Environmental or other regulatory issues may arise with respect to acquired entities or operations years after the acquisitions, any of which can adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash available for dividends. Even when problems are identified, the seller may be unwilling or unable to provide effective contractual protection against all or part of the problems. Significant acquisitions and other strategic transactions may involve other risks that may cause our business to be adversely impacted, including diversion of our management’s attention to evaluating and negotiating such transactions and our failure to realize the full benefit that we expect in estimated proved reserves, production volume or other benefits anticipated therefrom, or to realize these benefits within the expected time frame.

We may not be able to complete acquisitions or do so on commercially acceptable terms, as our ability to complete acquisitions is dependent upon, among other things, our ability to obtain debt and equity financing and, in some cases, regulatory approvals. Further, our future acquisitions may be in geographic regions in which we do not currently hold properties. If we enter into new geographic markets, we may be subject to additional and unfamiliar legal and regulatory requirements and other unforeseen difficulties. Compliance with regulatory requirements may impose substantial additional obligations on us and our management, cause us to expend additional time and resources in compliance activities and increase our exposure to penalties or fines for non-compliance with such additional legal requirements. Further, the success of any completed acquisition will depend on our ability to effectively integrate the acquired business into our existing operations, the process of which may involve unforeseen difficulties and may require a disproportionate amount of our managerial and financial resources. In addition, possible future acquisitions may be larger and for purchase prices significantly higher than those paid for earlier acquisitions. Any of the unfavorable circumstances mentioned above could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash available for dividends. The inability to effectively manage the integration of acquisitions could reduce our focus on subsequent acquisitions and current operations, which, in turn, could negatively impact our growth, results of operations and cash available for dividends.

We may not realize the anticipated benefits from our acquisitions, including the Sitio Acquisition and the 2025 Drop Down.

We have recently completed several significant acquisitions, including the Sitio Acquisition and the 2025 Drop Down, and expect to pursue additional acquisitions as part of our growth strategy. Realizing anticipated benefits from these acquisitions depends in part on integrating acquired assets efficiently and effectively, which we may not accomplish due to, among other things:

•challenges associated with operating a larger organization and managing geographically dispersed assets;

•the difficulty of integrating corporate, technological and administrative functions and complex systems, technology and networks, and addressing inconsistencies in standards, controls, operational philosophies and corporate cultures;

•diversion of attention and resources from regular business operations;

•increasing our indebtedness and the complexity of our capital structure;

•incurring environmental or regulatory liabilities and encountering title defects;

•disruptions in relationships with operators, customers, suppliers, landowners and other business partners;

•challenges in hiring, training, retaining or integrating qualified personnel;

•assuming unknown or contingent liabilities and incurring unforeseen expenses; and

•inaccuracies in assumptions regarding estimated proved reserves, future production, prices, revenues and costs.

If we are unable to effectively manage the integration of our current or future acquisitions, or if our business activities are interrupted as a result, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Project areas on our properties, which are in various stages of development, may not yield oil or natural gas in commercially viable quantities.

Project areas on our properties are in various stages of development, ranging from project areas with current drilling or production activity to project areas that have limited drilling or production history. If the wells in the process of being completed are on our property and do not produce sufficient revenues or if dry holes are drilled, our financial condition, results of operations and cash available for dividends may be materially affected.

Our estimated reserves are based on many assumptions that may turn out to be inaccurate. Any material inaccuracies in these reserve estimates or underlying assumptions will materially affect the quantities and present value of our reserves.

