Pioneer Drilling Reports Third Quarter 2011 Results

Nov 3, 2011

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Nov. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pioneer Drilling Company, Inc. (NYSE Amex: PDC) today reported financial and operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011.  Operational highlights include:

  • Three multi-year term contracts for new-build drilling rigs added during the third quarter, for a total of nine new-build drilling rigs that will begin operating in U.S. shale plays in 2012
  • Currently, 71% of the working drilling rigs in our fleet are operating under term drilling contracts
  • Production Services revenue increased 22% over the second quarter of 2011, and represented 42% of total revenues and generated 49% of total gross margin

Financial Results

Revenues for the third quarter of 2011 were $187.7 million, a 10% increase compared with $171.3 million for the second quarter of 2011 ("the prior quarter") and a 38% increase over $135.5 million for the third quarter of 2010 ("the year-earlier quarter").  The increase from the prior quarter and from the year-earlier quarter was primarily due to higher utilization and improved pricing in both the Drilling Services and the Production Services Divisions, plus the contribution of additional equipment in the Production Services Division.

Net income for the third quarter was $6.7 million, or $0.11 per diluted share, compared with net income for the prior quarter of $3.7 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, and a net loss for the year-earlier quarter of $2.6 million, or $0.05 per share.  Third quarter 2011 results were reduced by a $0.5 million impairment related to six older mechanical rigs being sold and one rig that is being retired from our fleet for spare equipment.  Third quarter Adjusted EBITDA(1) was $51.6 million, representing  a 14% increase from $45.1 million in the prior quarter and a 51% increase over Adjusted EBITDA of $34.2 million in the year-earlier quarter.

Operating Results

Revenues for the Drilling Services Division were $108.8 million in the third quarter, a 2% increase over the prior quarter and a 27% increase from the year-earlier quarter.  During the third quarter, the utilization rate for our fleet of 71 drilling rigs averaged 71%, up from 69% in the prior quarter and 63% a year ago.  Average drilling revenues per day dropped 3% from the prior quarter as a result of more rigs operating in West Texas, but were 12% higher versus a year ago.  Drilling Services margin(2) was $7,797 per day in the third quarter as compared to $7,504 per day in the prior quarter and $6,267 per day in the year-earlier period.

Revenues for the Production Services Division were $78.9 million in the third quarter, up 22% from the prior quarter and up 58% from the year-earlier quarter. Third quarter Production Services margin(2) as a percentage of revenue grew to 44% from 42% in the prior quarter and 41% in the year-earlier quarter.  During the third quarter, our well service rig utilization was approximately 92%, and pricing increased to $555 from $524 per hour as compared to the prior quarter.

"Demand for all of our core businesses continued to grow in the third quarter, driving steadily higher equipment utilization and operating margins," said Wm. Stacy Locke, President and CEO of Pioneer Drilling.  

"Drilling activity has remained robust in the Bakken, Marcellus and Eagle Ford shale plays, as well as in the Permian Basin, where we are focusing much of our U.S. operations.  In addition, activity in Colombia has remained steady allowing us to keep our eight drilling rigs fully utilized.  Our West Texas drilling division has continued to grow and we now have 14 drilling rigs working, with two more expected to go to work there under term contracts by year-end.  Currently, 71% of our working drilling rigs are working under term contracts.  

"In September, we decided to sell or retire seven drilling rigs that had remained idle over the last two years. Six of these drilling rigs are being sold and one is being retired from our fleet for spare equipment.  We will begin the fourth quarter with 64 drilling rigs, all of which will be actively marketed.  Our fleet count will begin to grow again in 2012, when we place into service the nine new-build drilling rigs that are currently under construction.  The nine new-build drilling rigs will operate in U.S. shale plays under multi-year term contracts.  

"We had another excellent quarter in our Production Services Division, which contributed almost half of our total gross margin.  Due to solid demand and improving pricing, we continued to add equipment, including four wireline units and six well service rigs since the beginning of the third quarter.  We expect to add another three wireline units and two well service rigs in the fourth quarter, bringing our total by year-end to 106 wireline units and 88 well service rigs in the fleet.  

"In the fourth quarter of 2011, we expect drilling rig utilization for our 64 rigs to average between 87% and 89%, and our Drilling Services margin to be approximately flat to a decrease of $400 per day, as compared to the third quarter.  

