e8vk
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of report (date of earliest event reported): May 8, 2008
DAWSON GEOPHYSICAL COMPANY
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
|
|
|
|
|
TEXAS
|
|
0-10144
|
|
75-0970548 |
(State of incorporation
|
|
(Commission file number)
|
|
(I.R.S. employer identification number) |
or organization) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
508 W. WALL, SUITE 800 |
|
|
MIDLAND, TEXAS
|
|
79701 |
(Address of principal executive offices)
|
|
(Zip code) |
Registrants telephone number, including area code: (432) 684-3000
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the
filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction
A.2. below):
|
o |
|
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
|
|
o |
|
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
|
|
o |
|
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.14d-2(b)) |
|
|
o |
|
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.13e-4(c)) |
Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.
On May 8, 2008, Dawson Geophysical Company (the Company) held an investors conference call.
Furnished as Exhibit 99.1 is a copy of the transcript of the Companys presentation during that
call and the questions and answers following the presentation.
Pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the
information set forth in this Item 7.01 and in the attached Exhibit is deemed to be furnished and
shall not be deemed to be filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
Exchange Act).
In accordance with the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995, the Company cautions that statements in the Exhibit which are forward-looking and which
provide other than historical information involve risks and uncertainties that may materially
affect the Companys actual results of operations. These risks include, but are not limited to,
dependence upon energy industry spending, the volatility of oil and
gas prices, high fixed costs of
operations, weather interruptions, the ability to obtain land access
rights of way, operational disruptions, industry
competition, the ability to manage growth, and the availability of capital resources. A discussion
of these and other factors, including risks and uncertainties, is set forth in the Companys Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2007. The Company disclaims any intention or
obligation to revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events, or otherwise.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
In accordance with General Instruction B.2 of Form 8-K, the information set forth in the
attached Exhibit 99.1 is deemed to be furnished and shall not be deemed to be filed for
purposes of the Exchange Act.
|
|
|
Exhibit |
|
|
Number |
|
Description |
99.1
|
|
Transcript of the Investors Conference Call. |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
|
|
|
|
|
|
DAWSON GEOPHYSICAL COMPANY
|
|
Date: May 12, 2008 |
By: |
/s/ Christina W. Hagan
|
|
|
|
Christina W. Hagan |
|
|
|
Executive Vice President, Secretary and
Chief Financial Officer |
|
|
INDEX TO EXHIBITS
|
|
|
Exhibit |
|
|
Number |
|
Description |
99.1
|
|
Transcript of the Investors Conference Call. |
exv99w1
Exhibit 99.1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomson StreetEvents
|
|
www.streetevents.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2008 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
Final Transcript
May. 08. 2008 / 10:00AM ET, DWSN Q2 2008 Dawson Geophysical Earnings Conference Call
CORPORATE PARTICIPANTS
Steve Jumper
Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Christina Hagan
Dawson Geophysical Company EVP, CFO
Decker Dawson
Dawson Geophysical Company Chairman
CONFERENCE CALL PARTICIPANTS
Marshall Adkins
Raymond James Analyst
Pierre Conner
Capital One Southcoast Analyst
Byron Pope
Tudor Pickering Analyst
Neal Dingmann
Dahlman Rose Analyst
PRESENTATION
Operator
Good morning. My name is Chastity, and I will be your conference operator today. At this time,
I would like to welcome everyone to the Dawson Geophysical Second Quarter 2008 Conference Call. All
lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise. After the speakers remarks, there
will be a question and answer session.
(OPERATOR INSTRUCTIONS)
I would now like to turn the conference over to Steve Jumper, President and Chief Executive
Officer. Please go ahead, sir.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Thank you, operator. Good morning and welcome to Dawson Geophysical Companys second quarter
2008 earnings and operations conference call. Joining me this morning in the room are Christina
Hagan, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Ray Tobias, Executive Vice President
and Chief Operating Officer and Decker Dawson, Chairman.
