Nabors Industries Ltd. (NYSE:NBR) Q4 2023 Earnings Call Transcript
Nabors Industries Ltd. (NYSE:NBR) Q4 2023 Earnings Call Transcript February 7, 2024
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Operator: Good day. And welcome to the Nabors Industries Fourth Quarter 2023 Earnings Call [Operator Instructions]. Please note, this event is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to William Conroy, Vice President of Business Development and Investor Relations. Please go ahead.
William Conroy: Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining Nabors fourth quarter 2023 earnings conference call. Today, we will follow our customary format with Tony Petrello, our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer; and William Restrepo, our Chief Financial Officer, providing their perspectives on the quarter's results along with insights into our markets and how we expect Nabors to perform in these markets. In support of these remarks, a slide deck is available, both as a download within the webcast and in the Investor Relations section of nabors.com. Instructions for the replay of this call are posted on the website as well. With us today, in addition to Tony, William and me are other members of the senior management team.
Since much of our commentary today will include our forward expectations, they may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties as disclosed by Nabors from time-to-time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result of these factors, our actual results may vary materially from those indicated or implied by such forward-looking statements. Also, during the call, we may discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures, such as net debt, adjusted operating income, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted free cash flow. All references to EBITDA made by either Tony or William during their presentations, whether qualified by the other adjusted or otherwise, mean adjusted EBITDA as that term is defined on our Web site and in our earnings release.
Likewise, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, references to cash flow mean adjusted free cash flow as that non-GAAP measure is defined in our earnings release. We have posted to the Investor Relations section of our Web site a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most recently comparable GAAP measures. With that, I will turn the call over to Tony to begin.
Tony Petrello: Good morning. Thank you for joining us today as we present our results and outlook. Adjusted EBITDA in all our segments exceeded our expectations in the fourth quarter. Daily margins in the US Lower 48 and international drilling improved. Our two technology segments once again performed well. As we forecasted, the industry rig count in the Lower 48 declined modestly in the fourth quarter. Our major international markets were essentially in line with our prior view. During the quarter, we deployed three rigs in these markets. One was a new build unit in Saudi Arabia. Leading edge pricing in Lower 48 was stable. This helped drive the increase in our daily rig margin along with outstanding expense control. For the fourth quarter, adjusted EBITDA totaled $230 million.
Our global average rig count for the fourth quarter declined by two rigs. All of this decline occurred in the US. Our Drilling Solutions and Rig Technologies segments together generated EBITDA of $43 million, a record. As a portion of total EBITDA, these segments accounted for nearly 19% in the quarter also an all-time high. Next, let me make some comments on five key drivers of our results. I'll start with our performance in the US. Daily big margins in our Lower 48 rig fleet exceeded our expectations. They increased by almost $400 compared to the third quarter. Daily revenue in the fourth quarter increased slightly. Daily expenses declined by more than $300. I am pleased with this performance. These results demonstrate our team's ability to execute at an impressive level in this market environment.
Our reported Lower 48 daily rig margin reflects the financial results of just our drilling rigs. The drilling solutions portfolio, NDS, generates significant margins on top of that, I'll discuss this in more detail in a few moments. Now I'll discuss our international drilling business. Daily margin in this segment increased by nearly $900. This result exceeded our expectations. During the quarter, we stood up three rigs. We restarted two in Colombia, another newbuild rig in Saudi Arabia also started up. With these additions, we have now deployed the first five of the ongoing international startups that I detailed last year. Margins increased in Saudi Arabia, where our SANAD joint venture operates 48 rigs. This fourth quarter improvement resulted from the contribution from newbuilds deployed during the third and fourth quarters of last year, plus strong operating performance across the entire fleet.
Let me add a few more comments concerning the newbuild program in Saudi Arabia. The fifth rig started in the fourth quarter. The second tranche of five rigs is currently under construction in the Kingdom. We currently expect the first of this group to spud during the current quarter. Two of the remaining four rigs should be deployed by the third quarter of 2024. The last two rigs of that tranche are expected to spud in early 2025. We expect the first unit of the previously awarded third tranche to start around midyear 2025. The outlook for the balance of our international business, both in the Middle East and in Latin America, remains quite positive. Three of the four total rigs were rewarded in Algeria started this quarter. We see prospects to add additional rigs in a number of international markets.