Oil and natural gas reserve engineering is not an exact science and requires subjective estimates of underground accumulations of oil and natural gas and assumptions concerning future oil and natural gas prices, production levels, ultimate

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recoveries and operating and development costs, if any. As a result, estimated quantities of proved reserves and projections of future production rates may be incorrect. Over time, we may make material changes to reserve estimates taking into account the results of actual drilling, testing and production. Also, certain assumptions regarding future oil and natural gas prices and production levels may prove incorrect. Any significant variance from these assumptions to actual figures could greatly affect our estimates of reserves, the economically recoverable quantities of oil and natural gas attributable to any particular group of properties, the classifications of reserves based on risk of recovery and estimates of future net cash flows. A portion of our reserve estimates are made without the benefit of a lengthy production history and are less reliable than estimates based on a lengthy production history. Numerous changes over time to the assumptions on which our reserve estimates are based, as described above, often result in the actual quantities of oil and natural gas that we ultimately recover being different from our reserve estimates. Reserve estimates do not include any value for probable or possible reserves that may exist, nor do they include any value for unproved undeveloped acreage.

We are dependent on electrical power, internet and telecommunication infrastructure and information and computer systems. If any of these systems are compromised or unavailable, our business could be adversely affected.

We are dependent on electric power, internet and telecommunication infrastructure and Diamondback’s information systems and computer based programs. If any of such infrastructure, systems or programs were to fail or become unavailable or compromised, or create erroneous information in our hardware or software network infrastructure, our ability to safely and effectively conduct our business will be limited and any such consequence could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Rapid growth in artificial intelligence (“AI”) related data centers and other high‑intensity computing is materially increasing regional electricity demand and straining grids, which—together with extreme weather conditions, intermittent renewable generation, and other market constraints—can reduce power availability, increase prices (including scarcity pricing), and cause outages. Reduced power reliability could disrupt our operators’ drilling, completion, and production activities; impair midstream operations; hinder remote monitoring and data integrity; and force suspensions or shutdowns or unplanned spending on backup power and communications, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We are subject to cybersecurity and data privacy risks. A cyber incident could occur and result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

We rely extensively on Diamondback’s information technology systems and infrastructure, including but not limited to data hosting platforms, real-time data acquisition systems, internally developed and third-party software, cloud services and other internally or externally hosted hardware and software platforms (collectively, “IT Systems”) for operational and other purposes, such as to (i) estimate our oil and natural gas reserves, (ii) process and record financial and operating data, and (iii) communicate with our management and board of directors, as well as, our vendors, suppliers and other third parties. Diamondback owns and manages certain IT Systems but also relies on third parties for a range of IT Systems and other products or services. Diamondback and certain third-party providers also collect, maintain and/or process proprietary data about our business, such as trade secrets, as well as personally identifiable information about our employees, business partners and others (collectively, “Confidential Information”).

We regularly experience attempted cyberattacks and other incidents, including phishing attacks and attacks on certain of our third-party providers, and we expect future cyberattacks and incidents to occur in varying degrees. To date, no incidents have materially affected our company, including our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition, but we cannot guarantee that material incidents will not occur in the future.

Diamondback’s IT Systems and our Confidential Information, and those of our vendors, service providers and other third-party providers and business partners, are vulnerable to evolving cybersecurity threats, including, without limitation, denial-of-service attacks; malicious software (e.g., ransomware); the exploitation of known and unknown misconfigurations, “bugs,” and other hardware or software vulnerabilities; data privacy breaches by insiders or others with authorized access; social engineering (e.g., phishing) attacks; attempts to gain unauthorized access to our data and Diamondback’s systems; and other electronic or physical security breaches. More recently, advancements in AI pose serious risks for many of the traditional tools used to identify individuals, including voice recognition (whether by machine or the human ear), facial recognition or screening questions to confirm identities. In addition, generative AI systems are increasingly used by malicious actors to create more sophisticated cyber-attacks (i.e., more realistic phishing or other attacks) and to circumvent controls, evade detection and even remove forensic evidence, rendering incident detection and remediation more challenging. These and other threat-related advancements expose us and Diamondback to increasing costs, including costs associated with additional personnel, protection technologies and policies and procedures and third-party experts and consultants. There can be no assurance that Diamondback’s cybersecurity risk management program, including its controls or processes, will be fully implemented,

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complied with or effective in protecting IT Systems and Confidential Information. Moreover, neither we nor Diamondback manage the security controls or processes deployed by our third-party providers, such as cloud services that support our operations, and therefore, successful cyberattacks that disrupt or result in unauthorized access to third-party IT Systems could materially impact our and Diamondback’s operations and financial results. Similarly, we have acquired and continue to acquire companies that may have cybersecurity vulnerabilities or unsophisticated measures, which exposes us to significant risk. A significant cybersecurity attack or incident could compromise our Confidential Information or disrupt our operations, normal business functions and other aspects of our business.

