Amin Khoury
Analyst · Jefferies. Your line is now open
Thank you, Michael, and good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us today to discuss our second quarter financial results. During the quarter, we made initial progress in rolling out new product service lines in all three of our geographical segments. We introduced large diameter coiled tubing services, in conjunction with the proprietary HydroPull tool and our own proprietary motor bearing assembly, in both the Northeast/Mid-Con and Rocky Mountains segments. And we’re pleased with the consistent pull-through effects for our complementary asset light services.We also completed the training of the personnel required to roll out the flowback and testing PSL in one additional GEO region. In spite of these significant new PSL training and launch costs, we did manage to absorb all of these costs and still deliver a profitable quarter.Second quarter 2019 revenues were up approximately 13% as compared to the first quarter of 2019, and we’re up approximately 40% as compared to the same period in the prior year. Organic revenue growth was approximately 8%. Our Rocky Mountains and Northeast/Mid-Con segments delivered sequential quarterly revenue growth of approximately 31% and 23% respectively, while our Southwest segment revenues declined approximately 8%. Organic revenue growth for our Rocky Mountains and Northeast/Mid-Con segments were very strong at approximately 25% and 13% respectively.Our second quarter 2019 performance reflected lower activity levels, and reduced capital spending by exploration and production companies almost all of which intensified their focus on capital discipline in order to deliver announced levels of free cash flow. Additionally, severe weather conditions in the Mid-Con including severe flooding which led to impassable roads and highways began in the month of May and persisted through June, resulting in a significant decline in activity in the Mid-Con until the second half of our quarter ending July 31. The magnitude of the negative impact was approximately $8 million to $9 million of lost revenues.Our second quarter performance was also impacted by lower coiled tubing revenues, due to delays in delivery of coiled tubing spreads and lower wireline revenues in the Permian, due to our decision to not deploy these assets at prices being offered by competitors.On today’s call, we will review the current oilfield services market, discuss our second quarter 2019 financial performance, and update our guidance.Let’s begin by reviewing the current oilfield services market environment. Following a strong start to the year, oil prices were volatile in the second quarter, with a price of WTI crude trading down to below $52 per barrel in early June, a 20% decline from the prior month. The decline in oil prices erased a significant portion of the gains from the beginning of the year as investors raised concerns over subdued global growth, causing weak near term oil demand. The magnitude and the speed of the move-lower was further exacerbated by growing concerns over strong U.S. oil and gas production and rising inventories.As of today, oil and natural gas prices continued to be hampered by concerns about supply and demand imbalances resulting from slower global economic growth and robust production. North American land completion activity remains challenged, as exploration and production companies have intensified their focus on staying within their announced capital expenditure and free cash flow budgets. This has resulted in a decline in the average number of frac fleets operating nationally, and a 13% decline in the average quarterly rig count in North America since the first quarter.While we have seen the price differential for crude prices narrow in recent months due to additional pipeline capacity coming online, our customers’ completion activities have also been negatively impacted by the lack of available pipeline capacity for natural gas, as well as regulatory limits on flaring. The additional pipeline capacity anticipated to come online in the Permian and in the Bakken within the next year is expected to alleviate some of the gas takeaway capacity issues impacting both regions.Looking forward, we expect North American drilling and completion activity to decrease further in the third quarter as E&P companies scale back their activities to stay within their announced CapEx and cash flow guidance and for fourth quarter E&P activity to be somewhat further impacted as compared to Q3 by weather-related and seasonal issues as well as budget exhaustion. Despite the expected decline in activity in the third quarter, we expect KLX revenues and profitability to grow in the third quarter as compared to the second quarter. We will discuss this later as we address our guidance and the outlook for the balance of the year.Let's turn to Slide 3 and review our second quarter 2019 consolidated results. Second quarter 2019 revenues of approximately $165 million increased approximately $19 million or 13%, as compared to Q1. Organic revenue growth was approximately 8%. On a product line basis, completion and intervention services increased approximately 11% and 39%, respectively, as compared to the first quarter, while production revenues declined approximately 5%.Rocky Mountains segment revenue growth was approximately $15 million or 31%. Rocky Mountains’ organic revenue growth was