Pioneer Drilling Reports Second Quarter 2008 Financial Results

Second quarter revenues were up 48% to $152.5 million and earnings per diluted share increased 46% to $0.38 over prior year

Aug 7, 2008

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, August 7, 2008 – Pioneer Drilling Company, Inc. (AMEX: PDC) today reported financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2008. As previously announced, the Company has transitioned to a December 31 fiscal year end; accordingly, the three months ended June 30 is reported as the second quarter of 2008.

Net income for the second quarter was $19.1 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, compared with net income of $11.8 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, for the three months ended March 31, 2008 (“the prior quarter”), and net income of $13.1 million, or $0.26 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2007 (“the year-earlier quarter”). The second quarter of 2008 included three months of operating results from our Production Services Division, which was formed on March 1, 2008 as a result of the acquisitions of the production service businesses of the WEDGE Group and Competition Wireline, as well as contributions from our Colombian operations, which commenced in the third quarter of 2007.

 

Revenues for the second quarter were $152.5 million, compared with $113.4 million for the prior quarter and $102.8 million for the year-earlier quarter. EBITDA(1) for the second quarter increased 47% to $53.4 million from the prior quarter and 50% from the year-earlier quarter.

 

Additionally, the second quarter was impacted by a charge to selling, general and administrative expenses of approximately $1.0 million related to the Company’s investigation of internal control over financial reporting and a charge to interest expense of approximately $0.2 million related to bank fees and incremental interest for obtaining a debt covenant waiver.

 

Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2008 was $31.0 million, or $0.61 per diluted share, compared with net income of $30.3 million, or $0.60 per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, 2007. Revenues for the six months of 2008 were $266.0 million, compared with $206.1 million for the comparable period in 2007. EBITDA for the six months of 2008 increased 18% to $89.6 million from the comparable period in 2007 of $76.0 million.

 

“Our Drilling Services and Production Services divisions both performed well in the second quarter,” said Wm. Stacy Locke, President and CEO. “Our drilling rig utilization and average margins per day for our Drilling Services division improved significantly from the prior quarter and our Production Services margins remained very solid. As a result of the strong demand in both divisions, we have approved the purchase of additional wireline units, fishing and rental equipment and in July, we secured a two-year term contract to build a land rig for the U.S. market. The rig, a 1500 horsepower SCR rig equipped with an automatic catwalk, iron roughneck and top-drive, is under construction and expected to be placed in service in December in the Rocky Mountain region.”

 

The Drilling Services Division contributed $109.3 million of revenues for the second quarter, an increase of $9.2 million over the prior quarter and $6.5 million over the year-earlier quarter. Drilling Services revenues improved due to an increase in rig utilization to 90%, as compared to 84% in the first quarter, and a 14% increase in the Drilling Services margin(2) to $8,026 per day, up from $7,047 in the first quarter. Mr. Locke stated, “In June, dayrates reached their highest level so far this year and we anticipate continued improvement throughout the remainder of the year. In our international operations, we moved a fourth drilling rig into Colombia, which commenced drilling operations this week, and we are marketing another 1500 horsepower SCR rig that could be placed in service prior to year-end if we secure a drilling contract.”

 

The Production Services Division contributed revenues of $43.3 million in the second quarter, compared to $13.4 million for the one-month period in the first quarter of 2008. Mr. Locke further stated, “The Production Services Division is performing better than expected and generated a margin(2) of 49% in the second quarter. We remain optimistic about the outlook for workover, wireline and fishing and rental services for the remainder of the year.”

 

Pioneer Conference Call

Pioneer’s management team will hold a conference call today at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time), to discuss these results. To participate in the call, dial (303) 205-0066 at least 10 minutes early and ask for the Pioneer Drilling conference call. A replay will be available approximately two hours after the call ends and will be accessible until August 14. To access the replay, dial (303) 590-3000 and enter the pass code 11118059#. 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&E at (713) 529-6600 or email dmw@drg-e.com.