Diamondback provides personnel and general and administrative services to us, including personnel and infrastructure that underlie our cybersecurity risk management program. As cyber incidents continue to evolve, Diamondback may be required to expend additional resources (for which we may be partially responsible) to continue to modify or enhance protective measures or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to cyber incidents. Diamondback maintains specialized insurance for possible liability resulting from a cyberattack on its assets; however, we cannot assure you that the insurance coverage will be adequate to cover claims that may arise, or that Diamondback will be able to maintain adequate insurance at rates we consider reasonable. A loss not fully covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and cash flows. See Item 1C. Cybersecurity below for additional information.

A variety of U.S. federal, state and international laws and regulations govern the collection, use, retention, sharing and security of personal data. All 50 states have enacted legislation on data breach notification requirements and many states continue to enact laws on matters of privacy, data protection and cybersecurity. The existing privacy-related laws and regulations are evolving and subject to potentially differing interpretations. In addition, various U.S. federal, state and foreign legislative and regulatory bodies continue to enact new laws regarding privacy and data protection, as well as expand the scope of existing laws. We cannot predict the impact of any such evolving privacy-related laws on our business, results of operations or financial condition, but may find it necessary to enhance the existing systems and procedures, which may involve substantial expense or distraction from other aspects of our business. In addition, any violations of applicable privacy-related laws or regulations may require us to address legal claims, sustain monetary penalties or incur other liabilities, as well as cause reputational damage, any of which could adversely impact our business, results of operations or financial condition.

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our results of operations, business flexibility and our ability to service our debt.

We have incurred a substantial amount of debt to finance our recent acquisitions and for other corporate purposes. Our ability to make scheduled payments of principal, to pay interest on or to refinance our indebtedness depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. We are dependent on cash flow generated by the Operating Company to repay the Guaranteed Senior Notes. The Operating Company’s business may not generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to service our debt and make necessary capital expenditures. If the Operating Company is unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as reducing or delaying capital expenditures, selling assets, restructuring debt or obtaining additional capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. However, we cannot assure you that alternative financing plans would be consummated on desirable terms or would be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due.

Our revolving credit facility and the indentures governing the Guaranteed Senior Notes outstanding contain, and the terms of any future indebtedness may contain, restrictive covenants that limit our ability to, among other things: incur or guarantee additional indebtedness; make certain investments; create additional liens; sell or transfer assets; merge or consolidate with another entity; pay or declare dividends; designate certain of our subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries; create unrestricted subsidiaries; and engage in transactions with affiliates.

In addition, the revolving credit facility requires us to maintain a certain net debt to capitalization ratio. The requirement that we comply with these provisions may materially adversely affect our ability to react to changes in market conditions, take advantage of business opportunities we believe to be desirable, obtain future financing, fund needed capital expenditures or withstand a continuing or future downturn in our business.

Our future ability to comply with these restrictions and covenants is uncertain and will be affected by the levels of cash flow from our operations and other events or circumstances beyond our control. If market or other economic conditions deteriorate, our ability to comply with these covenants may be impaired. A breach of any of these restrictive covenants could result in default under the revolving credit facility. If a default occurs, the lenders under the revolving credit facility may elect to declare all borrowings outstanding, together with accrued interest and other fees, to be immediately due and payable, which

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would result in an event of default under the indentures governing the Guaranteed Senior Notes. The lenders will also have the right in these circumstances to terminate any commitments they have to provide further borrowings. If the indebtedness under the revolving credit facility and the Guaranteed Senior Notes were to be accelerated, we cannot assure you that our assets would be sufficient to repay in full that indebtedness.