These include Kuwait and Algeria and the Middle East and elsewhere in the Eastern Hemisphere, and Argentina and Latin America. Let me finish this discussion on the international business with a few comments on the recent news on Saudi Arabia. SANAD currently operates 48 rigs there. Of these, 40 working gas and the balance in oil. Contracts for the oil directed rigs have really been extended for a four year period. With the Kingdom's focus on developing the natural gas resource, we are very comfortable with our position there. As to the newbuild program, this was contemplated well before capacity expansion plans in Saudi Arabia. The newbuild program is also a key element in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan. As such, we are confident in the program's future.
Next, let me discuss our technology and innovation. Revenue grew sequentially in all three portions of NDS's business, a Nabors Lower 48 rigs on third party Lower 48 rigs and in international markets. The international business recorded the strongest growth with revenue up 13% sequentially. Revenue grew in Lower 48, both on Nabors and third party rigs. I would like to stress NDS grew faster than the rig counts in both of these market segments. Our NDS EBITDA increased by 13%, which beat our expectations. This performance represents the highest sequential quarterly progress in all of 2023. From a product line perspective, casing running and performance software drove NDS' growth. Next, I will detail the value that NDS generates Lower 48 market.
The average daily margin in the Lower 48 from our Drilling and Drilling Solutions business combined was over $20,000 in the fourth quarter. Of that, NDS contributed more than $3,900 per day. This significant incremental margin contribution, a quarterly record, comes with limited capital spending returns on capital in NDS are the highest in our company. In the fourth quarter, penetration of NDS services increased on Nabors rigs in the Lower 48 to nearly 7 per rig. Once again, we saw growth in our SmartSLIDE directional steering system and our SmartNAV directional guidance software. These installs were up 19%. The casing running job count also grew significantly, up 17%. As shown by the fourth quarter results, our multi-cloud growth strategy for the NDS portfolio is proving successful.
Looking ahead, we see increasing interest globally across product lines, particularly for our advanced technology solutions. Next, let me make some comments on our capital structure. With the proceeds from our recent debt offering, we redeemed the notes that were due in 2024 and 2025, pushing our next maturity to 2026. As we look ahead, our first priority for free cash flow remains reducing net debt and improving our credit ratings. I'll finish this part of the discussion with remarks on sustainability and the energy transition. Our energy transition initiatives, as you know, focus is on improving operational efficiency and reducing emissions intensity. These technology solutions once again contributed visible margins to our Rig Technologies segment.
The most impactful is our PowerTAP module. This unit connects rigs to the grid. In the fourth quarter, we had 24 modules running, more than 20% of those were on third-party rigs. In addition, two units are in transit to Argentina. These two are the first PowerTAP units incorporating a frequency converter for the international market. We have eight more units under construction, including two destined for the international market, one more for Argentina and the second for a large market in the Middle East. Our energy transition portfolio continues to gain traction. We are encouraged by the emerging opportunities internationally, complementing those in the US on both Nabors and third party rigs. Geopolitical events in the Middle East, interest rates and lingering inflation concerns all make for the continued elevated volatility of commodity prices.
In this environment, the operator response to restrain ambitions and exercise capital discipline. It is understandable why operators are looking at mergers in this environment. The near term effect of recently announced mergers is yet to be fully determined. Notwithstanding this uncertainty, international prospects, particularly those driven by NOCs, remain very attractive. Our geographical position is unique in the global land drilling industry. It enables us to capture international growth. At the same time, we are positioned to capitalize on any emerging growth in the US. Next, I will discuss the pricing environment. Our fourth quarter results for the Lower 48 reflect continued stabilization of leading edge market prices. I want to reemphasize the rates for our highest spec rigs exceed all of the pre 2023 market highs.
Our focus in the Lower 48 market remains profitability while we stay committed to delivering superior value to our customers. As such, we continue to demonstrate the value of our technology portfolio with NDS. As I mentioned, in the international market, we have committed seven additional rigs in 2024. This growth should provide substantial uplift potential to our earnings. We believe there is room for additional rig deployments in the Eastern Hemisphere and Latin America. I will discuss these in a few minutes. We surveyed the largest Lower 48 clients at the end of the fourth quarter. Our survey covers 17 operators, which account for approximately 46% of the working rigs at the end of the quarter. During the fourth quarter, consistent with the prior survey results, this group added more than 10 rigs.
