- Sell-rated Helmerich & Payne (NYSE:HP) has the greatest risk for negative revisions among its oilfield services peers, Citi analyst Scott Gruber writes, since earnings compression is happening faster at peers; 2016 estimates are above consensus for Patterson-UTI Energy (NASDAQ:PTEN), RPC (NYSE:RES) and Superior Energy (NYSE:SPN), partly reflecting improvement in pressure pumping margins given a lack of contract roll.
- Gruber also thinks consensus estimates are too optimistic, pricing in a full recovery in one year; the Street expects HP’s land business to generate $400M in sales in FY 2016, which Gruber estimates would require a spot dayrate of more than $30K/day or a rig count of ~270, which would be within 5% of the prior peak.
- HP currently trades at 1.7x 2016 consensus price to book value vs. 1.1x for PTEN, 1.1x for Precision Drilling (NYSE:PDS) and 0.9x for Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR); Gruber says history suggests downside risk to 1x as HP's return on equity likely will fall to 3% in 2016.