Additionally, any significant reduction in the borrowing base under our revolving credit facility as a result of borrowing base redeterminations, following a decline in commodity prices or otherwise, may negatively impact our liquidity and our ability to fund our operations and, as a result, may have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flow. Further, if the outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility were to exceed the borrowing base as a result of any such redetermination, we would be required to repay the excess. We may not have sufficient funds to make such repayments. If we do not have sufficient funds and we are otherwise unable to negotiate renewals of the borrowings or arrange new financing, we may have to sell significant assets. Any such sale could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.

Lastly, our earnings are exposed to interest rate risk associated with borrowings under our revolving credit facility. The terms of our revolving credit facility provide for interest on borrowings at a floating rate equal to an alternative base rate tied to SOFR. SOFR tends to fluctuate based on multiple factors, including general short-term interest rates, rates set by the U.S. Federal Reserve, and other central banks and general economic conditions. We have not hedged our interest rate exposure with respect to our floating rate debt. If interest rates increase, so will our interest costs, which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

A downgrade in our debt ratings could restrict our access to, and negatively impact the terms of, current or future financings or trade credit.

Our ability to obtain financings and trade credit and the terms of any financings or trade credit is, in part, dependent on the credit ratings assigned to our debt by independent credit rating agencies. We cannot provide assurance that any of our current ratings will remain in effect for any given period of time or that a rating will not be lowered or withdrawn entirely by a rating agency if, in its judgment, circumstances so warrant. Factors that may impact our credit ratings include debt levels, planned asset purchases or sales and near-term and long-term production growth opportunities, liquidity, asset quality, cost structure, product mix and commodity pricing levels. A ratings downgrade could adversely impact our ability to access financings or trade credit and increase our borrowing costs.

Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us

Diamondback controls us and its interests may conflict with ours or yours in the future.

Diamondback beneficially owns approximately 42.1% of the voting power of our capital stock, on a fully diluted basis. For so long as Diamondback continues to have voting power over a significant percentage of our capital stock, even at times when such amount is less than 50%, it will be able to significantly influence the composition of our board of directors and the approval of actions requiring stockholder approval. Although the holders of our Common Stock are entitled to vote on all matters on which stockholders of a corporation are generally entitled to vote on under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), including the election of our board of directors, pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, for so long as Diamondback and any of its subsidiaries collectively beneficially own at least 25% of our outstanding Common Stock (i) Diamondback has the right to designate up to three persons to serve as members of our board of directors, and (ii) our board of directors may not appoint any person other than a Diamondback seconded employee as an executive officer of our company unless such appointment is approved, in advance, by either (x) Diamondback (which approval may not be unreasonably withheld or conditioned), or (y) the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 80% of the voting power of our capital stock. Currently, there are two Diamondback designees to our board of directors—Travis Stice and Kaes Van’t Hof. Pursuant to the Services and Secondment Agreement, Diamondback continues to provide personnel and general and administrative services to us and OpCo, including the services of the executive officers and other employees. Accordingly, Diamondback will have significant influence with respect to our board of directors, management, business plans and policies, including the appointment and removal of our officers. In particular, for so long as Diamondback continues to beneficially own a significant percentage of our capital stock, it will be able to cause or prevent a change of control of our company or a change in the composition of our board of directors and could preclude any unsolicited acquisition of our company. The concentration of ownership could deprive you of an opportunity to receive a premium for your shares of Common Stock as part of a sale of our company and ultimately might affect the market price of our Common Stock.

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We do not have any employees, and we rely solely on the employees of Diamondback to manage our business. The management team of Diamondback, which includes the individuals who manage us, also perform similar services for Diamondback and certain of its affiliates, and thus are not solely focused on our business.