In Production Services, we anticipate that the impact of our fleet additions will be offset by normal fourth quarter seasonality.  As a result, we expect both revenues and margin as a percentage of revenues to be flat quarter over quarter," Locke said.

Liquidity

Working capital was $89.9 million at September 30, 2011, compared to $76.1 million at December 31, 2010.  Our cash and cash equivalents at September 30, 2011 were $21.9 million, flat with $22.0 million at year-end 2010.  

In July, we completed an equity offering of 6.9 million shares of common stock, which generated net proceeds of approximately $94.3 million.  We used $57.0 million of these proceeds to pay down the entire debt balance outstanding under our $250 million Revolving Credit Facility, which currently remains at zero with $9.2 million in committed letters of credit.  Availability under our Revolving Credit Facility is currently $240.8 million.

Capital Expenditures

For the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2011, capital expenditures totaled $59.8 million and $158.3 million, respectively.  Currently, we expect to spend approximately $200 million to $220 million in 2011, which includes a portion of the construction costs for our new-build drilling rigs, upgrades to drilling rigs being relocated to West Texas, new well service rig and wireline unit fleet additions, and routine capital expenditures.  We expect to fund these capital expenditures from operating cash flow in excess of our working capital requirements and from borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility.

Conference Call

Pioneer's management team will hold a conference call today at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (10:00 a.m. Central Time), to discuss these results.  To participate in the call, dial 480-629-9678 at least 10 minutes early and ask for the Pioneer Drilling conference call.  A replay will be available after the call ends and will be accessible until November 10, 2011.  To access the replay, dial (303) 590-3030 and enter the pass code 4481329#.

A broadcast of the conference call will also be available on the Internet at Pioneer's Web site at www.pioneerdrlg.com.  To listen to the live call, visit Pioneer's Web site at least 10 minutes early to register and download any necessary audio software.  An archive will be available shortly after the call.  For more information, please contact Donna Washburn at DRG&L at (713) 529-6600 or e-mail dmw@drg-l.com.

About Pioneer

Pioneer Drilling Company provides contract land drilling services to independent and major oil and gas operators in Texas, Louisiana, the Rocky Mountain and Appalachian regions and internationally in Colombia through its Pioneer Drilling Services Division. The Company also provides well service rig, wireline and fishing and rental services to producers in the U.S. Gulf Coast, Mid-Continent, Rocky Mountain and Appalachian regions through its Pioneer Production Services Division.  Its fleet consists of 64 land drilling rigs that drill at depths ranging from 6,000 to 25,000 feet, 86 well service rigs (seventy-seven 550-horsepower rigs, eight 600-horsepower rigs and one 400-horsepower rig), 103 wireline units, and fishing and rental tools.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,

Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Reconciliations

Statements we make in this news release that express a belief, expectation or intention, as well as those that are not historical fact, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, could differ materially from those we express in this news release as a result of a variety of factors, including general economic and business conditions and industry trends; levels and volatility of oil and gas prices; decisions about onshore exploration and development projects to be made by oil and gas producing companies; risks associated with economic cycles and their impact on capital markets and liquidity; the continued demand for the drilling services or production services in the geographic areas where we operate; the highly competitive nature of our business; our future financial performance, including availability, terms and deployment of capital; the supply of marketable drilling rigs, well service rigs and wireline units within the industry; the continued availability of drilling rig, well service rig and wireline unit components; the continued availability of qualified personnel; the success or failure of our acquisition strategy, including our ability to finance acquisitions and manage growth; and changes in, or our failure or inability to comply with, governmental regulations, including those relating to the environment.  We have discussed many of these factors in more detail in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2011.  These factors are not necessarily all the important factors that could affect us.  Unpredictable or unknown factors we have not discussed in this news release, or in our annual report on Form 10-K or in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2011 could also have material adverse effects on actual results of matters that are the subject of our forward-looking statements.  All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements whether, as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.  We advise our shareholders that they should (1) be aware that important factors not referred to above could affect the accuracy of our forward-looking statements and (2) use caution and common sense when considering our forward-looking statements.

This news release contains non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC Regulation G.  A reconciliation of each such measure to its most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, together with an explanation of why management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors, is provided in the following tables.