The call is scheduled for 30 minutes and will be divided into three segments. Following these
remarks, Chris will discuss our financial overview. I will then return for an operations overview
and then open the call up for questions.
As in the past, I remind you that throughout the call we will not be providing guidance. At this
point, Ill turn control of the call over to Chris Hagan.
Christina Hagan - Dawson Geophysical Company EVP, CFO
Thank you, Steve. I would like to provide our Safe Harbor provisions. In accordance with the
Safe Harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Dawson Geophysical
Company cautions that statements made today in this conference call, which are forward
looking and which provide other than historical information, involve risks and uncertainties that
may materially affect the Companys actual results of operations.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomson StreetEvents
|
|
www.streetevents.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2008 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
Final Transcript
May. 08. 2008 / 10:00AM ET, DWSN Q2 2008 Dawson Geophysical Earnings Conference Call
These risks include, but are not limited to, dependence upon energy industry spending, the
volatility of oil and gas prices, weather interruptions, the ability to manage growth, the ability
to obtain land access rights of way and the availability of capital resources. A discussion of
these and other factors including risks and uncertainties is set forth in the Companys Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ending September 30th, 2007.
Dawson Geophysical Company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. During this
conference call, Dawson will make references to EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure. A
reconciliation of this non-GAAP measure to the applicable GAAP measures can be found in Dawsons
current earnings release, a copy of which is located on the Dawson website, www.dawson3d.com.
I would now like to provide the financial overview. Today, we reported revenues of $78.363 million
for the quarter ending March 31st, 2008, our second fiscal quarter of fiscal 2008, as compared to
$59.935 million of the same quarter in fiscal 2007, an increase of 31%. Revenues in the second
quarter of fiscal 2008 continue to include high third-party charges related to the use of
helicopter support services, specialized survey technology and dynamite energy sources.
Net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2008 was $8.292 million, compared to $5.368 million in
the same quarter of fiscal 2007, an increase of 54%. Earnings per share for the second quarter of
fiscal 2008 were $1.08 per share, compared to $0.71 per share in the same quarter of fiscal 2007.
EBITDA for the second quarter of fiscal 2008 was $19.228 million, compared to $12.961 million in
the same quarter of fiscal 2007, an increase of 48%. Included in the second quarter results is a
41% increase in depreciation charges from the prior year period, reflecting our continued capital
investment in growth.
For the six months ended March 31, 2008, revenues were $155.962 million, compared to $113.589
million for the same period in 2007, an increase of 37%. Net income for the first six months of
fiscal 2008 increased 48% to $15.996 million, compared to $10.803 million for the first six months
of fiscal 2007. Earnings per share for the first six months of fiscal 2008 were $2.09, as compared
to $1.43 for the first six months of fiscal 2007, an increase of 46%.
EBITDA was $37.198 million in the first six months of fiscal 2008, versus $25.629 million during
the same period of fiscal 2007, an increase of 45%. The Companys Board of Directors recently
increased the Companys fiscal 2008 capital budget from $30 million to $55 million. The additional
budget of $25 million will be used to add to the Vibrator Energy Source fleet, increase channel
count on existing crews, expand data processing capabilities and to make technical improvements in
all phases of the Companys operations. That concludes the financial overview, and now Steve will
provide our operations overview.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Thank you, Chris. We are very pleased with our second quarter results, which showed very
favorable growth compared to the same quarter in the prior year. Our second quarter results point
to continued strength here at Dawson Geophysical Company. All 15 crews were in operation during the
quarter. Weather conditions early in the quarter were less favorable, with several interruptions,
which had a slightly negative impact on the revenues.
Demand for our services remains robust and bid activity increased during the quarter, although our
clients may cancel their contracts on short notice, our order book is strong and actually has
increased during the quarter over first quarter levels, with commitments through calendar 2008 and
on a number of crews well into 2009.
