Cactus, Inc. (WHD) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

Good day, and thank you for standing by. Welcome to Cactus Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. I would now like to hand the conference over to your first speaker today, Alan Boyd, Treasurer and Director of Development and Investor Relations. Please go ahead.

Thank you, and good morning. We appreciate you joining us on today's call. Our speakers will be Scott Bender, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; and Jay Nutt, our Chief Financial Officer. Also joining us today are Joel Bender, President; Steven Bender, Chief Operating Officer and CEO of Spoolable Technologies; Steve Tadlock, CEO of Cactus International; and Will Marsh, our General Counsel. Please note that any comments we make on today's call regarding projections or expectations for future events are forward-looking statements covered by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. These risks and uncertainties can cause actual results to differ materially from our current expectations. We advise listeners to review our earnings release and the risk factors discussed in our filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements we make today are only as of today's date, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements. In addition, during today's call, we will reference certain non-GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are included in our earnings release. With that, I'll turn the call over to Scott.

Thanks, Alan, and good morning to everyone. The second quarter was an excellent quarter for Cactus. Pressure Control revenues performed beyond expectations, largely on higher shipments and aftermarket service in the Mid East as the team worked diligently through conflict-related disruptions. The Spoolable Technologies business accelerated domestically and continued its international market shipments and order momentum. I'd like to thank all of our associates for their focus and commitment, allowing Cactus to safely achieve this high performance level through the quarter. Some second quarter total company financial highlights include: revenue of $450 million, adjusted EBITDA of $133 million, adjusted EBITDA margin of 29.5%. We closed the quarter with a cash balance of $366 million. And yesterday, we announced that our Board approved a 7% increase in our quarterly dividend to $0.15 per share. I'll now turn the call over to Jay Nutt, our CFO, who will review our financial results. And following his remarks, I'll provide some thoughts on our outlook for the near term before opening the lines for Q&A. So Jay?

