Total Energy Services Q2 2024 Earnings Report

Total Energy Services EPS Results

• Actual EPS: C$0.39
• Consensus EPS: C$0.25
• Beat/Miss: Beat by +C$0.14
• One Year Ago EPS: N/A

Total Energy Services Revenue Results

• Actual Revenue: $213.33 million
• Expected Revenue: $196.00 million
• Beat/Miss: Beat by +$17.33 million
• YoY Revenue Growth: N/A

Total Energy Services Announcement Details

• Quarter: Q2 2024
• Date: 8/8/2024
• Time: N/A
• Conference Call Date: Friday, August 9, 2024
• Conference Call Time: 11:00AM ET

Total Energy Services (TSE:TOT) Inc is an energy services company. The operating segments of the company are Contract Drilling Services, Rentals & Transportation Services, Compression & Process Service, Well servicing, and Corporate. The company's operations are conducted in Canada, the United States of America, and Australia.

Total Energy Services Q2 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

Key Takeaways

• Total Energy achieved record second quarter results with consolidated revenue up 2% and EBITDA up 24% year over year.
• The March acquisition of Saxon Energy Services boosted Australian operating days to more than double and drove a 32% increase in Q2 revenue per operating day for the drilling segment.
• Compression & Process Services segment EBITDA rose 42% year over year, supported by increased rental fleet utilization and a backlog growing to CAD204.6 million.
• Well servicing segment utilization fell 20%, leading to a 16% drop in segment revenue and a 27% decline in EBITDA compared to Q2 2023.
• Financial position remains strong with CAD71.8 million of working capital, a low senior debt to EBITDA ratio of 0.45x, and an interest coverage ratio above 10x.

Presentation

[Operator]

Thank you for standing by. This is the conference operator. Welcome to Total Energy Services second quarter 2024 results conference call and webcast. As a reminder, all participants are in listen-only mode, and the conference is being recorded. After the presentation, there will be the opportunity to ask questions. To join the question queue, you may press Star then one on your telephone keypad. Should you need assistance during the conference call, you may signal an operator by pressing Star then zero. I would now like to turn the conference over to Daniel Halyk, President and CEO of Total Energy Services, Inc. Please go ahead.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Thank you. Good morning, and welcome to Total second quarter 2024 conference call. Present with me is Yulia Gorbach, our Vice President, Finance and CFO. We will review with you Total's financial and operating highlights for the three months ended June 30, 2024. We will then provide an outlook for our business and open up the phone lines for any questions. Yulia, please go ahead.

[Yuliya Gorbach, CFO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Thank you, Dan. During the course of this conference call, information may be provided containing forward-looking information concerning Total's projected operating results, anticipated capital expenditure trends, and projected activity in the oil and gas industry. Actual events or results may differ materially from those reflected in Total's forward-looking statements due to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors affecting Total's businesses and the oil and gas industry in general. These risks, uncertainties and other factors are described under the heading Risk Factors and elsewhere in Total's most recently filed annual information form and other documents filed on Canadian Provincial Securities Authorities that are available to the public at www.sedarplus.ca. Our discussions during this conference call are qualified with reference to the notes to the financial highlights contained in the news release issued yesterday. Unless, otherwise indicated, all financial information in this conference call is presented in Canadian dollars.

[Yuliya Gorbach, CFO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Total Energy's financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2024, represent record second quarter financial results. Relatively stable industry conditions in Canada and Australia, continued strong demand in North America for compression and process equipment, and the acquisition of Saxon Energy Services in March more than offset a year-over-year decline in U.S. drilling and completion activity. Consolidated revenue for the second quarter of 2024 was 2% higher compared to Q2 2023. The addition of Saxon in Australia increased compression rental revenue in the CPS segment, following the addition of new rental units in the first quarter, and effective cost management contributed to a 24% increase in second quarter EBITDA as compared to 2023.