We do anticipate an expansion in crew count, with a redeployment of an I/O MRX System II recording
system on an additional crew, our 16th, in May. We are currently operating in excess of 115,000
channels company-wide and 136 Vibrator Energy Source units. Indications from our client base are
for continued steady demand for seismic services in the lower 48.
Through today, we have replaced an I/O System II MRX recording system on an existing crew with an
8,000-channel ARAM ARIES recording system. We made plans to deploy our 16th crew, which will do
large 2D and smaller 3D projects, as previously mentioned, sometime later this month. We increased
total channel count to in excess of 115,000. We took delivery of 13 Vibrator Energy Source Units,
bringing the Companys total to 136 units, with seven more on order. We operated in West Texas,
South Texas, Fort Worth Basin, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado, Utah, Montana and West
Virginia.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomson StreetEvents
|
|
www.streetevents.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2008 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
Final Transcript
May. 08. 2008 / 10:00AM ET, DWSN Q2 2008 Dawson Geophysical Earnings Conference Call
Increased channel counts has and will continue to positively impact results and we believe continue
to add value to our clients, with higher resolution 3D images, increased efficiency and shorter
cycle times. The objective of our service is to reduce finding and development costs. The demand on
our industry has and will continue to be cost-effective higher-resolution images in the shorter
cycle times.
We believe increased channel count and the number of Energy Source units will meet that demand. We
believe growth in channel count will continue into the foreseeable future. Pricing for our services
remains firm. We believe future revenue and earnings growth will come primarily through increased
channel count, improved efficiencies and productivity, as well as the increase in crew counts.
In our second fiscal quarter 08 to second fiscal quarter 07 comparison, as Chris mentioned, our
revenue increased 31%, EBITDA 48% and net income 54%, while our crew count increased by only 15%,
or two new crews. Our contract mix continues to be evenly split between turkey and term agreements,
and while turnkey contracts do have increases in risk related to weather and operational downtimes,
they provide for more upside in revenue and profitability. We anticipate maintaining a mix of
turnkey and term agreements.
As Chris mentioned, we continue to have a high level of third-party charges. However, the level of
third-party charges as a percentage of revenue has remained essentially flat over the last five
quarters. It has trended slightly downward here in this quarter from previous levels. If the trend
toward more Vibrator work continues, as we believe it will we believe the level of third-party
charges as a percentage of revenue should decline.
We will continue to do what we do best, and thats help our clients find oil and gas. Thats the
business were in and well do that by providing cost-effective, high-quality, high-resolution 3D
seismic images. And, with that, I will open the call up for questions. Operator, we are ready for
questions when you are.
QUESTION AND ANSWER
Operator
(OPERATOR INSTRUCTIONS). Your first question comes from the line of Marshall Adkins with
Raymond James.
Marshall Adkins - Raymond James Analyst
Good morning, Steve. A couple questions. First, on backlog, Ive covered you long enough to
know that you dont have a backlog, but you do have what we call an order book. But keeping in the
concept of backlog, or keeping with that concept, tell me how the order activity is going out
towards the end of 08, number one. And, number two, where is that activity shaping up? I know
youve got a lot of stuff going on the Barnett today. Help me understand the trends going into 09
as to where people are shooting seismic in the areas where theyre headed.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Okay, Marshall, to address the first part of your question, the overall order book, backlog,
however were going to say it were going to refer to it as order book, as you mentioned has
increased from the first quarter. Bid activity is very strong in multiple basins all across the
lower 48. Weve seen what I would consider a substantial increase in activity in the last few
months, although I dont know that we were ever particularly concerned about our order book level.
Were certainly seeing some growth in that area, and thats why were putting out the additional
crew.
The small crew is going to be a lower channel count crew. As I said, its going to be doing large
2D projects and some smaller 3D projects, headed back to the Northeast. Were still very active in
the Barnett Shale area. I think thats going to continue to be an active place for us. Weve
actually picked up quite a bit of activity in West Texas here, lately, and Eastern New Mexico,
throughout the Permian basin. We have about six or seven crews currently operating within 250 miles
of Midland, which is something thats changed in recent quarters.