Thank you, Scott. As Scott mentioned, total Q2 revenues were $450 million or 15.8% higher sequentially. Total adjusted EBITDA of $133 million was up 32.5% sequentially. For our Pressure Control segment, revenues of $344 million were up 14.6% sequentially, driven primarily by stronger backlog conversion in the Middle East as the team was able to execute more deliveries than anticipated despite the continued conflict disruption and associated logistics challenges. U.S. revenues also improved sequentially as customer activity strengthened in response to higher commodity prices. Operating income increased $20.5 million or 53.2% sequentially with operating margins improving 430 basis points. Operating income included approximately $20 million of purchase price accounting adjustments, which were approximately flat from the first quarter. Adjusted segment EBITDA of $95.9 million was 33.5% higher sequentially, with margins increasing by 400 basis points. Margins improved on higher operating leverage, synergies and tariff cost recovery efforts, including the receipt of initial reciprocal and fentanyl-related tariff refunds. These refunds in the second quarter totaled approximately $10 million, which represents less than 15% of the total tariffs paid over the relevant period. For our Spoolable Technologies segment, revenues of $106 million were up 17.4% sequentially, reflecting expanding domestic activity in the seasonally strong quarter and continued resilience in international markets. Operating income increased $8.6 million or 36.5% sequentially with operating margins increasing 430 basis points. Adjusted segment EBITDA of $42.1 million increased 21.8% sequentially, while margins expanded by 330 basis points as sales mix and operating leverage both improved. Corporate and other expenses decreased by $4.9 million to $7.7 million in Q2, including $200,000 of transaction and integration costs. Adjusted corporate EBITDA was $5.3 million of expense. On a total company basis, second quarter adjusted EBITDA was $133 million, up $32.7 million from Q1. Adjusted EBITDA margin for the second quarter was 29.5% compared to 25.8% for the first quarter. Adjustments to total company EBITDA during the second quarter include non-cash charges of $7.4 million in stock-based compensation, $9.5 million of inventory step-up amortization due to the purchase price accounting, $200,000 for transaction-related professional fees and $4.9 million of severance and integration expenses, predominantly incurred in continuing actions to rightsize the Cactus International organization. Total company remaining performance obligations or backlog ended the quarter at $455.8 million. As a reminder, backlog reflects remaining performance obligations for our global Pressure Control and Spoolable Technologies businesses, but a majority of these obligations are associated with our Cactus International Pressure Control business. Backlog in the Cactus International business decreased from the first quarter more than anticipated due to strong second quarter project deliveries and the continuation of contract negotiations with a large Middle East customer. We expect material orders from multiple large customers in the Middle East in the third quarter. The decline in backlog was partially offset by an increase in backlog from our Spoolable Technologies business as both domestic and international order momentum continue. Depreciation and amortization expense for the second quarter was $36.6 million, which includes $9.5 million of amortization of the step-up of inventory values resulting from the Cactus International acquisition and a combined $14.6 million of amortization expense related to intangible assets that arose from the Cactus International and FlexSteel acquisitions. During the second quarter, the public or Class A ownership of the company averaged and ended the period at 87%. GAAP net income was $61 million in the second quarter versus $40 million during the first quarter. The increase was largely driven by higher operating earnings and lower transaction-related expenses, which offset higher severance and integration expenses. Book tax expense during the second quarter was $23 million, resulting in an effective tax rate of 27%. Adjusted net income and earnings per share were $75 million and $0.93 per share, respectively, during the second quarter compared to $56 million and $0.70 per share in the first quarter. Adjusted net income for the second quarter was net of a 27% tax rate applied to our adjusted pretax income. During the quarter, we paid a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, resulting in cash outflow of approximately $11 million, including related distributions to members. We ended the quarter with a cash balance of $366 million. This amount includes $92.5 million of cash held to finalize Cactus International legal entity restructuring transactions with Baker Hughes in one jurisdiction, which will be facilitated by Baker Hughes in the third quarter. The offset to the $92.5 million is reflected in our accounts payable balances. The quarter end cash balance represented a sequential increase of $74 million, including the negative impacts of severance and integration spending, along with spending associated with certain restructuring transactions facilitated by Baker Hughes. Net CapEx was approximately $15.6 million during the second quarter of 2026. In a moment, Scott will give you our third quarter operational outlook. Some additional financial considerations when looking ahead to the third quarter include an effective tax rate of 24% and an estimated tax rate for adjusted EPS of approximately 27%. Total depreciation and amortization expense during the third quarter is expected to be approximately $27 million, lower than the run rate for the first half as we've completed the amortization of the step-up of fair values of Cactus International inventory as of the end of the second quarter. $18 million of the amortization expense is associated with our Pressure Control segment and $9 million is in Spoolable Technologies. These amounts include approximately $10 million of intangible amortization due to purchase price accounting in our Pressure Control segment and $4 million in our Spoolable Technologies segment. We're increasing our full year 2026 net CapEx guide to $55 million to $65 million. The increase is primarily due to expected capacity investments at the Spoolable Technologies Baytown facility to meet increased demand, particularly from international and midstream customers. We expect this Baytown plant expansion to cost approximately $40 million in total, with the majority of the spend occurring in 2027. The additional capacity and revenue benefits from this expansion could start to be realized toward the end of next year. We are also evaluating further investments related to our Spoolable Technologies business in the Eastern Hemisphere to meet additional global demand, which could impact our CapEx this year and beyond. We'll share more on this potential initiative as our plans are finalized. Finally, the Board has approved a 7% increase in the quarterly dividend to $0.15 per share, which will be paid in September. Our increasingly diversified and highly cash-generative business has provided the confidence to consistently increase our dividend over the past several years. That covers the financial review, and I'll now turn the call back over to Scott.

