Nine Energy Service Announces First Quarter 2020 Results

Nine Energy Service, Inc. ("Nine" or the "Company") (NYSE: NINE) reported first quarter 2020 revenues of $146.6 million, net loss of $(300.9) million and adjusted EBITDA of $10.3 million. The first quarter net loss of $(300.9) million, or $(10.22) per basic share, includes goodwill impairment charges of $296.2 million associated with the tools, cementing and wireline reporting units. For the first quarter 2020, adjusted net loss^c was $(14.9) million, or $(0.51) adjusted basic earnings per share. During the first quarter, the Company generated ROIC^d of –3%.

The Company had provided original first quarter 2020 revenue guidance between $150.0 and $160.0 million and adjusted EBITDA guidance between $10.0 and $13.0 million, with actual results for revenue falling slightly below Management’s original guidance range and results for adjusted EBITDA falling within Management’s original guidance. Revenue results came in lower than original guidance primarily due to rapidly deteriorating market conditions and activity curtailment in conjunction with oil price declines beginning in March.

“This quarter, revenue fell slightly below management’s original guidance. Adjusted EBITDA fell within the range of management’s original guidance, but we did experience significant market declines in the last month of the quarter. We do not feel Q1 is reflective in any way of the financial picture for the remaining quarters of the year,” said Ann Fox, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nine Energy Service. “We have a strong liquidity position of $183.6 million as of March 31, 2020 consisting of $90.1 million of cash on the balance sheet and an undrawn ABL credit facility with $93.5 million of availability. As of March 31, 2020, we have a sizeable accounts receivable balance of $92.6 million and inventories balance of $63.1 million. Additionally, we purchased a portion of our bonds on the open market at a discount, lowering our annual cash interest expense and reducing our overall debt outstanding. To date, we have purchased bonds with a face value of approximately $29.7 million for a total purchase price of approximately $7.4 million.”

“We continue to navigate an extremely volatile market with the energy industry suffering from both significant global demand reductions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a flood of supply hitting the market. In response to this, our customers quickly began further cuts to 2020 capex plans, dropping rigs and releasing frac crews. These ‘completions holidays’ are affecting all of our service lines with meaningful revenue and adjusted EBITDA declines.”

“Our new low-temperature dissolvable plug was successfully commercialized during Q1 and the timeline for our high-temperature and new composite plug remain on-track for Q2 and Q3, respectively. Our team remains extremely pleased with the performance of our low-temperature plug, specifically in the Permian, as well as the interest from our customers in trialing the technology. The current market backdrop is a substantial headwind, which will delay near-term adoption; however, I am confident we will execute our previously scheduled trials and commercial commitments once activity resumes and customers look for new ways to reduce costs and cycle times in a depressed environment.”

Operating Results

During the first quarter of 2020, the Company reported revenues of $146.6 million with adjusted gross profit^E of $20.6 million.

During the first quarter of 2020, the Company reported selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expense of $16.4 million, compared to $20.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2019. Depreciation and amortization expense ("D&A") in the first quarter of 2020 was $12.7 million, compared to $15.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2019.

The Company recognized income tax benefit of approximately $2.1 million in the first quarter of 2020, resulting in an effective tax rate of 0.7% against year to date results. The benefit provided by both the net operating loss provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the goodwill impairment recorded during the quarter are the primary components of the Company’s 2020 tax position.

Liquidity and Capital Expenditures

During the first quarter of 2020, the Company reported net cash provided by operating activities of $0.7 million, compared to $14.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2019. Capital expenditures totaled $1.4 million during the first quarter of 2020, of which approximately 73% related to maintenance capital expenditures.

As of March 31, 2020, Nine’s cash and cash equivalents were $90.1 million with $93.5 million of availability under the revolving credit facility, which remains undrawn, resulting in a total liquidity position of $183.6 million as of March 31, 2020.

During the first quarter, the Company repurchased approximately $13.8 million of the senior notes for a repurchase price of approximately $3.5 million in cash. As a result, the Company recorded a $10.1 million gain on extinguishment of debt with no cash tax obligation. Subsequent to March 31, 2020, the Company repurchased an additional $15.9 million of the senior notes for a repurchase price of approximately $3.9 million in cash.

^ABCDESee end of press release for definitions

Conference Call Information

The call is scheduled for Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 9:00 am Central Time. Participants may join the live conference call by dialing U.S. (Toll Free): (877) 524-8416 or International: (412) 902-1028 and asking for the “Nine Energy Service Earnings Call”. Participants are encouraged to dial into the conference call ten to fifteen minutes before the scheduled start time to avoid any delays entering the earnings call.

For those who cannot listen to the live call, a telephonic replay of the call will be available through May 21, 2020 and may be accessed by dialing U.S. (Toll Free): (877) 660-6853 or International: (201) 612-7415 and entering the passcode of 13697767.

About Nine Energy Service

Nine Energy Service is an oilfield services company that offers completion solutions within North America and abroad. The Company brings years of experience with a deep commitment to serving clients with smarter, customized solutions and world-class resources that drive efficiencies. Serving the global oil and gas industry, Nine continues to differentiate itself through superior service quality, wellsite execution and cutting-edge technology. Nine is headquartered in Houston, Texas with operating facilities in the Permian, Eagle Ford, SCOOP/STACK, Niobrara, Barnett, Bakken, Marcellus, Utica and Canada.