I think that this is probably a temporary thing. Well probably keep three to four crews active out
here off and on for the next year. So still very active in Eastern Oklahoma, still very active in
the Fayetteville Shale of Arkansas. Of course, as everybody knows, the Northeast is heating up,
its very active, the Marcellus Shale is a very active basin for us.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomson StreetEvents
|
|
www.streetevents.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2008 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
Final Transcript
May. 08. 2008 / 10:00AM ET, DWSN Q2 2008 Dawson Geophysical Earnings Conference Call
Were hearing a lot of activity, bid activity, certainly, in the Rockies area. And so we have high
hopes for that later on in the year. Weve seen some increased activity, of course, in the
Haynesville Shale. I think thats going to be an area that could heat up, but probably some of the
most exciting things were hearing well, its all exciting. Theres a lot to be done in the
lower 48. The market is very, very strong. Two places that I think look promising are the oil shale
plays in the Barnett, going into North Texas and certainly the Bakken play in North Dakota
appeared like its going to be a hot item for quite some time. So weve got quite a bit of spread.
We have opportunities all through the West. Weve got some opportunities in California that were
looking at and Northeast, the Appalachian Basin is strong and well continue to play in these shale
plays, as well as some of these new oil finds.
Marshall Adkins - Raymond James Analyst
Okay, a follow-up question here. You mentioned weather kind of affected you early in the
quarter. Give me some sense of relative to an average quarter, if there is such a thing, how much
the weather hurt you.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Early in the quarter it was a little tough. I think it was tough on most of us. Marshall, that
weather number, the weather impact is hard to define, its hard to quantify. We are always impacted
by weather. Were impacted by weather, were impacted by permits, were impacted by the length of
time it takes a crew to move before they get to the next project.
Were impacted by operational interruptions that come and go and then are a part of our business,
and I wouldnt quantify the weather impact as real negative. I think it was there. Its probably a
little more difficult than normal, but it wasnt a catastrophic event, it wasnt something that
just killed us, so to speak, but it did have a negative impact. I know I didnt answer that, but
thats about as well I can quantify it for you.
Marshall Adkins - Raymond James Analyst
Well, translating, it sounds like it was just modestly worse than an average quarter.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Yes, it wasnt anything that I was terribly concerned about.
Marshall Adkins - Raymond James Analyst
Okay, Ill turn it over to someone else and re-queue. Ive got a few more questions if someone
else doesnt ask them.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Okay.
Operator
Your next question comes from the line of Pierre Conner with Capital One South.
Pierre Conner - Capital One Southcoast Analyst
Good morning, everybody.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomson StreetEvents
|
|
www.streetevents.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
|
|
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2008 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
Final Transcript
May. 08. 2008 / 10:00AM ET, DWSN Q2 2008 Dawson Geophysical Earnings Conference Call
Good morning, Pierre.
Pierre Conner - Capital One Southcoast Analyst
Steve, just maybe make sure Ive got the right mix of crews now, so Im assuming were at
eight of ARAM, down to one on the MRX, and then you plan to deploy that MRX in a second crew. Is
that accurate?
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
We are operating seven ARAM crews today, six RSR crews, two MRX crews and one crew continues
to operate as a Q-Land crew for WesternGeco.
Pierre Conner - Capital One Southcoast Analyst
Oh, okay, thats the other crew.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Correct.
Pierre Conner - Capital One Southcoast Analyst
Got it.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
And during any downtime with the Q system, which we dont anticipate any time soon, that crew
would be equipped with an existing MRX crew, as well.
Pierre Conner - Capital One Southcoast Analyst
On this additional crew
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Yes, sir.
Pierre Conner - Capital One Southcoast Analyst
You mentioned the small 3D to large 2D. Can you give us a range of the channels on that crew?
I mean, itd be below your average channel size. Is that right?