 

About Pioneer

Pioneer Drilling Company provides land contract drilling services to independent and major oil and gas operators in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, the Rocky Mountain region and internationally in Colombia though it’s Pioneer Drilling Services Division. The Company also provides workover rig, wireline and fishing and rental services to producers in the U.S. Gulf Coast, Mid-Continent and Rocky Mountain regions through its Pioneer Production Services Division. Its fleet consists of 69 land drilling rigs that drill at depths of 6,000 and 18,000 feet, 66 workover rigs (61 - 550 horsepower rigs, four 600 horsepower rigs and one 400 horsepower rig), 51 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, the continued strength or weakness of the contract land drilling industry in the geographic areas in which we operate, decisions about onshore exploration and development projects to be made by oil and gas companies, the highly competitive nature of our business, difficulty in integrating the services of acquired companies, including the production services businesses of WEDGE and Competition, in an efficient and effective manner, the availability, terms and deployment of capital, the availability of qualified personnel, changes in, or our failure or inability to comply with, government regulations, including those relating to the environment, the economic and business conditions of our international operations, challenges in achieving strategic objectives, and the risk that our markets do not evolve as anticipated.

 

We have discussed these factors in more detail in our transition report on Form 10-KT for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 and our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2008.

 

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, in our annual report on Form 10-K or in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q 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 the date on which they are made and we undertake no duty to update or revise any forward-looking statements. 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 below.

 

  (1) We define EBITDA as earnings before interest income (expense), taxes,
      depreciation and amortization. Although not prescribed under GAAP, we
      believe the presentation of EBITDA is relevant and useful because it
      helps our investors understand our operating performance and makes it
      easier to compare our results with those of other companies that have
      different financing, capital or tax structures. EBITDA should not be
      considered in isolation from or as a substitute for net income, as an
      indication of operating performance or cash flows from operating
      activities or as a measure of liquidity. A reconciliation of net
      income to EBITDA is included in the operating statistic table in this
      press release. EBITDA, as we calculate it, may not be comparable to
      EBITDA measures reported by other companies. In addition, EBITDA does
      not represent funds available for discretionary use.

  (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 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 management.  A reconciliation of
      Drilling Services margin and Production Services margin to net
      earnings is included in the operating statistics table in this press
      release.  Drilling Services margin and Production Services margin as
      presented my not be comparable to other similarly titled measures
      reported by other companies.

                     - Financial Statements Follow -



                PIONEER DRILLING COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
             Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
                  (in thousands, except per share data)
                               (unaudited)

                                Three months ended        Six months ended
                                 June 30,       March 31,      June 30,
                              2008      2007      2008      2008      2007

  Revenues                 $152,547  $102,779  $113,397  $265,944  $206,126

  Costs and Expenses:
    Operating Costs          86,193    62,388    70,426   156,619   121,578
    Depreciation             20,580    16,098    17,119    37,699    30,834
    Selling, general and
     administrative          12,150     4,724     7,722    19,872     8,547
    Bad debt expense
     (recovery)                 (92)        -       135        43         -
      Total operating
       costs                118,831    83,210    95,402   214,233   160,959

  Operating income           33,716    19,569    17,995    51,711    45,167

  Other income (expense):
    Interest expense         (4,265)       (1)   (1,574)   (5,839)       (1)
    Interest income             205       862       585       790     1,743
    Other                      (930)       20     1,092       162        28
      Total other            (4,990)      881       103    (4,887)    1,770

  Income before taxes        28,726    20,450    18,098    46,824    46,937

  Income tax expense         (9,609)   (7,362)   (6,250)  (15,859)  (16,631)

  Net earnings              $19,117   $13,088   $11,848   $30,965   $30,306

  Earnings per share:
        Basic                 $0.38     $0.26     $0.24     $0.62     $0.61
        Diluted               $0.38     $0.26     $0.24     $0.61     $0.60

  Weighted average number
   of shares outstanding:
        Basic                49,789    49,634    49,759    49,774    49,627
        Diluted              50,483    50,212    50,291    50,369    50,167



                PIONEER DRILLING COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
                  Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
                              (in thousands)


                                         June 30, 2008    December 31, 2007
                 Assets                    (unaudited)         (audited)
  Current assets:
    Cash and cash equivalents                $18,069           $76,703
    Receivables, net                          78,838            47,370
    Contract drilling in progress             14,398             7,861
    Deferred income taxes                      6,243             3,670
    Inventory                                  3,159             1,180
    Prepaid expenses and other                 5,854             5,073
      Total current assets                   126,561           141,857