We do not have any employees and we rely solely on Diamondback to provide us with personnel and general and administrative services, including the services of the executive officers, senior management and other employees, under the terms and conditions of the Services and Secondment Agreement. Because Diamondback provides services to us that are similar to those it performs for itself and its affiliates, it may not have sufficient human, technical and other resources to provide those services at a level that it would be able to provide to us if it were solely focused on our business and operations. Diamondback may make internal decisions on how to allocate its available resources and expertise that may not always be in our best interest compared to Diamondback’s interests. There is no requirement that Diamondback favor us over itself or others in providing its services. If Diamondback does not devote sufficient attention to the management and operation of our business or otherwise breaches the provisions of the services and secondment agreement, our financial results may suffer and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders may be reduced. Many key responsibilities within our business have been assigned to a small number of individuals. The loss of their services could adversely affect our business. In particular, the loss of the services of one or more members of the executive team could disrupt our business. Further, we do not maintain “key person” life insurance policies on any of our executive team or other key personnel. As a result, we are not insured against any losses resulting from the death of these key individuals.

The market price of our shares of Class A Common Stock could be adversely affected by sales of substantial amounts of our Class A Common Stock in the public or private markets.

We have provided registration rights to Diamondback and other parties collectively owning a substantial portion of our outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock on an as-converted basis. Pursuant to these registration rights, we have registered, under the Securities Act, all of the Class A Common Stock owned by Diamondback and those other parties for resale (including Class A Common Stock issuable in respect of the Class B Common Stock under the related exchange agreement or under the exchange provisions of the Operating Company’s limited liability company agreement). Sales by holders of a substantial number of our Class A Common Stock in the public markets, or the perception that such sales might occur, could have a material adverse effect on the price of our Class A Common Stock or could impair our ability to obtain capital through an offering of equity securities.

U.S. tax legislation may adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

From time to time, legislation has been proposed that, if enacted into law, would make significant changes to U.S. federal income tax laws affecting the oil and natural gas industry, including (i) eliminating the immediate deduction for intangible drilling and development costs, (ii) the repeal of the percentage depletion allowance for oil and natural gas properties, and (iii) an extension of the amortization period for certain geological and geophysical expenditures. No accurate prediction can be made as to whether any such legislative changes will be proposed or enacted in the future or, if enacted, what the specific provisions or the effective date of any such legislation would be. These proposed changes in the U.S. tax law, if adopted, or other similar changes that would impose additional tax on our activities or reduce or eliminate deductions currently available with respect to natural gas and oil exploration, development or similar activities, could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

In 2022, the IRA enacted a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax (“CAMT”) on the “adjusted financial statement income” of certain large corporations (generally, corporations reporting more than $1 billion average adjusted pre-tax net income on their consolidated financial statements) for tax years beginning after December 31, 2022. If we are or become subject to CAMT including as a result of our affiliation with Diamondback, our cash tax obligations for U.S. federal income taxes could be significantly accelerated.

On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “OBBB”) was signed into law. Among other provisions, the OBBB provides for immediate expensing of research or experimental expenses, bonus depreciation for qualified tangible property, deductible intangible drilling costs for purposes of the CAMT, and enhancements to limits on business interest expense deductions. The OBBB also imposes limits on deductibility of charitable contributions by corporations. To the extent the timing or amount of our tax deductions are affected by the applicable provisions of the OBBB, our cash tax obligations may be impacted.

The U.S. Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service and other standard-setting bodies are expected to issue additional guidance on how the CAMT and other provisions of the IRA and OBBB will be applied or otherwise administered,

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and such guidance may differ from our interpretations. We continue to evaluate the IRA and OBBB and their effect on our financial results and operating cash flow.

The provision of our certificate of incorporation requiring exclusive venue in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware for certain types of lawsuits may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and stockholders.

Our certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware generally shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or stockholder of the Company to the Company or its stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation or bylaws or (iv) any other action asserting a claim against the Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This choice of forum provision does not waive our compliance with our obligations under the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Moreover, the provision does not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or by the Securities Act.