[Yuliya Gorbach, CFO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Geographically, 46% of second quarter revenue was generated in the United States, 36% in Canada, and 18% in Australia as compared to second quarter of 2023, when 47% of consolidated revenue was generated in the United States, 40% in Canada, and 13% in Australia. By business segment, the CPS segment contributed 51% of second quarter consolidated revenue, followed by the drilling segment at 32%, Well Servicing at 9%, and the RTS segment at 8%. In comparison, for the second quarter of 2023, the CPS segment generated 54% of second quarter consolidated revenue, followed by Contract Drilling Services at 26%. In each of Well Servicing, Rentals and Transportation Services contributing 10%. Second quarter consolidated margin was 23% as compared to 19% for the prior year.

[Yuliya Gorbach, CFO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Margin improvement in CDS and CPS segments more than offset a decrease in the Well Servicing segment. As compared to 2023, the CDS segment saw second quarter revenue increase by 25% and EBITDA by 47%. Underpinning this improvement was stable industry conditions in Canada, cost management in the United States, and the acquisition of Saxon on March 7, 2024 in Australia. Canadian drilling activity and financial results for the second quarter of 2024 were consistent with 2023. In the United States, efficient operational and cost management more than offset the 39% year-over-year decrease in second quarter operating days, such that second quarter operating income increased by 9% as compared to 2023. In Australia, second quarter operating days more than doubled following the acquisition of Saxon on March 7, 2024.

[Yuliya Gorbach, CFO at Total Energy Services Inc]

The addition of Saxon's deeper rig fleet resulted in a 32% year-over-year increase in Australian Q2 revenue per operating day, which was also the primary reason for a 19% year-over-year increase in the second quarter consolidated CDS segment revenue per operating day. Revenue in the RTS segment decreased compared to Q2 of 2023 as a result of lower industry activity in the U.S. A modest increase in revenue per utilized piece of rental equipment mitigated the negative impact of lower equipment utilization in the segment EBITDA, given this segment's relatively high fixed cost structure. Second quarter revenue in total CPS segment decreased slightly as compared to 2023, due to increased demand for rental equipment in the United States.

[Yuliya Gorbach, CFO at Total Energy Services Inc]

The deployment of newly constructed rental units late in the first quarter and into the second quarter resulted in a 15% increase in rental fleet utilization in the United States. This increased rental activity, combined with improved fabrication sales margins and increased parts and service businesses, resulted in a 42% year-over-year increase in second quarter CPS segment EBITDA, and a 508 basis point increase in the EBITDA margin. The quarter end fabrication sales backlog increased to $204.6 million, compared to $185.6 million backlog at June 30, 2023. Sequentially, the quarter end sales backlog increased by $18.9 million during the second quarter of 2024.

[Yuliya Gorbach, CFO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Second quarter Well Servicing segment utilization decreased 20% compared to prior year quarter, due to lower activity in all jurisdictions, particularly in the United States, as a result of lower industry activity that was due in part to a significant customer consolidation. Price increases in Australia following completion of rig upgrades, more than offset weaker pricing in the United States, resulting in a 5% increase in the segment's revenue per operating hour. However, this increase was not enough to offset the decrease in service hours, such that segment revenue decreased by 16% and the segment EBITDA by 27% compared to the second quarter of 2023. From a consolidated perspective, Total Energy's financial position remains very strong. At June 30, 2024, Total Energy had CAD 71.8 million of positive working capital, including CAD 24.8 million of cash.