  Net property and equipment                 575,344           417,022
  Deferred income taxes                          638               573
  Goodwill                                   172,228                 -
  Other long-term assets                      42,294               760
  Total assets                              $917,065          $560,212

         Liabilities and Equity
  Current liabilities:
    Current maturities of long-term
     debt                                    $13,811                $-
    Accounts payable                          25,251            21,424
    Income tax payable                         3,640
    Prepaid drilling contracts                 1,789             1,933
    Accrued expenses                          35,291            18,693
      Total current liabilities               79,782            42,050
  Long-term debt                             271,820                 -
  Other non-current liabilities                5,580               254
  Deferred taxes                              54,618            46,836
      Total liabilities                      411,800            89,140
  Total shareholders' equity                 505,265           471,072
  Total liabilities and shareholders'
   equity                                   $917,065          $560,212



                PIONEER DRILLING COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
             Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
                              (in thousands)
                               (unaudited)

                                                      Six months ended
                                                           June 30,
                                                   2008              2007

  Cash flows from operating
   activities:
    Net earnings                                 $30,965            $30,306
    Adjustments to reconcile net
     earnings to net cash
     provided by operating activities:
      Depreciation and amortization               37,699             30,834
      Allowance for doubtful accounts                320                  -
      Loss (gain) on dispositions of
       property and equipment                       (377)             1,434
      Stock-based compensation
       expense                                     1,848              1,662
      Deferred income taxes                        2,919              8,157
      Change in other assets                         256                  5
      Change in non-current
       liabilities                                  (168)               (70)
      Changes in current assets and
       liabilities                                 1,964              9,214
  Net cash provided by operating
   activities                                     75,426             81,542

  Cash flows from investing
   activities:
      Acquisition of WEDGE, net of
       cash acquired                            (313,610)                 -
      Acquisition of Competition
       Wireline, net of cash acquired            (26,101)                 -
      Purchases of property and
       equipment                                 (58,936)           (78,519)
      Proceeds from insurance
       recoveries                                  2,301                  -
      Purchase of auction rate
       securities, net                           (16,475)                 -
      Proceeds from sale of property
       and equipment                               1,851              1,817
  Net cash used in investing
   activities                                   (410,970)           (76,702)

  Cash flows from financing
   activities:
      Payments of debt                           (32,170)                 -
      Proceeds from issuance of debt             311,500                  -
      Debt issuance costs                         (3,323)                 -
      Proceeds from sale of common
       stock                                         653                217
      Excess tax benefit of stock
       option exercises                              250                 73
  Net cash provided by financing
   activities                                    276,910                290


  Net increase (decrease) in cash and
   cash equivalents                              (58,634)             5,130

  Beginning cash and cash equivalents             76,703             74,754
  Ending cash and cash equivalents               $18,069            $79,884



                PIONEER DRILLING COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
                           Operating Statistics
                              (in thousands)
                               (unaudited)

                                Three months ended        Six months ended
                                June 30,      March 31,       June 30,
                             2008      2007      2008      2008      2007

  Drilling Services
   Division:
    Revenues               $109,250  $102,779  $100,041  $209,291  $206,126
    Operating costs          64,277    62,388    63,497   127,774   121,578
      Drilling services
       margin (1)           $44,973   $40,391   $36,544   $81,517   $84,548

    Average number of
     drilling rigs             67.0      65.7      67.0      67.0      65.0
    Utilization rate             90%       90%       84%       87%       90%
    Revenue days              5,603     5,387     5,186    10,789    10,590

    Average revenues per
     day                    $19,498   $19,079   $19,291   $19,399   $19,464
    Average operating
     costs per day           11,472    11,581    12,244    11,843    11,480

      Drilling services
       margin per day (2)    $8,026    $7,498    $7,047    $7,556    $7,984

  Production Services
   Division:
    Revenues                $43,297        $-   $13,356   $56,653        $-
    Operating costs          21,916         -     6,929    28,845         -
      Production services
       margin (1)           $21,381        $-    $6,427   $27,808        $-