The latest survey indicates this group's year end 2024 rig count will be essentially in line with the year end 2023. More than half of the group signals no change. The balance indicates minor additions or decreases. We believe that with the uncertainty in commodity prices customers remain cautious about their plans for 2024. Our plan for our Lower 48 business this year fully contemplates the current environment. We continue to focus on maximizing free cash flow while we look for opportunities to put additional rigs to work. Our view of the international market is bullish. With the international additions already in hand, we would increase our international rig count by almost 10% by the end of 2024. We expect our segment revenue to grow by low double digits and our EBITDA margins to expand.
Next, I will share some of our notable recent highlights and accomplishments. First, NDS was selected by a very large operator in the Middle East to install NDS' advanced rig control and automation system of five working rigs. The multi-round award process was competitive. This award marks the first rig automation project in this market. It is notable that Nabors was chosen to lead this effort. Second, we commenced operations in Arkansas to drill well supporting lithium production. ExxonMobil selected a Nabors PACE-X rig for this project. Third, another of our PACE-X rigs was awarded beginning of the year by one of the largest operators in the Permian for the second consecutive year. Competition for this award came from rigs operated by six other drilling contractors.
Next, we are now providing support to a drilling contractor in Libya under a recently signed technical services agreement. Under the agreement, we are providing expertise but have no capital at risk. In addition to these highlights, I want to mention the normal agreement between Nabors and SLB. Together, we will collaborate to scale automated drilling solutions for operators and drilling contractors. This integration of both companies' platforms expands the breadth of drilling automation technologies available to customers. It also increases their flexibility to utilize existing rig control systems from either Nabors or SLB. And to wrap up the SPAC sponsored by Nabors closed the previously announced business combination with Vast Renewables Limited.
The combined company trades on the NASDAQ Exchange under the ticker VSTE. Let me finish my remarks with the following. We are encouraged by our operational performance as we close out the year. Looking ahead in 2024, we see significant opportunities, both in our global markets and for our advanced technology solutions. Now let me turn the call over to William, who will discuss our financial results.
William Restrepo: Thank you, Tony, and good morning, everyone. Fourth quarter financial results surpassed our expectations with EBITDA for all segments increasing sequentially. In the US, we managed to maintain our Lower 48 daily revenue at the strong level we achieved in the third quarter, while our operational expenses decreased meaningfully, following measures to reduce our field overhead. Consequently, our daily margins improved materially rather than decreasing as we had anticipated. International drilling benefited from increased rig count in Colombia and Saudi Arabia, together with disciplined cost control across geographies. Drilling Solutions delivered strong results well above our expectations, bolstered by year end sales of casing running tools as well as robust deployments of our software and data offerings.
For Rig Technologies, we believe an upgrade and recertification cycle is developing as global rig count increases. The segment also overdelivered with strong year end shipments of rig components together with higher than expected equipment rentals and sales of spare parts. In addition, the margin mix of our revenue contributed favorably to the healthy fourth quarter result for the segment. We expect the first quarter drilling activity in the Lower 48 markets to improve over fourth quarter levels, though at somewhat lower average pricing. We also anticipate that the international growth we have experienced should continue throughout 2024. Although we are forecasting positive trends for our Drilling Solutions and Rig Technology to persist in the first quarter, we will miss the impact of the seasonal year end equipment sales.
For the full year 2023, revenue from operations totaled $3 billion. This compares to $2.65 billion for 2022, a 13% improvement year-over-year. NDS and Rig Technologies led the way with both delivering 24% growth. Our drilling rig segments also grew significantly. Lower 48 improved by 15% while international increased by 12%. For the fourth quarter, revenue from operations was $726 million or 1% below the third, a slight decrease, reflecting a decline in US average rig count. This impact was partially offset by strong increases in Drilling Solutions as well as incremental rig count in Colombia and Saudi Arabia. Revenue for our US Drilling segment at $266 million was down $11 million or 4%. This decrease reflected a 3.4 rig reduction in our lower hole rig count.
Daily revenue of $35,800 was up slightly versus the third quarter. Revenue from our International segment of $343 million remained essentially in line with the prior quarter. In Saudi Arabia, we successfully deployed the fifth newbuild rig and improved operating efficiency. In addition, two rigs restarted operations in Colombia. Revenue from this incremental activity was offset by a reduction in low margin reimbursable in certain geographies. Revenue from Nabors Drilling Solutions grew sequentially by $4.2 million, an increase of 6%. Despite lower rig count in the Lower 48, NDS demonstrated resilience by continuing to add third party revenue and expanding expresses in international markets. Compared to the third quarter, NDS increased Lower 48 third party revenue by 8% and international revenue improved by 13%.
