Back to top

Image: Bigstock

National Oilwell (NOV) Q4 Earnings Lag Estimates, Rise Y/Y

Read MoreHide Full Article

National Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NOV - Free Report) reported adjusted earnings of 13 cents per share in fourth-quarter 2019, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 16 cents as North American drillers scale back their production growth plans, leaving less scope of work for the likes of National Oilwell Varco. However, the bottom line improved from the year-ago earnings of 3 cents. Particularly, better-than-expected revenue contribution from the Rig Technologies and the Wellbore Technologies segments led to this outperformance.

Rig Technologies’ revenues of $759 million surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $681 million owing to improved land rig deliveries and enhancement of offshore equipment projects.

Further, revenues from the Wellbore Technologies segment came in at $764 million, significantly above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $746 million. The unit’s enhanced performance is attributable to recovery in the international and offshore market conditions and a better product mix.

Total revenues of $2.28 billion outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.10 billion but dipped 4.6% from the year-ago number of $2.39 billion.

Segmental Performance

Rig Technologies: Revenues summed $759 million compared with $804 million in the year-ago quarter, reflecting a 6% decrease, thanks to lower equipment sales. However, the unit’s adjusted EBITDA was $112 million, up 10% from $102 million in the year-earlier quarter. This gain is backed by the company’s cost-cutting initiatives.

Wellbore Technologies: Segmental revenues fell 14% year over year to $764 million as a result of reduced drilling operations in North America. Meanwhile, the unit’s adjusted EBITDA of $143 million decreased from the prior-year’s $155 million.

Completion & Production Solutions: Revenues at the segment were $799 million, up 1.4% from $788 million in the year-earlier quarter as offshore and international demand grew. The unit recorded adjusted EBITDA of $96 million, 14% lower than the year-ago figure of $112 million on steep decline in North American completion activities as customers continue to curtail spending.

Backlog

Capital equipment order backlog for Rig Technologies was $3 billion as of Dec 31, 2019 including $211 million worth of new orders.

Meanwhile, the Completion & Production Solutions’ backlog for capital equipment orders totalled $1.3 billion at the end of the fourth quarter. The figure included $502 million worth of new orders.

Balance Sheet

As of Dec 31, 2019, the company had cash and cash equivalents of $1.17 billion and long-term debt of $1.99 billion. The debt-to-capitalization ratio was 20.22%.

The Path/Road Ahead

Although the domestic oil producers are unlikely to increase their spending anytime soon, the company sees a stronger offshore and aftermarket business. In response to the changing market dynamics, National Oilwell Varco will likely sustain its disciplined approach to capital spending and improvement in its efficiency level.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

National Oilwell Varco carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked players in the energy space are Marathon Oil Corporation (MRO - Free Report) , Chevron Corporation (CVX - Free Report) and TC Energy Corporation (TRP - Free Report) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Just Released: Zacks’ 7 Best Stocks for Today

Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +24.7% per year.

These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout.

See these time-sensitive tickers now >>


 

Published in