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Yes, its going to be 1,500 channels or below.
Pierre Conner - Capital One Southcoast Analyst
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomson StreetEvents
|
|
www.streetevents.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2008 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
Final Transcript
May. 08. 2008 / 10:00AM ET, DWSN Q2 2008 Dawson Geophysical Earnings Conference Call
Got it. Okay.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
I wanted to make a comment there. It is deployed, or will be deployed later this month,
configured that way. It has quite a bit of back order book, backlog, in front of it, quite a few
things to go do. But this will be the second crew that we operate that way. We operate a crew in
the Barnett Shale of the Fort Worth Basin that stays around 2,000 channels. But it, too, just like
the ones in the Fort Worth Basin, this crew will have the ability to scale up channel count if a
project requires 3,000 channels. Then we can certainly scale that crew up to 3,000 channels to go
to work. So I dont know that it will stay that way, but thats the way its configured on its
initial deployment.
Pierre Conner - Capital One Southcoast Analyst
Okay. Steve, maybe a little more on your CapEx increase in terms of where its going, so some
of that was this additional ARAM, but is there where does this take I know youre not guiding
us, per se, but project out your channels or your Vibrator sources. Is that where this additional
CapEx is going?
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Yes, it was the we had some channel count expansion in the last quarter that was part of
that, the original CapEx number. This additional CapEx thats been approved covered the 8,000
channels of ARAM system that replaced an existing I/O System II MRX recording system. The 20
Vibrator Energy Source units, some other equipment, like helicopter support equipment, rolling
stock, other technical capabilities, but the majority of it has been channel count increases on
existing crews, as well as the switch over in additional Vibrators.
Pierre Conner - Capital One Southcoast Analyst
But, going forward, there is continued growth in channel count on existing crews sequentially?
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Yes, yes, yes.
Pierre Conner - Capital One Southcoast Analyst
Can you give us maybe an exit rate of channels if they come in delivered as youve ordered
them?
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Well, we have everything in house thats been ordered, I believe, except for the seven
Vibrators, but we anticipate that number to go up Pierre. I dont know where the number is going to
actually end up. By the end of the year, its hard to tell, I can easily see, for example, 500
channels being added fairly quickly going forward, but if we get a job that comes in and it needs
10,000 channels and has some life to it and has some length to the contract, then we would adjust
that accordingly.
And some of that weve built in there, anticipating, but I really cant comment other than the 500
that I think are going to come pretty quickly.
Pierre Conner - Capital One Southcoast Analyst
All right, one last one, and then Ill do like Marshall and cycle back, but I know were
trying to get you to quantify. I know its difficult, but in the weather impact, I mean, are we
talking about just five or six days worth of downtime on a
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomson StreetEvents
|
|
www.streetevents.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
|
|
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2008 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
Final Transcript
May. 08. 2008 / 10:00AM ET, DWSN Q2 2008 Dawson Geophysical Earnings Conference Call
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Well, we had a stretch there where we were down two, three, four days on the majority of the
crews, and then theyd come back and theyd get hit again. What its total impact to revenue is
going to be is would be really hard to quantify. But, Pierre, I wouldnt say that there was any
major impact from any one item during the quarter that was devastating. I think it wasnt far off
the things that we could be hit with on a regular basis.
Pierre Conner - Capital One Southcoast Analyst
Okay, understand. Okay, thanks. Let me jump out and let someone in.
Operator
Your next question comes from the line of Byron Pope with Tudor Pickering.
Byron Pope - Tudor Pickering Analyst
Good morning.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Good morning.
Byron Pope - Tudor Pickering Analyst
Steve, I wanted to see if you could give us a frame of reference for on a normalized basis
kind of where the highest concentration of your crews will likely be working. You mentioned kind of
West Texas area, a little bit high now, probably goes back to a normalized three to four crews. I
realize you have crews mobilizing in different regions all the time, but, again, Im just trying to
set a baseline so that we eliminate some of the quarter-to-quarter noise. Again, how should we be
thinking about where the critical mass of your crews will likely be working over the next 12
months, kind of by region?