Thanks, Jay. I'll now touch on our expectations for the third quarter by reporting segment, starting with our Pressure Control business. During the third quarter, we expect total Pressure Control revenue to be down approximately 10% as shipments from our Cactus International business reverts towards first quarter levels following a particularly strong second quarter. The decline in international shipments is expected to more than offset growth in the domestic market. As the second quarter progressed, we found that our teams in the Mid East were largely able to continue planned deliveries despite the evolving conflict in the region. Although uncertainty remains, I'm very thankful that our personnel remains safe, and I'm encouraged by customer conversations in the region, which indicate continued appetite to expand long-term regional production and spending once the impact of the conflict abates. Adjusted EBITDA margins in our Pressure Control segment are expected to be in the 22% to 24% range in the third quarter. This guidance excludes approximately $4 million of stock-based comp expense within the segment. Margins are expected to decrease on lower Cactus International operating leverage, a reduced contribution of international aftermarket service and lower tariff recovery, which more than offsets higher operating leverage in the domestic market. Our annualized synergies target for the first year post-close has now increased by a further 33% from $15 million to $20 million due to substantially completed organizational restructuring actions. Our work continues on supply chain-related synergies that we believe will further enhance the future profitability of Cactus International. But I remind you that we still need to work through the backlog of material order pre-close to realize these synergies. We expect more meaningful impact from these efforts in the back half of 2027 as we have new orders to execute and we'll provide more detail as our work progresses. The tariff situation in the U.S. remains highly dynamic. We continue to pay a 75% total tariff on the import of most of our goods from China, which represents 25% Section 301 introduced in 2018 and 50% Section 232 tariffs. Just last week, the administration introduced additional Section 301 tariffs in the range of 10% to 12.5% for 60 countries designed to provide a more durable replacement for the 10% Section 122 tariffs, which expired last week. These tariffs will impact certain of our imports in a similar manner as the previous 122 tariffs, but not -- but do not additionally apply to goods already captured under Section 232 and will not materially change our overall tariff burden. In the second and third quarters, we've also received refunds related to the International Emergency Powers Act and other tariffs implemented and subsequently ruled unconstitutional, and we believe we've received nearly all refunds we are entitled to at this time. As Jay mentioned, refund amounts in the second quarter represented only 15% of the tariffs paid over the relevant period and are limited in comparison to our continuing and past total tariff burden. Our Vietnamese facility continues to expand shipments to reduce our tariff burden, and we expect that approximately 15% of our total Pressure Control imports into the U.S. will source from Vietnam in the third quarter and continue to modestly increase thereafter. Leveraging our higher purchasing power with suppliers has led to a further lowering of costs in China this year relative to our earlier expectations. Shifting to our Spoolable Technologies segment. I cannot be more pleased with the outlook for this business. We expect that revenues will increase a further 15% to 20% in the third quarter as we've accelerated the shipment of a large portion of the previously discussed Latin America orders and domestic activity is expected to increase as well. Additionally, we received incremental international orders of over $80 million in July with planned shipments beginning in the fourth quarter and extending through the middle of next year. Together, these orders fundamentally changed the international market contribution to our Spoolable business as order momentum continues in many markets around the globe, particularly in Latin America and the Mid East. While the international booking trajectory has rapidly advanced this year, our sales in the U.S. also continues to expand, led by strength with E&Ps and midstream customers who require our larger diameter, higher pressure products. We expect Spoolable Technologies adjusted EBITDA margins to be approximately 39% to 41% in the third quarter, which excludes $1 million of stock-based comp expense. We continue to closely monitor input costs, which have been impacted by increases in both steel and HDPE. That said, HDPE prices have recently reduced from the Mid East conflict-induced tides, although any blockade could reverse this trend. Adjusted corporate EBITDA is expected to be a charge of approximately $5 million in the third quarter, which excludes $2 million of stock-based comp. In closing, we're very pleased with the growth trajectory of the business right now. Elevated commodity prices have led to modestly increased customer activity levels, which benefits our core U.S. business and generate substantial cash flow. In addition, we're devoting increasing resources to interesting Latin America Pressure Control opportunities as we have combined our sales efforts with Spoolable Technologies. Although impacted by the conflict, the Cactus International joint venture is being quickly reshaped by our team into a leaner, more responsive organization. We're just beginning to see the benefits of these costs and process improvement actions and order inflow. It will take time, but I'm confident there are additional supply chain enhancements we can enact to increase returns in the coming year. As noted, our Spoolable Technologies International business is accelerating at such a rapid rate as to justify manufacturing capacity expansion. As in our Pressure Control business, we're now focusing on additional opportunities in the Eastern Hemisphere. We're blessed with an exceptional team who welcomes these further challenges. All of this momentum has provided the Board the confidence to increase our dividend for the fourth straight year. And with that, I'll turn it back over to the operator, and we can begin Q&A. Operator?

[Operator Instructions] Our first question comes from Stephen Gengaro from Stifel.

Can we start -- I mean, you've obviously had a lot of traction on the Spoolable side. Can you talk a little bit about 2 things? One is, in the U.S. market, the growth that you're seeing, is it increased adoption? Is it -- and share gain? Or is it sort of expanding markets? Because I know you mentioned midstream. But how do we think about kind of the drivers of that business in the U.S. and how that evolves over the next year or 2 in your view?

Yes, it's both. It's far better, I think, results in the midstream sector, which -- much of which was brought about, and I don't want to go into detail, but you can look it up by a new FEMSA regulation change, which made it easier to use our product in midstream than before. So that's a boost that we're seeing now and we think will accelerate in the future. In addition, we are getting greater adoption from E&P customers.

Okay. And then as a follow on, when you think about the combination of more midstream and then more -- clearly it looks like a lot more international. How does that impact the margin profile in Spoolables? Is it significantly accretive? Is it neutral? How do we just think about as those 2 pieces ramp, what it means for margins in the segment?

