Patterson-UTI Energy Q4 Loss Narrower Than Expected, Revenues Beat

Core Insights - Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (PTEN) reported a narrower adjusted net loss of 2 cents per share for Q4 2025, better than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of an 11-cent loss and an improvement from a 12-cent loss in the same quarter last year [1][9] - Total revenues reached $1.2 billion, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5%, primarily driven by strong performance in the Completion Services segment [2][9] - The board of directors increased the quarterly dividend by 25% to 10 cents per share, payable on March 16, 2026 [3] Segment Performance - Drilling Services: Revenues were $360.8 million, down 11.6% year-over-year, missing the estimate of $365 million. Operating income was $43 million, beating the estimate of $37.7 million [4] - Completion Services: Revenues increased by 7.8% year-over-year to $701.6 million, surpassing the estimate of $647 million. The operating loss narrowed to $3.6 million from a loss of $50.2 million in the previous year [5] - Drilling Products: Revenues decreased by 3.2% year-over-year to $83.8 million, missing the estimate of $85 million. Operating profit was $6.8 million, compared to a loss of $0.2 million in the prior year [6] - Other Services: Revenues fell by 71.3% year-over-year to $4.7 million, missing the estimate of $4.8 million [6] Financial Position - Capital expenditures for the quarter were $138.5 million, slightly down from $140.3 million in the prior year. As of December 31, 2025, cash and cash equivalents were $420.6 million, with long-term debt of $1.2 billion and a debt-to-capitalization ratio of 27.5% [8] - Total operating costs and expenses were $1.151 billion, down from $1.1935 billion in Q4 2024 [8] Q1 2026 Outlook - The company expects an average rig count in the low-to-mid 90s for the Drilling Services segment in Q1 2026, with adjusted gross profit anticipated to decline by less than 5% from Q4 2025 [11] - For Completion Services, adjusted gross profit is expected to be around $95 million, while Drilling Products segment's adjusted gross profit is anticipated to improve slightly [12] - Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses are projected to be about $65 million, with total depreciation, depletion, amortization, and impairment expenses expected to be approximately $225 million for the upcoming quarter [13]