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
I believe were going to be fairly well spread out. Right now, weve got two in South Texas,
weve got two in Oklahoma, one in the Northeast, one in Arkansas. I think the majority of the crews
in the next quarter or so will be in Texas, Eastern New Mexico, the Barnett Shale region. I think
well probably have four or five crews out of state over the next quarter or so. But, Byron, thats
a very difficult thing to predict. We have commitments in our order book that reflect solid
activity through the end of calendar 08 and well into 09.
Byron Pope - Tudor Pickering Analyst
Right.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
And I dont know which jobs are going to get ready at which time. And if I knew, if I could
look down the schedule and predict with great comfort and great accuracy which jobs will be ready,
how long exactly it will take us to do that and do that job, barring any weather or operational
interruptions and where were going, then I could give you a month-by-month detail of where its
going to be. But thats not the way our system works.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomson StreetEvents
|
|
www.streetevents.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2008 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
Final Transcript
May.
08. 2008 / 10:00AM ET, DWSN Q2 2008 Dawson Geophysical Earnings Conference Call
We have an idea of what its going to look like in the next month or so, but as we had talked about
in the past, getting access permits from surface and mineral owners and lessees is difficult at
times. And so our schedule becomes very, very fluid, and thats why we dont quantify our backlog
in terms of dollars or accurate crew miles, because the schedule in the middle of summer may look
somewhat different than what it is now.
We may have things not ready for a crew and well have to look for another place and we have things
that a project may get hot and may need to move into the schedule and well accommodate that. Were
going to let permits and our clients needs dictate where were going to be as opposed to just
predicting from here. I do think the highest concentration through the summertime will more than
likely be spread from West Texas, South Texas and into Barnett Shale area of the Fort Worth Basin.
Were talking about this weather issue. What weve seen from the weather issue is that the storms
that move through here in the last quarter or so are a big line of thunderstorms that move and
sometimes you can draw a line right down the storm front and cover all 15 of our crews at one time.
Sometimes we get spotted weather, so although I think the geographic expansion and diversity is a
good thing and helps us with weather, as it helps everybody. It still tends to be somewhat clumped
together. If we were spread from the Rockies right now to the Southeast, it would be a little bit
different story, but these fronts have even moving Southeast in a straight line right across us,
and that was certainly an issue in prior quarters.
Going back to this weather thing, I dont think second quarter weather was a disaster compared to
previous second quarter weather. I think first quarter, later in the quarter, early second quarter,
have always been a little bit difficult for us and for everybody. Weve talked about it. The
shorter days and the colder temperatures and the lack of drying time and all those things dont end
at the end of the first quarter. They continue into the second. And so I think what weve just seen
is a normal continuance.
But weve experienced throughout the quarter all the things that seismic companies and seismic
operations encounter permit delays, longer moves, weather interruptions here and there,
different issues, operational issues that you werent anticipating. And so those things can bounce
back and forth and make a difference on a small scale in terms of revenue and expenses. But I
certainly feel very good about where our quarter is. I think weve shown great growth from where we
were last quarter and, I mean, same quarter prior year weve shown growth compared to the first
quarter this year and bid activity is strong and where were going to be working in the next couple
of months, I cant tell you for sure. But were going to go where the clients need us and where we
have things permitted.
Byron Pope - Tudor Pickering Analyst
Fair enough, and really I was just trying to gauge basically, I havent heard anything that
suggests that third-party charges are necessarily going to be a step function higher going forward
because of the region, so theres no reason why your operating margins couldnt and probably
shouldnt continue to expand as we step forward. A fair way to think about it?
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Yes, were certainly headed that way. Were very conscious and very aware of margin growth. We
keep saying that were going to have the possibility, the capability, the chance to increase
margins and were doing that. Were still going to be subject to all these things weve talked
about, weather interruptions, permits, all those things. But theres a couple of other issues that
were addressing and theyre not major, but theyre out there.
