Stephen Taylor
Analyst · Lake Street Capital. Please go ahead, Rob
Thank you Alicia, and Ross. Good morning everyone and welcome to the Natural Gas Services Group's first quarter 2020 Earnings review. Thank you for tuning into our call. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on our industry and business activity, but India continues to provide quality service to our customers and we have seen no material impact on our supply chain or critical vendors.We have adopted remote and staggered work processes in our Midland headquarters and have adapted our field and fabrication work to meet the new realities from the COVID virus. We have implemented guidelines and tended to keep our employees, our customers and suppliers as safe as possible. We have managed to do so without any significant cost to our operation. So, we continue to be vigilant to find ways to remain as efficient as possible in this environment of new operating challenges.The impact of COVID-19 in the resulting all demand destruction continues to cloud, our visibility for short-term business prospects. In April, as expected we experienced more unit returns and shut-in notices from customers and we anticipate in our prepared for additional volatility in our business over the course of the next several months. Nevertheless, like many other oilfield service companies, NGS has the balance sheet to withstand this environment. With $13.1 million in cash on hand, minimal debt was $13 million credit line and an expected $15 million cash tax refund, we have adequate liquidity and well positioned to was intact when a more normal industry and economic environment returns.We anticipate impact to our business going forward from equipment being returned, the associated lower utilization rates and revenue and margin pressure. Our larger horsepower installations are fair and relatively well, but the medium horsepower equipment will be impacted the greatest Interestingly our smaller horsepower units which are generally oriented towards the production of natural gas, now a relatively valuable commodity may get by relatively unscathed. It's not a promise. There are no promises anymore, but we're seeing some isolated instances where that might be the case.We've implemented various cost-cutting measures with respect to operating and capital expenses, including reductions in our headcount from layoffs and attrition, wage freezes, centralization of certain processes for better cost control in a [indiscernible] of our suppliers and our cost cutting efforts. We continue to review additional opportunities to become more efficient including combining and reorganizing fill operations to reduce the number of operating locations.Our rationalization of cost is a multifaceted process that is has started has continuously been implemented and it will not go away for the foreseeable future. I also want to remind everyone of the flexibility and resilience of the NGS business model. Being on the production side of the energy business as opposed to the drilling side, conversion inherited advantage. We are the last vestige of an operator to make money when they start drilling. Wells that need compression never unneed compression and all the wells can be shut in some production has to be maintained keep even a minimal amount of revenue rolling in business units played us from this downturn, absolutely not, but it does give us a preferred position in the oilfield services structure hierarchy.That's our macro advantage. We were also have a number of macroeconomic company's specific advantages. As you know, if you followed in NGS in a short time, our model is the demonstrably different from our competitors. We have operated for years with all kinds of cycles essentially without debt and we [indiscernible] an appreciable amount of cash on the balance sheet. We retain the ability to generate cash For rental business and we have always been one of the first to cut capital expenses to an extremely low level in an accelerated manner.Our playbook is the same this time, but it is being implemented in an even quicker manner, due to the extreme downward slope in the industry. In spite of the pressures on the industry and our business, I feel certain will margin at he preferred position both financially and a superior provider of equipment and services to our customers.So with all that said, I'll discuss the financial results as well as permanent operating and market comments. Given challenges in our industry in the overall economy, we are pleased with our operational performance in the first quarter of 2020. Our rental revenue increased 5% sequentially and 20% when compared to the first quarter 2019. It was driven by increased rentals of our large horsepower units. Our unit and horsepower utilization remained solid and we generated adjusted EBITDA of $5.8 million, an increase of 11% over the fourth quarter of 2019. Our operating cash flow for the quarter was $8.3 million.Looking further at revenues, NGS reported total revenue of $17.9 million for the first quarter of 2020, a $100,000 decrease from the same quarter in 2019. We experienced an increase in rental revenues at 20%, the decrease in both sales and service maintenance revenue streams. Sequentially, total revenue decreased by 9%. More importantly, rental revenues increased 5% sequentially, not unexpectedly sales revenues decreased due to a drop in compressor sales, any capital constrained environment, we would expect sales revenues remain soft in the coming months, as company has significantly reduced capital spending.Total adjusted gross margin for the three months ended March 31, 2020 increased by 3% to $8.1 million from $7.9 million for the same period ended March 31, 2019. Adjusted gross margin, which does not include depreciation as a percentage of revenue for the three months ended March 31 was 45%, an increase from 44% year-over-year.Sequentially, adjusted gross margin for the first quarter of 2020 also increased by 3% to $8.1 million from $7.9 million from quarter. Adjusted gross margin as a percentage of revenue increased to 45% in this quarter compared to 40% in the prior quarter. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $2.2 million, a year-over-year decrease for approximately $330,000 and a decrease of approximately $580,000 sequentially.The main reason for the year-over-year decrease is due to a credit of $350,000 related to the company's reduced deferred compensation liability. Without this, the first quarter 2020 SG&A would have been relatively flat compared to the first quarter 2019. Sequentially, the $580,000 decrease is also related to lower deferred compensation liability, and lower stock compensation expense.Our adjusted SG&A expenses generally run at 13% to 14% of total revenue and continue to do so. Operating income for the first quarter 2020 was a loss of $273,000 compared to a loss of $145,000 in the first quarter 2019. The adjusted operating loss this quarter was due to lower sales, lower rental margins and higher depreciation expenses and lower horsepower equipment.Sequentially, operating income increased $608,000 from adjusted operating loss of $881,000 in the fourth quarter of 2019. This increase was primarily driven by higher rental revenue, lower SG&A and higher rental margins.Our adjusted net loss after-tax for this quarter was $808,000. This compares to a net income of $98,000 in last year's first quarter and a $1.4 million adjusted net loss in the fourth quarter 2019. Quantifying the loss for this quarter, our net loss before tax was $461,000, so almost $350,000 of the bottom line net loss this quarter was attributable to deferred taxes, with another $300,000 related to a loss in our fabrication facilities.As far as reported net income, our net income will be a positive $4.1 million. Fortunately, due to our recent change in tax laws, we're able to claim net operating loss carrybacks and recoup some past cash income taxes. This will result in a total of $15 million in actual cash tax refunds, of which $4.9 million is the income tax benefit recorded this quarter.NGS reported earnings per diluted share of $0.30 for the first quarter. EBITDA is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, and our adjusted EBITDA also excludes any increases in inventory allowance. Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $5.8 million, a slight increase from $5.7 million for the same period in 2019 -- actually 2020 was $5.8 million.Adjusted EBITDA increased to approximately $580,000 sequentially from $5.2 million, primarily due to higher rental revenues and lower SG&A. Total sales revenues, which include compressors, flares and product sales decreased 65% or $2.7 million on a year-over-year basis. Sequential sales revenue decreased to $1.5 million from $3.9 million. Approximately 70% to 80% of these declines depending on the quarter were driven by lower compressor sales.First quarter 2020 total sales gross margin was a loss of $289,000. This is the result of unabsorbed cost in our fabrication facilities, primarily due to lower plant throughput and our retention of incremental personnel and compared to positive gross margins of $426,000 in the first quarter 2019 and $358,000 in the fourth quarter of 2019.First quarter 2020 compressor only sales decreased from $2.7 million in the first quarter of 2019 and $3 million in the prior quarter to $852,000 this quarter. Again due to unabsorbed costs, compressor-only sales margin posted a loss of $435,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2020 compared to a loss of $30,000 for the same period a year ago and a profit of $76,000 last quarter.Our sales backlog as of March 31, 2019 was approximately $1.4 million compared to approximately $2.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2019 -- I'm sorry that backlog $1.4 million was this quarter.Our rental revenue continued to grow in the year-over-year sequential quarters. Rental revenue in the first quarter 2020 was $16.1 million compared to $13.4 million in the first quarter of last year and $15.3 million last quarter. This is a rental revenue increase of 20% and 5% respectively. Compared to the fourth quarter 2019, our average rental rates on a per unit basis increased 7% and were up 4% on average per horsepower basis. Rental rates increased by an average of 18% per unit in the year-over-year quarters mainly due to our continued penetration into the larger horsepower market.This is a large per unit rental rate increase over the past year. I am going to brag about it, but remember that almost all of the rental fleet equipment added last year was large horsepower and carries much higher rates per unit in our average unit. Reported rental gross margins this quarter were 51%, an increase from fourth quarter 2019 rental gross margin of 47% decrease from last year's first quarter of 54%.Fourth quarter rental margins were negatively impacted by the previously mentioned $620,000 bad debt charge. Without the bad debt charge, gross margin sequentially, would have been