(1)  Adjusted EBITDA is a financial measure that is not in accordance with GAAP, and should not be considered (i) in isolation of, or as a substitute for, net income (loss), (ii) as an indication of operating performance or cash flows from operating activities or (iii) as a measure of liquidity. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA does not represent funds available for discretionary use. We define Adjusted EBITDA as income (loss) before interest income (expense), taxes, depreciation, amortization and any impairments. We use this measure, together with our GAAP financial metrics, to assess our financial performance and evaluate our overall progress towards meeting our long-term financial objectives. We believe that this non-GAAP financial measure is useful to investors and analysts in allowing for greater transparency of our operating performance and makes it easier to compare our results with those of other companies within our industry. Adjusted EBITDA, as we calculate it, may not be comparable to Adjusted EBITDA measures reported by other companies. A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss) is set forth below.

(2)  Drilling Services margin represents contract drilling revenues less contract drilling operating costs. Production Services margin represents production services revenues less production services operating costs. We believe that Drilling Services margin and Production Services margin are useful measures for evaluating financial performance, although they are not measures of financial performance under GAAP. However, Drilling Services margin and Production Services margin are common measures of operating performance used by investors, financial analysts, rating agencies and Pioneer management. A reconciliation of Drilling Services margin and Production Services margin to net income (loss) as reported is included in the tables to this press release. Drilling Services margin and Production Services margin as presented may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

Contacts:

Lorne E. Phillips, CFO


Pioneer Drilling Company


210-828-7689




Lisa Elliott / lelliot@drg-l.com


Anne Pearson / apearson@drg-l.com


DRG&L / 713-529-6600



- Financial Statements and Operating Information Follow –



Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

(in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)



Three Months Ended




Nine Months Ended


September 30,


June 30,


September 30,


2011


2010


2011


2011


2010

Revenues:










Drilling services

$

108,764



$

85,667



$

106,523



$

315,043



$

217,580


Production services

78,887



49,877



64,762



197,242



121,012


Total revenues

187,651



135,544



171,285



512,285



338,592












Costs and Expenses:










Drilling services

72,430



59,957



73,190



213,129



164,409


Production services

44,394



29,196



37,754



115,376



73,688


Depreciation and amortization

32,992



30,847



32,424



97,672



89,275


General and administrative

17,705



13,030



15,860



48,086



36,760


Bad debt expense (recovery)

322



(22)



139



377



(104)


Impairment of equipment

484







484














Total costs and expenses

168,327



133,008



159,367



475,124



364,028


Income (loss) from operations

19,324



2,536



11,918



37,161



(25,436)












Other (expense) income:










Interest expense

(6,137)



(7,573)



(7,983)



(21,659)



(18,746)


Other

(1,193)



845



754



(6,956)



1,644


Total other expense

(7,330)



(6,728)



(7,229)



(28,615)



(17,102)












Income (loss) before income taxes

11,994



(4,192)



4,689



8,546



(42,538)


Income tax (expense) benefit

(5,250)



1,612



(1,039)



(4,187)



15,269












Net income (loss)

$

6,744



$

(2,580)



$

3,650



$

4,359



$

(27,269)












Income (loss) per common share:










Basic

$

0.11



$

(0.05)



$

0.07



$

0.08



$

(0.51)


Diluted

$

0.11



$

(0.05)



$

0.07



$

0.08



$

(0.51)












Weighted-average number of shares outstanding:










Basic

59,898



53,811



54,205



56,045



53,770


Diluted

61,428



53,811



55,881



57,522



53,770





PIONEER DRILLING COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands)



September 30, 2011


December 31, 2010


(unaudited)


(audited)

ASSETS




Current assets:




Cash and cash equivalents

$

21,857



$

22,011


Short-term investments



12,569


Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts

139,967



89,515


Deferred income taxes

12,999



9,867


Inventory

10,365



9,023


Prepaid expenses and other current assets

8,264



8,797


Total current assets

193,452



151,782






Net property and equipment

717,330



655,508


Intangible assets, net of amortization

19,883



21,966


Noncurrent deferred income taxes

2,399




Assets held for sale

2,646




Other long-term assets

11,178



12,087


Total assets

$

946,888



$

841,343






LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY




Current liabilities:




Accounts payable

$

48,031



$

26,929


Current portion of long-term debt

850



1,408


Prepaid drilling contracts

4,338



3,669


Accrued expenses

50,361



43,634


Total current liabilities

103,580



75,640






Long-term debt, less current portion

241,649



279,530


Noncurrent deferred income taxes

88,296



80,160


Other long-term liabilities

10,603



9,680


Total liabilities

444,128



445,010


Total shareholders' equity

502,760



396,333


Total liabilities and shareholders' equity

$

946,888



$

841,343





PIONEER DRILLING COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

(unaudited)



Nine Months Ended

September 30,


2011


2010





Cash flows from operating activities:




Net income (loss)

$

4,359



$

(27,269)


Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:




Depreciation and amortization

97,672



89,275


Allowance for doubtful accounts

390



(76)


Loss (gain) on dispositions of property and equipment

628



(1,201)


Stock-based compensation expense

5,314



5,238


Amortization of debt issuance costs and discount

2,657



1,870


Impairment of equipment

484




Deferred income taxes

2,656



(14,339)


Change in other long-term assets

2,136



(2,004)


Change in other long-term liabilities

824



2,430


Changes in current assets and liabilities

(40,915)



6,838


Net cash provided by operating activities

76,205



60,762






Cash flows from investing activities:




Acquisition of production services businesses

(5,000)



(1,340)


Purchases of property and equipment

(140,565)



(99,909)


Proceeds from sale of property and equipment

2,261



2,199


Proceeds from sale of auction rate securities

12,569




Net cash used in investing activities

(130,735)



(99,050)






Cash flows from financing activities:




Debt repayments

(113,158)



(246,606)


Proceeds from issuance of debt

74,000



266,375


Debt issuance costs

(3,220)



(4,844)


Proceeds from exercise of options

2,344



18


Proceeds from stock, net of underwriters' commissions and offering costs of $5,710

94,340




Purchase of treasury stock

(452)



(130)


Excess tax benefit of stock option exercises

522




Net cash provided by financing activities

54,376



14,813






Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

(154)



(23,475)


Beginning cash and cash equivalents

22,011



40,379


Ending cash and cash equivalents

$

21,857



$

16,904





PIONEER DRILLING COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

Operating Statistics

(in thousands, except average number of drilling rigs, utilization rate, revenue days and per day information)

(unaudited)



Three Months Ended


Nine Months Ended


September 30,


June 30,


September 30,


2011


2010


2011


2011


2010











Drilling Services Division:










Revenues

$

108,764



$

85,667



$

106,523



$

315,043



$

217,580


Operating costs

72,430



59,957



73,190



213,129



164,409


Drilling Services margin (1)

$

36,334



$

25,710



$

33,333



$

101,914



$

53,171












Average number of drilling rigs (3)

71.0



71.0



71.0



71.0



71.0


Utilization rate

71

%


63

%


69

%


68

%


57

%

Revenue days

4,660



4,102



4,442



13,253



11,029












Average revenues per day

$

23,340



$

20,884



$

23,981



$

23,771



$

19,728


Average operating costs per day

15,543



14,617



16,477



16,082



14,907












Drilling Services margin per day (2)

$

7,797



$

6,267



$

7,504



$

7,689



$

4,821












Production Services Division:










Revenues

$

78,887



$

49,877



$

64,762



$

197,242



$

121,012


Operating costs

44,394



29,196



37,754



115,376



73,688


Production Services margin (1)

$

34,493



$

20,681



$

27,008



$

81,866



$

47,324












Combined:










Revenues

$

187,651



$

135,544



$

171,285



$

512,285



$

338,592


Operating Costs

116,824



89,153



110,944



328,505



238,097


Combined margin

$

70,827



$

46,391



$

60,341



$

183,780



$

100,495












Adjusted EBITDA (4) & (5)

$

51,607



$

34,228



$

45,096



$

128,361



$

65,483




(1)  Drilling Services margin represents contract drilling revenues less contract drilling operating costs. Production Services margin represents production services revenue less production services operating costs. We believe that Drilling Services margin and Production Services margin are useful measures for evaluating financial performance, although they are not measures of financial performance under generally accepted accounting principles. However, Drilling Services margin and Production Services margin are common measures of operating performance used by investors, financial analysts, rating agencies and Pioneer's management. A reconciliation of Drilling Services margin and Production services margin to net income (loss) as reported is included in the table on the following page. Drilling Services margin and Production Services margin as presented may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures reported by other companies.