[Yuliya Gorbach, CFO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Working capital decreased from December 31, 2023, as CAD 42 million of mortgage debt due in April 2025 became current during the second quarter of 2024. Total Energy's bank covenants consist of maximum senior debt to trailing twelve months, bank-defined EBITDA of 3x, and a minimum bank-defined EBITDA to interest expense of 3x. At June 30, 2024, the company's senior bank debt to bank EBITDA ratio was 0.45, and the bank interest coverage ratio was 10.17x, excluding CAD 10.5 million of non-recurring interest expense relating to an income tax reassessment in Q1 2024. The interest coverage ratio was 27.99x.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Thank you, Yulia. Our record second quarter results reflect the strength of our diversified business model, our continued investment in growing, upgrading, and maintaining our equipment fleet, and the quality of our people. During the second quarter, we continued to execute on our 2024 capital expenditure plan with CAD 20.7 million of capital investments. CAD 50.3 million of our budgeted CAD 80.5 million of 2024 capital expenditures, which includes CAD 14.2 million of capital commitments carried forward from 2023, was funded to June 30, 2024. We expect to fund the remaining CAD 30.2 million of 2024 capital expenditures with cash on hand and cash flow from operations.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

In addition to funding CAD 50.3 million of capital expenditures during the first half of this year, in the first quarter, we funded the CAD 47.4 million acquisition of Saxon and CAD 19.7 million of non-recurring income tax and related interest expense following a Canadian income tax reassessment related to our conversion from an income trust. With these major expenditures behind us, we expect to generate significant free cash flow for the remainder of the year. During the second quarter of 2024, CAD 26.1 million was returned to our shareholders by way of CAD 12 million of share buybacks, CAD 10.5 million of debt repayment, and CAD 3.6 million of dividends. Year to date, Total has reduced its outstanding share count by 2.8%, with CAD 12.7 million of share buybacks.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Looking forward, we are optimistic as to the prospects for the second half of this year. The significant investment we have made to grow our Australian business began to pay dividends in the second quarter. Synergies arising from the ongoing integration of Saxon with Savanna Australia, and the completion of several capital projects during the third quarter, will see this momentum continue. As noted in our press release, two drilling rigs and a service rig will be reactivated in the third quarter. This includes a Saxon drilling rig that was reactivated in late July and a service rig that just returned to service earlier this week following completion of recertification and upgrades. In addition, a newly constructed drilling rig is scheduled to commence operations in late August. All three of these rigs are under long-term contracts.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Looking into the fourth quarter, another Saxon drilling rig and a service rig are scheduled to commence operations following completion of recertification and upgrades. These two rigs will also operate under long-term contracts. Despite weak North American natural gas spot prices, demand for compression and process equipment remains strong, driven primarily by infrastructure investment to support expansion of North American LNG export capacity. This demand is evidenced by the increasing CPS fabrication sales backlog, which exceeded CAD 200 million at June 30, and which gives us visibility to the first quarter of 2025. The impact of our significant investment to grow our U.S. compression rental fleet was reflected in the CPS segment second quarter results, and will continue to benefit the CPS segment in the quarters to come, as such investment was supported by long-term contracts.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Finally, I'm pleased to report that for the first time since Total began consolidating safety statistics in 2008, our consolidated rolling twelve-month total recordable incident frequency, or TRIF, at June 30th was less than one. Specifically, it was 0.96. Further, we had zero lost time incidents during the quarter, and our twelve-month rolling LTI rate is 0.04. This is a tremendous achievement that reflects the continued commitment of our employees in all businesses and in all countries to operating in a safe and responsible manner. It is also no coincidence that this achievement occurred at the same time as we recorded record second quarter results, as conducting our operations in a safe and efficient manner is good business.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Congratulations, and thank you to each and every one of our employees for making this happen, and please keep up your excellent performance. I would now like to open up the phone lines for any questions.

[Operator]

Thank you. We will now begin the question and answer session. To join the question queue, you may press star then one on your telephone keypad. You will hear a tone acknowledging your request. If you are using a speakerphone, please pick up your handset before pressing any keys. To withdraw your question, please press star then two. We will pause for a moment as callers join the queue. Today's first question comes from Jonathan Guibord with ATB Capital Markets. Please go ahead.

[Jonathan Guibord, Director at ATB Capital Markets Inc]

Morning. Thanks for taking my questions. Dan, it looks like the CPS segment's well positioned for growth here, and, you touched on improving demand. I'm just wondering if you're able to provide a bit more color on the outlook for bookings within the CPS segment?