approximately 25%, reflecting an increase in the number of customers served, increased activity across substantially all product lines and improved adoption rates of recently introduced proprietary tools, so a greater number of customers and a greater share of wallet.The Rocky Mountains segment also benefited from approximately $3 million of inorganic growth from an additional six weeks of Tecton flowback and testing revenues, as compared to the first quarter 2019.Northeast/Mid-Con segment delivered revenue growth of approximately 23%. Organic revenue growth was approximately 13%, again driven by a significant increase in the number of customers served and improved adoption rates of proprietary tools. The $4 million revenue contribution from an additional six weeks of Red Bone operations was more than offset by the $8 million to $9 million reduction in revenues caused by flooding and tornadoes in May and June in the Mid-Con, which resulted in six weeks of substantially reduced activity, particularly in Red Bone's primary Oklahoma market.Our Southwest segment also experienced an increase in the number of customers served, but revenue growth from new customers was more than offset by lower activity levels by certain existing customers and the negative impact from the low utilization of our wireline assets as we chose not to deploy these assets at prices being offered by competitors.Operating earnings and operating margin were $11 million and 6.7%, respectively. Adjusted EBITDA was $32 million and adjusted EBITDA margin was about 20%, adjusted only to exclude non-cash compensation expense.Gross margin, operating margin and adjusted EBITDA margin were all negatively impacted by the six weeks of substantially reduced activity in the Mid-Con and costs incurred to roll out new product service lines in all three GEO segments. Adjusted net earnings and adjusted net earnings per diluted share, adjusted to exclude non-cash compensation and amortization expense, were $9.2 million and $0.41 per diluted share, respectively.Despite aforementioned headwinds during the quarter, our operating earnings were up approximately 360%, while adjusted EBITDA was up approximately 48%. Adjusted net earnings were up approximately $8.9 million and adjusted net earnings per diluted share increased $0.40 to $0.41 per share.Let’s now turn to Slide 4 and review second quarter 2019 segment financial results beginning with the Rocky Mountains segment.Second quarter 2019 Rocky Mountains segment revenues of $63.5 million increased by approximately $15 million or 31%. Organic revenue growth was a very strong 25% driven by a significant increase in the number of customers served, increased activities across substantially all product lines and improved adoption rates of proprietary tools including the HydroPull in combination with our proprietary motor bearing assembly and dissolvable plugs. Our Rocky Mountains segment also benefited from approximately $3 million of inorganic growth from an additional six weeks of Tecton flowback and testing revenues.The Rocky Mountains segment has also built on its differentiation in technology and efficiency by having completed the roll out of greaseless wireline and a fully addressable plug and play disposable gun system. Operating earnings and operating margin were approximately $9 million and 14%, increases of approximately 200% and 770 basis points respectively as compared to Q1. Adjusted EBITDA increased approximately 80% on the 31% increase in revenues, resulting in adjusted EBITDA margin of approximately 25%, that was up 690 basis points as compared to the first quarter of 2019.Let’s turn to Slide 5 and review our second quarter Northeast/Mid-Con segment performance. Second quarter 2019 Northeast/Mid-Con segment revenues of $48.1 million increased by approximately 23%. Organic revenue growth was approximately 13% driven by an increase in the number of customers served and improved adoption rates of proprietary tools. The $4 million contribution to revenues from the additional six weeks of Red Bone operations was more than offset by flooding and tornadoes in May and June in the Mid-Con, which resulted in six weeks of substantially reduced activity and a negative impact on revenues of approximately $8 million to $9 million.More importantly, operating efficiency and operating earnings were severely impacted by the near stoppage in activity for a number of customers during the flooding and its aftermath. And as a result, operating margin was a depressed 8.1%. Adjusted EBITDA did increase 14% to $11 million as compared to the first quarter but the adjusted EBITDA margin of 22.9% was also negatively impacted by the impact of the severe weather conditions. Exclusive of weather-related negative impacts, Northeast/Mid-Con segment operating margin and adjusted EBITDA margins were likely have approximated July operating and adjusted EBITDA margins that were in excess of 11% and 25%, respectively.Let's turn to Slide 6 and review the second quarter results for the company's Southwest segment. For the second quarter, Southwest segment revenues decreased approximately 8%, driven primarily by lower activity levels by existing customers and lower utilization of wireline assets as we chose not to deploy these assets at prices being offered by competitors. The Southwest segment is also incurring the additional costs of rolling out flowback and testing services, greaseless