Helix Energy Solutions(HLX) - 2024 Q3 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenues for Q3 2024 were $342 million, with a gross profit of$ 66 million and net income of $29.5 million, resulting in adjusted EBITDA of$ 88 million and positive operating cash flow of $56 million, leading to strong free cash flow of$ 53 million [6][8][13] - Year-to-date revenues reached $1 billion with a gross profit of$ 161 million and net income of $36 million, while adjusted EBITDA was$ 232 million, and positive free cash flow was $98 million [8][12] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Well Interventions segment showed strong utilization in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, and Australia, achieving a solid overall uptime efficiency of 99% for the quarter [9][10] - The Robotics segment performed well, operating 6 vessels with high utilization, particularly in renewables-related projects [11][12] - The Shallow Water Abandonment business faced challenges due to hurricanes, leading to lower-than-expected utilization [12][24] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company operates globally with minimal disruption, with operations in Europe, Asia Pacific, Brazil, Africa, the Gulf of Mexico, and the U.S. East Coast [9] - The Gulf of Mexico remains a strong market for Helix, with contracts secured for the Q5000 and Q4000 [19][40] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on long-term contracts with Petrobras and Shell, which provide a strong backlog and improved market rates for 2025 [8][19] - The Robotics segment is expected to benefit from growth in the offshore wind market, while the Shallow Water Abandonment segment is anticipated to rebound in 2025 [24][27] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the company's position, highlighting strong EBITDA performance despite challenges in the Shallow Water Abandonment segment [24][26] - The company anticipates a$ 60 million to $100 million increase in EBITDA for well interventions in 2025, driven by new contracts and improved rates [26][57] Other Important Information - The company has a strong liquidity position with cash and cash equivalents of$ 324 million and total liquidity of $399 million [7][14] - Funded debt stands at$ 324 million with no significant maturities until 2029, and the company is targeting $20 million to$ 30 million in share repurchases for 2024 [18][19] Q&A Session Summary Question: Visibility on well intervention improvement for next year - Management indicated that budgeting shows improvement over the current year, with increased bidding activity [30][31] Question: Free cash flow expectations for next year - Management is bullish on free cash flow generation, expecting it to be in the $200 million range, with plans for capital allocation focused on growth and share repurchases [32][34] Question: Impact of hurricanes on revenue - Management confirmed that the$ 10 million revenue loss in Q3 due to hurricanes will not be recouped in Q4 [35] Question: EBITDA impact from shut-ins - Management expects minimal impact from the Droshky shut-in, while the Thunder Hawk shut-in is estimated to result in a couple of million dollars loss for the quarter [36] Question: ROV market pricing expectations - Management anticipates a tightening market with ROV rates expected to increase by at least 10% next year [66]