Rig Technologies revenue decreased by $2.2 million or 3.5%, primarily due to lower capital equipment sales through the Nabors fleet. Nonetheless, we experienced a material increase in third party high margin rig component, rental and spare part sales. Full year 2023 EBITDA reached $915 million, increasing by 29% from $709 million in 2022. This growth was spread across all of our segments. The improvement was primarily driven by significant daily margin expansion in both our drilling businesses and rig count expansion in international markets. NDS and Rig Technologies also contributed meaningfully. Combined, these two businesses grew EBITDA by $43.6 million in 2023, a 38% improvement year-over-year. For the fourth quarter, total adjusted EBITDA was $230 million, $20 million higher than the third quarter and 9.6% improvement.
All of our segments contributed to the growth. Despite decreased Lower 48 activity, US Drilling EBITDA increased by $1 million or 1% compared to the prior quarter. This improvement was driven by the M400 maintenance related downtime in the third quarter and higher daily margins in the Lower 48 market. Lower 48 drilling rate EBITDA decreased by $1.2 million or 1.2% sequentially. Average rig count of 70.3 declined by 4.6%. Average daily rig margin of 16,240 was almost $400 higher than the prior quarter on a moderate increase in value revenue and a $300 per day reduction in operating expenses. The leading edge price environment continues to hold steady and our efforts to limit costs are proving effective. For the first quarter, we project our average daily rig gross margin at approximately $15,300.
The expected sequential reduction reflects repricing of renewals as rigs roll to new contracts. During the fourth quarter, our rig count was 70.3 on average and we exited the quarter at 74 rigs. We anticipate a high level of churn during the first quarter. Consequently, despite an underlying favorable trend in activity, we expect rig count in the first quarter to average between 73 and 75 rigs. On a net basis, Alaska and the US offshore businesses performed better than we anticipated. In the fourth quarter, the combined EBITDA of these two operations was $18.7 million, an increase of $2.2 million. EBITDA rebounded following third quarter planned maintenance on our M400 rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The strong offshore results were partially offset by year end maintenance on two Alaska rigs.
Combined EBITDA for Alaska and US offshore should increase between $1.5 million and $2 million in the first quarter, driven by a rebound in Alaska activity and partly offset by a one rig drop offshore. International EBITDA increased by $9.4 million and 9.7% to $105.5 million. Average rig count and average daily gross margin improved, largely driven by the additional three rigs deployed as well as by operating expense reductions and improved operational performance in Saudi Arabia. For the quarter, average rig count increased by 2.4 to 79.6 rig. Average daily gross margin came in at $16,650, up almost 900 from the third quarter. We project international average rig count in the first quarter to increase by approximately two rigs, driven by new build start-ups in Saudi Arabia and the commencement of our contract awards in Algeria.
For average daily gross margins, we are targeting between $16,100 and $16,300. The anticipated sequential decrease as compared to the fourth quarter reflects potentially higher start-up costs for several rigs during the first quarter. Drilling Solutions’ adjusted EBITDA grew by 13.4% to $34.5 million in the fourth quarter. Gross margin for NDS was 52.4%, up from 51.2%. We continue to see increased market penetration, particularly in third party rigs and in international markets. Internationally, NDS grew EBITDA by almost 10% sequentially. In the US, casing running and performance software drove robust growth. We expect first quarter EBITDA for drilling solutions to come in between $30 million and $31 million, primarily driven by the absence of seasonally high equipment sales.
NDS daily gross margin for the Lower 48 was $3,912, up 15% from the prior quarter. Our combined drilling rig and solutions daily gross margin reached $20,151, a 4.7% improvement. It is worth highlighting the NDS growth year-on-year. Comparing to full year 2022, NDS EBITDA increased by over 30%. NDS EBITDA contribution to Nabors as a whole also increased, while gross profit margin widened. Rig Technologies generated EBITDA of $8.8 million, a 22% increase versus the third quarter. This growth was primarily related to high margin year end capital equipment shipments, rentals and spare part sales. I would also like to point out that our energy transition business has started to contribute meaningfully to our Rig Technologies’ EBITDA. We expect Rig Technologies’ EBITDA in the first quarter of $5 million to $6 million.