Yes. In general, Stephen, I don't like to talk about margins because of our competitors. But let me just say we're optimistic about margin. Can I leave it at that?

I can't force you to say more. No, that's fine. That's fine. We can talk more offline, but that is helpful. And then just maybe just one other quick one. When you think about the -- just so I understand it, Jay, the cash around the Baker sort of international piece that's, I guess, sort of captive, that will go out the door in the third quarter in all likelihood?

That's correct, Stephen. One deferred closing was accomplished in Q2 and the second one is imminent. So that will happen in the third quarter.

Our next question comes from Derek Podhaizer from Piper Sandler.

I want to keep going on the Spoolable Technologies commentary. You talked U.S., but maybe expand more on the international opportunities you're seeing and what's driving the investment to expand your footprint there and also look at potentially expanding your footprint in Eastern Hemisphere? You had the additional, I think, $80 million of additional orders after the quarter ended. So clearly, you're having a big change in the earnings profile of this company. I know you don't want to get into margins, but if you just look at the model and the run rate that we've seen over the past couple of years, really since you bought the business or FlexSteel a few years back, I mean, what -- how can this really transform with these additional investments in the expansion in Latin America and Eastern Hemisphere as we start thinking about '27, '28 for Spoolables, just given the momentum that you're seeing?

Well, the expansions that are currently being undertaken will add -- and this is just -- it's a Baytown facility, can add as much as 20% to our capacity in Baytown. So if you look at our Baytown revenues, you can add 20%. The expansion in the Mid East could add substantially more than that. And the reason for this step change is, I think, twofold. The first, of course, is activity in Latin America. It's activity, of course, in the U.S. due to midstream. But more importantly, not more importantly, but as importantly, we've been underrepresented in the Mid East, because frankly, the previous owner had sort of retracted a bit from their international focus, and we've been spending the last couple, 2, 3 years trying to reestablish a footprint internationally. So what we do know is that we can't tap into the potential internationally from our Baytown facility. We really believe that this increase in 20% capacity in Baytown will be totally and maybe possibly even more absorbed by the Western Hemisphere. So think about expansion in the Eastern Hemisphere, and I don't think we're ready right now to tell you what that can mean. We haven't reflected it in our CapEx. But I think 40% for international is probably a good number if you think about the revenue increase.

Great. Okay. Super exciting. So you mentioned in your opening comments around the strength of PC, you had aftermarket services in the Middle East. And I know you discussed it on the call a couple of quarters ago around casting that around the legacy Vetco Gray assets and seeing real upside to that business given the accretive margin for aftermarket. So maybe just expand on that as far as what you saw in the quarter with the increase in aftermarket and how we should think about what the aftermarket services business of Cactus International means for you guys going forward?

Well, that's a good question. Most of the aftermarket surge in the quarter was related to our large operation in Saudi Arabia and to some extent, in Norway. So we haven't really begun to see yet the aftermarket surge from what we consider to be underserved legacy Vetco Gray markets like West Africa, North Africa and the Far East. But we believe that's coming.

Our next question comes from David Anderson from Barclays.

Maybe just kind of continue on that last question there. So one of the big questions on Middle East recovery is sort of that workover intervention maintenance opportunity for production to recover. Can you talk a little bit about Cactus International's opportunity? This is all part of the aftermarket, I'm assuming. Can you just sort of talk about this opportunity? Is this something you're starting to talk about and starting to think about for 2027? Because it seems like it's one of the big unknowns out there.

So your question has to do with workovers?

Well, the whole idea about recovering production and that whole side. I'm just curious if there is much opportunity for you on that side with that whole business. Because you're talking about the aftermarket. I'm just wondering, is that all kind of part of that theme, potential activity increase in '27. I was wondering if you could talk about that a little bit.

A lot of the aftermarket activity in the second quarter had to do with getting our customer property equipment repaired because the Mid East having had their revenue curtailed, began to focus on their better utilizing what they had in stock. So I think that what we're looking forward to actually is just simply more drilling activity. So ADNOC is going to be much more aggressive. They dropped out of OPEC, but we're seeing much greater plans, much higher plans in the other major markets that we service in the Mid East. But really, that's from new drills.

Got it. All right. So that would be -- so one of the things that we've talked about Cactus International is that order book, it's like that kind of like a 12-month cycle time of your backlog. So can you sort of talk about how that's shaped up so far in kind of the first half of this year? There's so much going on left and right here. I'm just kind of curious, is it below pace of what you're thinking? Would you expect a surge later? Just kind of how do you see that order book right now shaping up? Obviously, it's kind of driving into '27 pace.