(2)  Drilling Services margin per revenue day represents the Drilling Services Division's average revenue per revenue day less average operating costs per revenue day.


(3)  Effective September 30, 2011, we have 64 drilling rigs in our fleet, which excludes seven drilling rigs to be sold or retired for spare equipment.


(4)  Adjusted EBITDA is a financial measure that is not in accordance with GAAP, and should not be considered (i) in isolation of, or as a substitute for, net income (loss), (ii) as an indication of operating performance or cash flows from operating activities or (iii) as a measure of liquidity. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA does not represent funds available for discretionary use. We define Adjusted EBITDA as income (loss) before interest income (expense), taxes, depreciation, amortization and any impairments. We use this measure, together with our GAAP financial metrics, to assess our financial performance and evaluate our overall progress towards meeting our long-term financial objectives. We believe that this non-GAAP financial measure is useful to investors and analysts in allowing for greater transparency of our operating performance and makes it easier to compare our results with those of other companies within our industry. Adjusted EBITDA, as we calculate it, may not be comparable to Adjusted EBITDA measures reported by other companies. A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss) is set forth below.


See following page for footnote (5).



PIONEER DRILLING COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

Reconciliation of Combined Drilling Services and Production Services

Margin and Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income (Loss)

(in thousands)

(unaudited)



Three Months Ended


Nine Months Ended


September 30,


June 30,


September 30,


2011


2010


2011


2011


2010











Combined margin

$

70,827



$

46,391



$

60,341



$

183,780



$

100,495












General and administrative

(17,705)



(13,030)



(15,860)



(48,086)



(36,760)


Bad debt (expense) recovery

(322)



22



(139)



(377)



104


Other income (expense) (5)

(1,193)



845



754



(6,956)



1,644


Adjusted EBITDA (4) & (5)

51,607



34,228



45,096



128,361



65,483












Depreciation and amortization

(32,992)



(30,847)



(32,424)



(97,672)



(89,275)


Interest expense

(6,137)



(7,573)



(7,983)



(21,659)



(18,746)


Income tax benefit (expense)

(5,250)



1,612



(1,039)



(4,187)



15,269


Impairment of equipment

(484)







(484)




Net income (loss)

$

6,744



$

(2,580)



$

3,650



$

4,359



$

(27,269)




(5)  Our Adjusted EBITDA for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 was reduced by a $7.3 million net-worth tax expense for our Colombian operations that was a non-recurring charge and was included in other income (expense).



PIONEER DRILLING COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

Capital Expenditures

(in thousands)

(unaudited)



Three Months Ended


Nine Months Ended


September 30,


June 30,


September 30,


2011


2010


2011


2011


2010











Drilling Services Division:










Routine and tubulars

$

7,032



$

5,629



$

8,484



$

25,567



$

11,591


Discretionary

26,018



22,698



11,271



45,490



68,461


New-builds and acquisitions

14,414





11,823



26,237





47,464



28,327



31,578



97,294



80,052


Production Services Division:










Routine

1,737



1,839



2,026



5,477



5,022


Discretionary

7,478



69



8,152



20,201



986


New-builds and acquisitions

4,690



5,857



6,061



17,593



13,849



13,905



7,765



16,239



43,271



19,857


Net cash used for purchases of property and equipment

61,369



36,092



47,817



140,565



99,909


 Net effect of accruals

(1,531)



(2,745)



15,989



17,773



16,275


Total capital expenditures

$

59,838



$

33,347



$

63,806



$

158,338



$

116,184





PIONEER DRILLING COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

Drilling Rig, Well Service Rig and Wireline Unit Information



Rig Type




Mechanical


Electric


Total Rigs

Drilling Services Division:












Drilling rig horsepower ratings:






   550 to 700 HP

2





2


   750 to 950 HP

9



2



11


   1000 HP

18



12



30


   1200 to 2000 HP

6



15



21


       Total

35



29



64








Drilling rig depth ratings:






   Less than 10,000 feet

3



2



5


   10,000 to 13,900 feet

26



6



32


   14,000 to 25,000 feet

6



21



27


       Total

35



29



64








Production Services Division:












Well service rig horsepower ratings:






   400 HP





1


   550 HP





77


   600 HP





8


       Total





86








Wireline units





103





SOURCE Pioneer Drilling Company, Inc.


Email Alerts/RSS Feeds