The price of fuel is up. When you look at our commitments going forward, when we say that we have
commitments through the end of the year, well, whats the price of fuel going to do? Labor costs,
direct labor costs arent increasing but the activity in the oil patch all through particularly
West Texas areas, when you move a crew in, theres an increase to housing costs that affects us and
all through the Rockies. So I dont know that direct labor costs are a big deal, but costs are
increasing. And were working that into efficiencies, were working that into pricing and well get
there, but we do have some places where theyre not catastrophic, things we cant overcome, but
theyre things were having to watch pretty closely, as is everybody in the oil service patch.
Byron Pope - Tudor Pickering Analyst
Okay, fair enough. Thanks a lot.
Operator
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomson StreetEvents
|
|
www.streetevents.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
|
|
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2008 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
Final Transcript
May. 08. 2008 / 10:00AM ET, DWSN Q2 2008 Dawson Geophysical Earnings Conference Call
(OPERATOR INSTRUCTIONS). Your next question comes from Neal Dingmann with Dahlman Rose.
Neal Dingmann - Dahlman Rose Analyst
Hey, guys.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Hey, Neal, how are you?
Neal Dingmann - Dahlman Rose Analyst
Dont worry, Steve, I wont have you quantify weather or backlog for me.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Well, youll probably get the same answer.
Neal Dingmann - Dahlman Rose Analyst
A couple things here. On the Q system, you hadnt talked on that crew. Whats going on with
that and is that going well enough to think about converting over a second crew to that? Or whats
going on over there?
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Well, I dont think were going to have a second Q crew in the lower 48 anytime in the near
future. Were still active with the system. Weve been working with the system in Eastern New
Mexico. I think the WesternGeco people and their client, we are working on it for WesternGeco as a
multi-client project, and I think their subscribers, clients, on the other side are happy with what
theyre seeing. And our crew is gaining efficiency. Were learning how to handle that Q system much
better.
30,000 channels is a lot of channels and theres a lot of things thats a little bit different from
I/O MRX, RSR-type stuff, and so I think theyre performing better. I think their results are very
positive, very encouraging, and I think theyve got some opportunities in front of them to keep
that crew active and busy. Were certainly helping them as much as we can in that regard. I think
the relationship is good between us and WesternGeco and I think both companies see the upside of
the technology and see the opportunities.
Here again, I think its I dont want to say its limited in use, but its certainly got areas
of difficult signal-noise areas, places where weve had trouble getting images before. Its got
some places where its going to perform very, very well. And I think, just like anything else we
do, whether it be Q-Land or multi-component or whatever technology, are we going to find more oil
and gas with it? Were obviously I think were creating better images, but the name of the game
is finding oil and gas and when we prove out that it can do that, I think itll stay busy, but I
dont anticipate a second one coming.
Theres long-range plans. Thats certainly a major goal, but I dont think its going to be impact
anytime soon.
Neal Dingmann - Dahlman Rose Analyst
Okay, and then on some of those new areas you were speaking of, the Haynesville, et cetera,
what are your thoughts as far as channels per crew or what will be needed on those sort of versus
what Id call sort of typical sort of Permian stuff? Im just wondering if the crew size will be
much different.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomson StreetEvents
|
|
www.streetevents.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
|
|
10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2008 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
Final Transcript
May. 08. 2008 / 10:00AM ET, DWSN Q2 2008 Dawson Geophysical Earnings Conference Call
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
I dont think so. I think the largest channel crews were operating are in Southwestern Texas.
Thats where we have the 9,500 and 11,000-channel crews. I think most of what we can do right
now, the projects we have in Haynesville are going to be in the 6,000 to 7,000-channel range.
