Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NGS) is a leading provider of natural gas compression equipment and services to the energy industry. The company's core business revolves around renting, servicing, and maintaining natural gas compressors and related equipment, as well as designing, fabricating, and manufacturing compressor units for sale and rental to its customers.
Financials
In the fiscal year 2023, NGS reported annual revenue of $121,167,000 and net income of $4,747,000. The company's annual operating cash flow was $15,340,000, while its annual free cash flow was -$138,603,000. These financial results demonstrated NGS's ability to generate substantial revenue and profitability, despite the challenges faced by the industry.
During the first quarter of 2024, NGS continued to deliver strong operational and financial performance. Total revenue for the quarter increased by 38.6% to $36,907,000, compared to $26,620,000 in the same period of the previous year. This growth was primarily driven by a 48.5% increase in rental revenue, which reached $33,734,000 in Q1 2024, up from $22,723,000 in Q1 2023.
The company's rental adjusted gross margin percentage also improved significantly, reaching 61.1% in Q1 2024, compared to 48.8% in the same quarter of the previous year. This improvement was largely attributable to the increased revenue generated from newly installed large horsepower units, which have created operating leverage for NGS, particularly in the areas of field service labor and overhead.
NGS's first quarter 2024 adjusted EBITDA was $16,878,000, a 116.8% increase from the $7,784,000 reported in the same period of 2023. This strong performance led the company to increase its outlook for 2024 adjusted EBITDA to a range of $61 million to $67 million, up from the previous guidance provided on the last earnings call.
Business Overview
The company's focus on expanding its high-horsepower rental fleet has been a key driver of its recent success. As of March 31, 2024, NGS had 1,245 natural gas compressors totaling 444,220 horsepower rented to 80 customers, compared to 1,245 natural gas compressors totaling 335,314 horsepower rented to 74 customers at the same time in the previous year. This increase in rented horsepower, coupled with the higher rental adjusted gross margin, has been a significant contributor to NGS's strong financial performance.
Outlook
Looking ahead, the company sees a favorable environment for potential growth in new high-horsepower units over the near to medium term, with some customers looking to contract new units as far out as 2026. Approximately 75% of NGS's active fleet is located in oil and liquids-oriented basins, where activity is primarily driven by crude oil prices. With oil prices remaining relatively steady, the company remains reasonably confident in the oil markets for the near term.
Risks and Challenges
However, the natural gas markets remain relatively weak, with reduced production, significant supply, and low prices. While natural gas prices have rallied in the last week, NGS does not currently see natural gas production as a growth story. As such, the company's growth plans include an appropriate margin of safety to withstand any potential downturn in the commodity markets.
Capital Expenditures
In terms of capital expenditures, NGS expects its new unit CapEx to range from $40 million to $50 million in 2024, with approximately $15 million allocated to completing units from the 2023 plan and the remaining balance for the 2024 capital plan. The company is also providing a new outlook for maintenance capital expenditures, which is expected to range from $8 million to $11 million in 2024.
Recent Developments
NGS's long-term growth strategy consists of four key elements: optimizing the existing utilized fleet, improving asset utilization, expanding the high-horsepower rental fleet, and executing accretive mergers and acquisitions. The company is making progress on each of these fronts, with a focus on increasing rental adjusted gross margin, converting non-cash assets into cash, and selectively adding new high-horsepower units under long-term contracts.
Conclusion
Overall, NGS's strong financial and operational performance, coupled with its strategic initiatives and favorable industry outlook, position the company well for continued growth and value creation for its shareholders. The company's conservative balance sheet and disciplined approach to capital allocation further enhance its ability to capitalize on the opportunities in the compression market.