wireline and the fully addressable plug and play disposable gun system in the Permian that we have already successfully rolled out in the Rocky Mountains segment.The Southwest segment also continues to incur costs to support the rollout of the coiled tubing product service line in both the Mid-Con and in the Rockies. While quarter-over-quarter spend declined with a number of our existing customers due to their reduction in activity, we have successfully broadened our footprint within our customer base and have added approximately 30 new customers in the Southwest segment during the quarter.Despite the lower Southwest segment revenues and significant new PSL rollout costs, operating loss of $1.6 million improved by approximately $2.4 million and adjusted EBITDA of $5.1 million improved by $1.9 million or approximately 59%, as compared to the first quarter of 2019.Now, let's take a moment and review our financial position on Slide 7. As of July 31, cash on hand was approximately $92 million. Total long-term debt of $250 million less cash resulted in net debt of approximately $158 million and the company's net debt to net capital ratio was approximately 29%. Our net debt to adjusted EBITDA leverage ratio was approximately 1.3 times. There were no borrowings outstanding under the company's $100 million credit facility for the three months ended July 31, 2019.Cash flow provided by operating activities was approximately $8 million, while capital expenditures in the current period were approximately $27 million, reflecting investments related to the company’s strategy to expand recently acquired product service lines in additional geographic segments.In spite of expected further coiled tubing delivery delays, by the end of the fourth quarter, the company expects it will have received all on order large diameter coiled tubing spreads, and therefore, to have completed the intensive capital investment phase of our strategy to use large diameter coiled tubing in conjunction with certain proprietary tools to pull through a broad range of asset light services for the company's customers in all geographic segments.As a result of the completion of the intensive capital investment phase of the company’s strategy, in 2019, we expect to generate strong free cash flow in 2020. In fact as we look towards 2020, we will be servicing a larger number of customers in each GEO region, delivering a broader range of services to those customers as we garner a larger percentage of customer spend, while delivering strong free cash flow.Let’s now briefly review our guidance. We expect E&P spending to be somewhat lower in the third quarter, as customers remain focused on staying within their announced capital spending and free cash flow targets. We expect fourth quarter activity to somewhat lower than Q3 activity, due to weather-related and seasonal effects. Nevertheless, we expect KLX third quarter 2019 revenues to increase approximately 3% over the immediately preceding quarter.We expect fourth quarter 2019 revenues to be slightly lower as compared to third quarter revenues due to weather-related and seasonal effects. Our revenue growth in 2019 has been negatively impacted by delays in delivery of large diameter coiled tubing spreads from the manufacturer. We expect further significant delays in the delivery of this equipment. However, all five of these new large diameter coiled tubing spreads are expected to be received by the end of the fourth quarter of 2019 bringing our total large diameter coiled tubing spread count to 13 units.The start up, training and launch costs of the large diameter coiled tubing and flowback and testing PSLs have been a drag on margins, particularly in the Southwest segment which has supported coiled tubing launch costs in both the Rockies and the Mid-Con segments. While we expect a substantial pickup in margins in Q3 for the company overall, we will continue to incur the start up costs through the end of Q1 of 2020. Thereafter, we expect the significant improvement in margins and profitability as well as strong free cash flow throughout the year.Let’s walk through our third quarter guidance in more detail, please turn to Slide 8. Revenues are expected to be approximately a $170 million in Q3, an increase of approximately 3% as compared to the second quarter of 2019 and an increase of approximately 38% as compared to the same period of the prior year. GAAP net earnings and GAAP net earnings per diluted share are expected to be approximately $9 million and $0.40 per diluted share with each increasing approximately a 150%. EBITDA is expected to be approximately $30 million while approximately 18% of revenues reflecting an increase in EBITDA of approximately 9%.Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be approximately $35 million or approximately 21% of revenues, reflecting increases of approximately 10% and approximately a 100 basis points as compared to the second quarter of 2019. Net earnings and net earnings per diluted share, adjusted to exclude non-cash compensation and amortization expense are expected to be approximately $15 million and approximately $0.65 per diluted share increasing approximately 63% and approximately 59% respectively as compared to the second quarter of 2019. Return on invested capital is expected to be approximately 15%.With that, I will now turn the call back over to Michael for the Q&A portion of this morning's call.