Now turning to liquidity and cash generation. Overall, our 2023 EBITDA was historically strong. It is true, however, that last year, we had a significant EBITDA showfall in our US segment, driven by the market. And in Saudi Arabia, we delayed newbuild deployment. Notwithstanding these shortfalls totaling nearly $200 million in EBITDA, we still generated $111 million in free cash flow. Other factors did affect our free cash flow in 2023. Our CapEx for the year at $553 million was higher than we had forecasted by about $70 million, most of the variance coming from Saudi Arabia. In addition, we incurred capital expenditures from incremental international awards that required significant upfront investment spent well before the corresponding EBITDA generation.
Also, we purchased our operating base in Vaca Muerta, Argentina, as our activity in that basin continues to expand. Interest expense was also higher than we planned with rates increasing sharply during the year. Finally, working capital rather than being a tailwind, actually increased in the second half of the year as clients held on to their cash for longer, likely driven by the higher interest rate environment. In terms of capital structure, we remain busy during 2023, addressing our debt maturity profile. During the year, we completed capital market transactions for a total of $900 million. Late in 2023, Nabors issued $650 million of senior priority guaranteed notes due in 2030. During January of this year, we retired $630 million of our near term debt maturities, mainly our 2024 convertible debt and our 2025 senior unsecured notes.
These transactions extend our next debt maturity into 2026. Free cash flow totaled $52 million for the fourth quarter. This result includes an increase in capital expenditures versus our projection and working capital headwinds. CapEx of $124.5 million in the fourth quarter fell by $32 million below the level of the preceding quarter, but was significantly higher than our target mainly in Saudi Arabia. This amount included investments for the SANAD newbuild program of $42.9 million. For the first quarter of 2024, we expect capital expenditures of approximately $170 million to $180 million, including $50 million for SANAD newbuild. This should be the high water quarterly mark for the year. We will refrain on providing annual free cash flow and CapEx guidance at this point.
We're currently considering a total of eight additional international tenders. In conclusion, the fourth quarter had many positives. First, our EBITDA rebounded close to the levels of the first half and was significantly above our expectations. Second, the Lower 48 was higher than we expected and very strong price and cost performance. We are seeing increasing rig count in that market with stability in leading edge pricing. Third, international rig count increased and margins were also significantly stronger than expected, almost $900 over the prior quarter. Fourth, NDS was strong and international and third party sales with our gross margin profitability expanding. Fifth, Rig Technologies also grew with signs that an upgrade rectification cycle is commencing and with encouraging performance from our IT business.
And finally, I can say that the future bodes well with double-digit international revenue growth expected in 2024 and a base being built for further Lower 48 recovery. This improved drilling environment and further progress on our market penetration strategies should also continue to drive improved results for Drilling Solutions and Rig Technologies. Although at this point, we will not provide annual guidance, we expect Lower 48 rig count to recover throughout the year from the 2023 quarterly average. Our full year 2024 average should end up somewhere close to our average for the full year 2023. International average rig count should increase by somewhere between seven and 10 rigs, depending on timing of deployments. We also expect Drilling Solutions and Rig Technologies to increase significantly as compared to 2023.
And during 2024, we expect to deliver a significant sequential increase in free cash flow. And of course, we are planning to allocate this cash generation towards reducing our net debt. With that, I will turn the call back to Tony for his concluding remarks.
Tony Petrello: Thank you, William. I will now conclude my remarks this morning. As we look ahead, we see significant opportunities. As mentioned previously, we have enhanced seven rig startups in 2024, which, combined with [indiscernible] in 2023 will yield sizable EBITDA contributions in 2024. Looking ahead, we still have in our pipeline additional opportunities, which we are evaluating. Those markets include Algeria, Kuwait, Argentina and one more rig in a market in the Eastern Hemisphere. That totals eight rigs in these markets. On top of these eight, we have committed orders for seven more rates in Saudi Arabia in 2025 and 2026. Altogether, these add up to 15 incremental opportunities on top of the seven committed rigs for 2024.
We believe it is imperative to use our strong geographical position to take advantage of these favorable market opportunities. The Nabors portfolio is uniquely positioned to take advantage of multiyear contracts with attractive returns in international markets. Ultimately, when combined with the prospects for our NDS business, this is one of the most attractive environments we've seen in years. This concludes our remarks today. Thank you for your time and attention. With that, we will take your questions.
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