For more information on the Company, please visit Nine’s website at nineenergyservice.com.

Forward Looking Statements

The foregoing contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are those that do not state historical facts and are, therefore, inherently subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements also include statements that refer to or are based on projections, uncertain events or assumptions. The forward-looking statements included herein are based on current expectations and entail various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, related economic repercussions and the resulting negative impact on demand for oil and gas; the current significant surplus in the supply of oil and the ability of the OPEC+ countries to agree on and comply with supply limitations; the duration and magnitude of the unprecedented disruption in the oil and gas industry currently resulting from the impact of the foregoing factors, which is negatively impacting our business; operational challenges relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus, including logistical challenges, protecting the health and well-being of our employees, remote work arrangements, performance of contracts and supply chain disruptions; pricing pressures, reduced sales, or reduced market share as a result of intense competition in the markets for the Company’s dissolvable plug products; the Company’s ability to implement and commercialize new technologies, services and tools; the Company’s ability to grow its completion tool business; the Company’s ability to reduce capital expenditures; the Company’s ability to accurately predict customer demand; the loss of, or interruption or delay in operations by, one or more significant customers; the loss of or interruption in operations of one or more key suppliers; the adequacy of the Company’s capital resources and liquidity; the incurrence of significant costs and liabilities resulting from litigation; the loss of, or inability to attract, key personnel; the Company’s ability to successfully integrate recently acquired assets and operations and realize anticipated revenues, cost savings or other benefits thereof; and other factors described in the “Risk Factors” and “Business” sections of the Company’s most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update those statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of those statements to reflect future events or developments.

^AAdjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss) before interest, taxes, and depreciation and amortization, further adjusted for (i) property and equipment, goodwill, and/or intangible asset impairment charges, (ii) transaction and integration costs related to acquisitions, (iii) loss or gain on revaluation of contingent liabilities, (iv) gain on the extinguishment of debt, (v) loss or gain on the sale of subsidiaries, (vi) restructuring charges, (vii) stock-based compensation expense, (viii) loss or gain on sale of property and equipment, and (ix) other expenses or charges to exclude certain items which we believe are not reflective of ongoing performance of our business, such as legal expenses and settlement costs related to litigation outside the ordinary course of business. Management believes Adjusted EBITDA is useful because it allows us to more effectively evaluate our operating performance and compare the results of our operations from period to period without regard to our financing methods or capital structure and helps identify underlying trends in our operations that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of the impairments, acquisitions and dispositions and costs that are not reflective of the ongoing performance of our business.

^BAdjusted Basic Earnings Per Share is defined as adjusted net income (loss), divided by weighted average basic shares outstanding. Management believes Adjusted Basic Earnings Per Share is useful because it allows us to more effectively evaluate our operating performance and compare the results of our operations from period to period and help identify underlying trends in our operations that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of the impairments and acquisitions.

^CAdjusted Net Income (Loss) is defined as net income (loss) adjusted for (i) property and equipment, goodwill, and/or intangible asset impairment charges, (ii) transaction and integration costs related to acquisitions, (iii) restructuring charges, (iv) loss or gain on the sale of subsidiaries, (v) gain on the extinguishment of debt and (vi) tax impact of such adjustments. Management believes Adjusted Net Income (Loss) is useful because it allows us to more effectively evaluate our operating performance and compare the results of our operations from period to period and helps identify underlying trends in our operations that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of the impairments and acquisitions.

^DReturn on Invested Capital (“ROIC”) is defined as after-tax net operating profit (loss), divided by average total capital. We define after-tax net operating profit (loss) as net income (loss) plus (i) property and equipment, goodwill, and/or intangible asset impairment charges, (ii) transaction and integration costs related to acquisitions, (iii) interest expense (income), (iv) restructuring charges, (v) loss or gain on the sale of subsidiaries, (vi) gain on extinguishment of debt, and (vii) the provision or benefit for deferred income taxes. We define total capital as book value of equity plus the book value of debt less balance sheet cash and cash equivalents. We compute the average of the current and prior year-end adjusted total capital for use in this analysis. Management believes ROIC is a meaningful measure because it quantifies how well we generate operating income relative to the capital we have invested in our business and illustrates the profitability of a business or project taking into account the capital invested. Management uses ROIC to assist them in making capital resource allocation decisions and in evaluating business performance.

^EAdjusted Gross Profit is defined as revenues less cost of revenues excluding depreciation and amortization. This measure differs from the GAAP definition of gross profit because we do not include the impact of depreciation and amortization, which represent non-cash expenses. Our management uses adjusted gross profit to evaluate operating performance. We prepare adjusted gross profit (excluding depreciation and amortization) to eliminate the impact of depreciation and amortization because we do not consider depreciation and amortization indicative of our core operating performance.

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Nine Energy Service Investor Contact:
Heather Schmidt
Vice President, Strategic Development, Investor Relations and Marketing
(281) 730-5113
[email protected]