flat at 51%. Fleet size at the end of March 2020 totaled 2,316 compressors or 437,750 horsepower in addition of 12 units or 8100 horsepower during this first quarter. As of March 31, 2020, 37% of our utilized horsepowers classify as large.Over the past 12 months, we've added 86 new fleet units totaling just above 32,000 horsepower with 94% of those units classified as large horsepower category. The 37% of our utilized horsepower being classified as large is important. Large horsepower as compared to small and medium horsepower tends to fare better in a downturn and this is the first time we've had this kind of backstop with entering a period of depressed activity. Our horsepower utilization is 68% and unit based utilization was 60% as of March 31, 2020.Overall, we had 25% more horsepower generating revenue this quarter compared to last year's quarter and had a small 1% decrease sequentially. I noted on a year-end call that we thought our capital expenditures were decreased approximately 75% when compared to 2019 levels, which suggest a CapEx budget of about $17.5 million for this year. We spent about $6.7 million in the first quarter including a $5.8 million on rental equipment. We have approximately $5 million to $7 million of additional capital commitments for the year, which suggest a total 2020 capital expenditure budget of only $12 million to $14 million, appreciably below the capital expenditures we estimate just last quarter.On August 12, 2019, NGS announced that our Board had approved an authorization to invest up to $10 million directly into the company through stock buyback and as of March 31, 2019 the company has repurchased almost 38,000 shares at a cost of almost $490,000. We continue to believe our equity remains more attractive investments available in the current environment. That said, given the current uncertainty in the market and the Board's belief that enhanced liquidity is prudent, we are not likely to be active participants of share repurchases at this time. We will continue to review marketing conditions in our business capital position as we evaluate future opportunities.Moving to the balance sheet, our total bank debt remains minimal at $417,00 as of March 31, 2020. Our cash balance remained strong at $13.1 million. In addition, we have a largely untapped credit line of $30 million available to us, which provides ample liquidity in any consumable scenario. We generated positive net cash flow from operating activities in this quarter of $8.3 million, which represents 46% of our quarterly revenue. Free cash flow was $1.6 million and we anticipate this will increase through the year due to our recurring rental revenue and dramatically lower CapEx budget.In summary, there are not many companies in the OFS space that have a recurring rental revenue stream, essentially no debt on the balance sheet, cash reserves in the bank and continuing ability to generate cash. Finally, I want to comment on the PPP loans we recently received and then paid back. As noted in our earnings press release and our recent 8-K, we applied for and received $4.6 million loan and the Paycheck Protection Program, which we intend to use to help maintain our employee population in a period of unprecedented turmoil in our industry in overall economy. With the assistance of our bank and under the rules at the time, we applied in good faith and received loan.However, less than a week [indiscernible] our loan by the U.S. Small Business Administration, we were informed our bank as well as the media that has a public company and [indiscernible] public company, we were deemed to have applied for and receive funds that may be all of a sudden were meant for us. Essentially, we're expected to define the intent of the SBA as it developed over a couple of weeks. Never remind these specific rules.In effect, public companies in our employees were discriminated against what became a politically driven process. While this is not the form and wish to debate the merits or the politics of the program, our management and our Board believed at the time and continue to believe that NGS was and as a company that should have participated and benefited from the program. However, after carefully considering the potential costs associated with the revised PPP program and guidelines we determined it was on balance the best interest of our collective stakeholders to return loan under the provisions set forth by the SBA after we applied and received the loan. [indiscernible], we were charged interest on the loan for the interim period we had it,Unfortunately, the resolute nature of this government program and the in my view irrational [indiscernible] to political correctness exactly the opposite impact of the program's intent as NGS was forced to reduce our workforce by 20% or roughly 50 of our team members upon the return of the loan.Before we take questions I want to thank the entire NGS team for their dedication efforts during this difficult period. In a very trained environment, our employees have demonstrated the utmost professionalism and responsibility.We have some [Indiscernible] months ahead of us, we will emerge stronger than most. Thanks to our superior financial strength and exceptional people we have. These are challenging times we are company that is found ways to effectively navigate through turbulence and we'll continue to focus on exceptional service and a strong balance sheet.Ross that's the end of my remarks. So,if you would please open the phone lines for questions.