This choice of forum provision may increase costs to bring a claim, discourage claims or limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that the stockholder finds favorable for disputes with the Company or our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against the Company and its directors, officers and employees, even though an action, if successful, might benefit our stockholders. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could increase our costs of litigation and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Our certificate of incorporation does not limit the ability of Diamondback and certain of its directors, principals, officers, employees and their respective affiliates to compete with us.

Our certificate of incorporation provides that none of Diamondback, any of its directors, principals, officers, employees or respective affiliates will have any duty to refrain from engaging, directly or indirectly, in the same business activities or similar business activities or lines of business in which we operate. In the ordinary course of their business activities, these persons may engage in activities where their interests conflict with our interests or those of our other stockholders.

These persons also may pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business, and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. In addition, these persons may have an interest in our pursuing acquisitions, divestitures and other transactions that, in their judgment, could enhance their investment, even though such transactions might involve risks to our common stockholders.

Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and Delaware law might discourage or delay acquisition attempts for us that you might consider favorable.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may make the merger or acquisition of our company more difficult without the approval of our board of directors. Among other things, these provisions would allow us to authorize the issuance of shares of one or more series of preferred stock, including in connection with a stockholder rights plan, financing transactions or otherwise, the terms of which series may be established and the shares of which may be issued without stockholder approval, and which may include super voting, special approval, dividend, or other rights or preferences superior to the rights of the holders of Common Stock; prohibit stockholder action by written consent unless such action is consented to by the board of directors; provide for certain limitations on convening special stockholder meetings; provide (i) that the board of directors is expressly authorized to make, alter, or repeal our bylaws, and (ii) that our stockholders may only amend our bylaws with the approval of at least a majority of all of the outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote; and establish advance notice requirements for nominations for elections to our board or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings.

These anti-takeover provisions could discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our company, including actions that our stockholders may deem advantageous, or could negatively affect the trading price of our Common Stock. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing and to cause us to take other corporate actions you desire.

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Our ability to pay base and variable dividends to the holders of our Class A Common Stock or make repurchases under our repurchase program may be limited by requirements under our certificate of incorporation, our holding company structure, applicable provisions of Delaware law and contractual restrictions.

Under our current dividend policy, we pay quarterly base plus variable cash dividends on our Class A Common Stock. The outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock are entitled to an aggregate quarterly preferred dividend of $20,000 in cash. Other than the insignificant preferred dividend requirement, we are not required to pay dividends to our stockholders on a quarterly or other basis, and declaration of any other dividends in the future will be solely in the discretion of our board of directors, which may change our dividend policy at any time. Our ability to pay cash dividends to holders of our Class A Common Stock depends on a number of factors, including among other things, general economic and business conditions, our strategic plans and prospects, our businesses and investment opportunities, our financial condition and operating results, capital requirements and other anticipated cash needs, contractual restrictions and obligations, legal, tax and regulatory restrictions and other factors.

Additionally, as a holding company, our ability to pay dividends or repurchase shares of our Common Stock or OpCo Units is subject to the ability of OpCo and any future subsidiaries to provide cash to us. Viper Energy, Inc. has no material assets other than its membership interest in OpCo, which along with OpCo’s subsidiaries, holds all of the mineral and royalty interests and other assets consolidated on our balance sheet.

Under the DGCL we may only pay dividends to our stockholders out of (i) our surplus, as defined and computed under the provisions of the DGCL, or (ii) our net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared and/or the preceding fiscal year. If we do not have sufficient surplus or net profits, we will be prohibited by law from paying any such dividend. In addition, the terms of our revolving credit facility include, and any other debt instruments or financing arrangements may from time to time include covenants or other restrictions that could constrain our ability to pay dividends, make other distributions or repurchase shares of our Common Stock or OpCo Units. Our certificate of incorporation contains provisions authorizing us to issue series of preferred stock that may have designations, preferences, rights, powers and duties that are different from, and may be senior to, those applicable to our Class A Common Stock.

For additional information regarding stockholders’ equity and our repurchase program, see Note 7—Stockholders’ Equity in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report.