  EBITDA (3)                $53,366   $35,687   $36,206   $89,572   $76,029

  Reconciliation of combined Drilling services
   margin and Production services margin and
   EBITDA to net earnings:

    Drilling services
     margin                 $44,973   $40,391   $36,544   $81,517   $84,548
    Production services
     margin                  21,381         -     6,427    27,808         -
    Combined margin          66,354    40,391    42,971   109,325    84,548

      General and
       administrative       (12,150)   (4,724)   (7,722)  (19,872)   (8,547)
      Bad debt (expense)
       recovery                  92         -      (135)      (43)        -
      Other income (expense)   (930)       20     1,092       162        28

    EBITDA                   53,366    35,687    36,206    89,572    76,029

      Depreciation          (20,580)  (16,098)  (17,119)  (37,699)  (30,834)
      Interest income
       (expense), net        (4,060)      861      (989)   (5,049)    1,742
      Income tax expense     (9,609)   (7,362)   (6,250)  (15,859)  (16,631)

    Net earnings            $19,117   $13,088   $11,848   $30,965   $30,306

  (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.  Pioneer believes 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
       earnings is included in the operating statistics table.  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)  We define EBITDA as earnings before interest income (expense), taxes,
       depreciation and amortization.  Although not prescribed under GAAP,
       we believe the presentation of EBITDA is relevant and useful because
       it helps our investors understand our operating performance and makes
       it easier to compare our results with those of other companies that
       have different financing, capital or tax structures.  EBITDA should
       not be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for net
       income, as an indication of operating performance or cash flows from
       operating activities or as a measure of liquidity.  A reconciliation
       of net income to EBITDA can be found later in the release.  EBITDA,
       as we calculate it, may not be comparable to EBITDA measures reported
       by other companies.  In addition, EBITDA does not represent funds
       available for discretionary use.



                  PIONEER DRILLING COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
                             Capital Expenditures
                                (in thousands)

                                                                     Budget
                                                                     Fiscal
                                                                      Year
                                                     Six months      Ending
                              Three months ended       ended        December
                            June 30,      March 31,   June 30,          31,
                          2008     2007     2008    2008     2007      2008
  Capital expenditures:

   Drilling Services
    Division:
   Routine rigs         $3,814   $4,874   $4,007   $7,821   $9,598   $21,200
   Discretionary        13,704    9,516   19,014   32,718   21,743    47,600
   Tubulars                  3    1,858    1,047    1,050    5,447    12,600
   New-builds and
    acquisitions         1,087   35,658      746    1,833   45,145    20,000

    Total Drilling
     Services Division
     capital
     expenditures       18,608   51,906   24,814   43,422   81,933   101,400

   Average routine
    rig capital
    expenditures
    per revenue day (1)   $681     $905     $773     $725     $906      $998

  Production Services
   Division:
   Routine                 835        -      108      943        -     2,030
   New-builds and
    acquisitions         6,008        -    3,031    9,039        -    39,800

    Total Production
     Services Division
     capital
     expenditures        6,843        -    3,139    9,982        -    41,830

    Total capital
     expenditures      $25,451  $51,906  $27,953  $53,404  $81,933  $143,230


  (1) Average routine rig capital expenditures per revenue day represents
      the Drilling Services Division's routine rig capital expenditures
      divided by the number of revenue days for each period presented.



                PIONEER DRILLING COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
         Drilling Rig, Workover Rig and Wireline Unit Information

                                                Rig Type
                                        Mechanical   Electric   Total Rigs
  Drilling Services Division:

  Drilling rig horsepower ratings:
      550 to 700 HP                          6           -           6
      750 to 900 HP                         15           2          17
      1000 HP                               17          12          29
      1200 to 1500 HP                        3          14          17
          Total                             41          28          69

  Drilling depth ratings:
      Less than 10,000 feet                  8           2          10
      10,000 to 13,900 feet                 30           7          37
      14,000 to 18,000 feet                  3          19          22
          Total                             41          28          69


  Production Services Division:

  Workover rig horsepower ratings:
      400 HP                                                         1
      550 HP                                                        61
      600 HP                                                         4
          Total                                                     66

  Wireline units                                                    51

  Fishing & Rental Tools Inventory                          $14 Million

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