Those numbers change, can change, as were talked about in the past, depending on the job size. You
can have a 100-square-mile job that you can do with 5,000 channels efficiently, and the same
100-square-mile job designed a different way and configured a different way may need 8,000
channels. So just like we have in the Barnett Shale and the Fort Worth Basin, just like we have in
the Appalachian Basin and weve seen in Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma, channel count becomes very
fluid.
We operate 15 crews, were going to operate 16. I think the important number is were going to keep
115,000 channels working and whether a crew is 5,000 this month and 8,000 the next and 4,000 after
that is not going to relieve the fact that somewhere else someones going to be working on a job
that needs more channels. So right now, 6,000, 7,000, and well see where it goes from there.
Neal Dingmann - Dahlman Rose Analyst
Okay, and then last question, if I could ask Decker one, as far as what he sees in the market
today, the big difference or anything that jumps out to him today versus when he saw the big jump
and the big boom of activity maybe in the early 80s or prior?
Decker Dawson - Dawson Geophysical Company Chairman
Well, were obviously seeing a much greater demand than weve ever seen, and we clearly dont
at this point, dont see any end to it.
Neal Dingmann - Dahlman Rose Analyst
All right, guys. Thanks a lot. Appreciate it.
Operator
There are no further questions at this time.
Steve Jumper - Dawson Geophysical Company President, CEO
Okay, well, thank you, operator. As Ive said, were very excited, very pleased with our
second quarter results. As Ive mentioned, weve shown tremendous growth compared to the same
quarter prior year. We think were positioned to have continued growth, strong growth going
forward. Demand is up, bid activity is up. We are adding the additional crew. We feel very good
about where the markets going, feel very good about pricing and our improved efficiencies and
productivity, and, in closing, Id just like to thank everyone for listening in to the call. Like
to thank our employees for their hard work and our shareholders and particularly our client base
for their trust in our services.
We look forward to the second half of 2008 and into 2009 with great enthusiasm. A replay of this
call will be available on our website at www.dawson3d.com. Once again, thank everybody for
listening in and have a great day. Well talk to you in about 90 days. Thank you.
Operator
Thank you for joining todays Dawson Geophysical conference call. You may now disconnect.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomson StreetEvents
|
|
www.streetevents.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
|
|
11 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2008 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
Final Transcript
May. 08. 2008 / 10:00AM ET, DWSN Q2 2008 Dawson Geophysical Earnings Conference Call
DISCLAIMER
Thomson Financial reserves the right to make changes to documents, content, or
other information on this web site without obligation to notify any person of
such changes.
In the conference calls upon which Event Transcripts are based, companies may
make projections or other forward-looking statements regarding a variety of
items. Such forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and
involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from
those stated in any forward-looking statement based on a number of important
factors and risks, which are more specifically identified in the companies
most recent SEC filings. Although the companies mayindicate and believe that
the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, any
of the assumptions could prove inaccurate or incorrect and, therefore, there
can be no assurance that the results contemplated in the forward-looking
statements will be realized.
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN EVENT TRANSCRIPTS IS A TEXTUAL REPRESENTATION OF
THE APPLICABLE COMPANYS CONFERENCE CALL AND WHILE EFFORTS ARE MADE TO PROVIDE
AN ACCURATE TRANSCRIPTION, THERE MAY BE MATERIAL ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR
INACCURACIES IN THE REPORTING OF THE SUBSTANCE OF THE CONFERENCE CALLS. IN NO
WAY DOES THOMSON FINANCIAL OR THE APPLICABLE COMPANY OR THE APPLICABLE COMPANY
ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY INVESTMENT OR OTHER DECISIONS MADE BASED UPON
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THIS WEB SITE OR IN ANY EVENT TRANSCRIPT. USERS
ARE ADVISED TO REVIEW THE APPLICABLE COMPANYS CONFERENCE CALL ITSELF AND THE
APPLICABLE COMPANYS SEC FILINGS BEFORE MAKING ANY INVESTMENT OR OTHER
DECISIONS.
© 2005, Thomson StreetEvents All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomson StreetEvents
|
|
www.streetevents.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2008 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|