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Good morning, Jonathan. I would say that we continue to see positive momentum today with our fabrication sales backlog.

[Jonathan Guibord, Director at ATB Capital Markets Inc]

Okay.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

So I'm hesitant to give specific numbers, but it continues to grow.

[Jonathan Guibord, Director at ATB Capital Markets Inc]

Yeah. Okay, got it. And then I'm just also—I got a question related to CapEx. Wondering if you're able to provide some color around 2025 CapEx expectations related to 2024, now that some of those one-time costs in early 2024 are out of the way.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

You know, so we'll our process for capital budgeting, effectively, we start at zero. And you know, the first line of CapEx is focused on maintenance capital. You know, what do we need to expand to, you know, keep our fleet running based on expected activity levels? And so, you know, that process will begin late in the fourth quarter and into Q1, which we'll release our preliminary budget in early January. In terms of growth CapEx, really, you know, that is addressed on an opportunity-by-opportunity basis. I think what I would say is over the past three years, we've done a lot of equipment upgrade capital expenditures that, you know, have served us well, particularly within our contract drilling business.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

You know, as you do those upgrades, there's less to do going forward. So everything else being equal, you know, there's just less of that opportunity available. Not to say there's none, but, you know, I would expect that those opportunities we'll pursue as the market, you know, makes sense. You know, the one area that I would say is a bit of an exception to that will be Australia. Just, the Saxon acquisition has been, I would say, has exceeded our expectations so far, and the opportunity to redeploy previously idle equipment is significant, and we're seeing that, you know, over into Q3, Q4 this year, and I expect that will continue next year. So stay tuned on that.

[Jonathan Guibord, Director at ATB Capital Markets Inc]

Okay, got it. That's helpful. I'm just curious if you anticipate any carryover from 2024 CapEx guidance into 2025?

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

You know, there's probably always a little bit. You know, last year, 2023, we had a, you know, fair amount. I think it was CAD 14 million-

[Yuliya Gorbach, CFO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Yeah.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Roughly. Most of that was within our Compression and Process Services group, with a number of compression rental units that we commenced construction in Q4, but the bulk of it was done in Q1. Again, depending on what kind of happens here over the next several months, you know, that'll, that'll play out. But, you know, we do not budget or construct compression rental units on spec. They're all budgeted for and funded only once firm contracts have been entered into. And so, you know, you don't, we won't have a Compression Process Services capital budget for rentals based on speculation. And so, you know, I can't predict the future.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

So, you know, if we get a big order for rental units in Q4, you know, that's likely would cause some carryover, but, you know, I'm not gonna speculate at this point.

[Jonathan Guibord, Director at ATB Capital Markets Inc]

Okay. Thanks for the call.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

We hope to have most of our, basically, most of our major projects done by year-end. You know, we have 3 rigs in Australia coming into service, Q3, another 2 in Q4. A bunch of our rental CapEx will come into Q3, early Q4. You know, upgrades within our Well Servicing group, in Canada will be done here. So, you know, if everything kind of stays to plan, barring any major changes, should be pretty clean here. And there's about CAD 30 million left to fund here.

[Jonathan Guibord, Director at ATB Capital Markets Inc]

Okay, thanks for the color. That was it for me. I'll turn it back.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Thank you.

[Operator]

Thank you. And once again, if you have a question, please press Star and One at this time. And that concludes our question and answer session. I'd like to turn the conference back over to Mr. Halyk for any closing remarks.

[Daniel Halyk, CEO at Total Energy Services Inc]

Thank you, everyone, for joining us this morning, and, we look forward to speaking with you after our third quarter. Have a wonderful summer.

[Operator]

Thank you, sir. This concludes today's conference call. We thank you all for attending today's presentation. You may now disconnect your lines and have a wonderful day.

Participants

Executives

• Daniel Halyk, CEO
• Yuliya Gorbach, CFO

Analysts

• Jonathan Guibord, Director at ATB Capital Markets Inc