Mr. Neal Coleman reports
PULSE SEISMIC INC. REPORTS Q2 2014 RESULTS AND DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND
Pulse Seismic Inc. has released its financial and operating results for the three and
six months ended June 30, 2014. The unaudited condensed consolidated
interim financial statements and management's discussion and analysis will be filed on SEDAR and will be available on Pulse's website.
Pulse has declared a quarterly dividend of two cents per common share. This
dividend will be paid on Sept. 19, 2014, to shareholders of record
at the close of business on Sept. 5, 2014. Dividends are designated
as an eligible dividend for Canadian income tax purposes. For
non-resident shareholders, Pulse's dividends are subject to Canadian
withholding tax.
Highlights for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014
Pulse's key performance metrics, which include cash EBITDA (a), shareholder free cash flow (a), funds from operations (b), and net earnings or loss, all improved in the three-month period ending
June 30, 2014, over the prior year's period. The improvement resulted
from the period-over-period increase in data library sales.
For the six months ended June 30, 2014, the period-over-period reduction
in data library sales and participation survey revenue reduced Pulse's
key performance metrics, with the exception of net loss.
The net loss in both prior-year periods was increased by the record
seismic amortization expense recorded upon completion of the 2012 to 2013
winter seismic surveys.
Seismic data library sales for the second quarter of 2014 increased to
$7.3-million from $4.5-million for the comparable period in 2013.
Seismic data library sales for the six months ended June 30, 2014, were
$12.8-million compared with $18.4-million for the first half of 2013.
Total seismic revenue (including revenue from participation surveys) was
$7.3-million for the three months ended June 30, 2014, and $12.8-million
for the six months ended June 30, 2014, compared with $4.8-million and
$31.8-million for the respective periods in 2013. There were no
participation surveys in progress during the first two quarters of
2014. The company recognized $13.4-million of participation survey
revenue for the 2012 to 2013 winter seismic surveys in the first half of
2013.
Cash EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) was $5.5-million (nine cents per share basic and diluted) for the
second quarter of 2014 compared with $2.3-million (four cents per share basic
and diluted) for the comparable period in 2013. Cash EBITDA was $9.2-million (16 cents per share basic and diluted) for the six months ended
June 30, 2014, compared with $13.6-million (22 cents per share basic and
diluted) for the six months ended June 30, 2013.
Shareholder free cash flow was $5.2-million (nine cents per share basic and
diluted) for the second quarter of 2014 compared with $2.8-million (five cents
per share basic and diluted) for the comparable period in 2013.
Shareholder free cash flow was $8.8-million (15 cents per share basic and
diluted) for the six months ended June 30, 2014, compared with $13.2-million (22 cents per share basic and diluted) for the first half of 2013.
A net loss of $612,000 (including non-cash amortization expense of $5.8-million) was incurred in the second quarter of 2014, bringing the net
loss for the six months ended June 30, 2014, to $2.4-million (including
non-cash amortization expense of $11.7-million). The net loss for the
second quarter of 2013 was $15.1-million (including non-cash
amortization expense of $22.3-million) and for the six months ended
June 30, 2013, was $12.5-million (including non-cash amortization
expense of $42.3-million).
During the second quarter of 2014, Pulse reduced its total debt (c) by $2.5-million. At June 30, 2014, total debt was $16.0-million. On July
31, 2014, Pulse made an additional $4.5-million repayment. Subsequent to
the repayment, Pulse's total debt was $11.5-million, with $38.5-million
available for future draws.
Pulse paid two dividends of two cents per share each in the second quarter,
totalling $2.4-million. The first, paid in April, had been declared in
the first quarter, and the second dividend, paid in June, was declared
in the second quarter of 2014.
SELECTED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING INFORMATION
(thousands of dollars except per-share data)
Three months ended
June 30,
2014 2013
Revenue
Data library sales $7,321 $4,486
Participation surveys - 361
Total revenue 7,321 4,847
Amortization of seismic data library 5,842 22,287
Net (loss) (612) (15,081)
Per share basic and diluted (0.01) (0.25)
Cash EBITDA (a) 5,467 2,298
Per share basic and diluted (a) 0.09 0.04
Shareholder free cash flow (a) 5,246 2,849
Per share basic and diluted (a) 0.09 0.05
Funds from operations (b) 8,796 1,982
Per share basic and diluted (b) 0.15 0.03
Capital expenditures
Participation surveys - 515
Seismic data purchases and related costs 184 290
Property and equipment additions 7 75
Total capital expenditures 191 880
(a) The company's continuous disclosure documents provide discussion and
analysis of cash EBITDA, cash EBITDA per share, shareholder free
cash flow and shareholder free cash flow per share. These financial
measures do not have standard definitions prescribed by IFRS
(international financial reporting standards) and, therefore, may not be
comparable with similar measures disclosed by other companies.
(b) Funds from operations is an additional GAAP (generally accepted
accounting principles) measure.
(c) Total debt is defined as long-term debt, including current portion,
excluding deferred financing costs.
(d) TTM cash EBITDA is defined as the sum of the trailing 12-month cash
EBITDA and is used to provide a comparable annualized measure.
Outlook
Pulse's low-cost structure and strong balance sheet enable the company
to continue operating under low revenue levels and still provide
returns to shareholders. The moderate quarter-over-quarter improvement
in data library sales generated significantly higher cash EBITDA and
shareholder free cash flow.
Pulse maintains its cautious outlook for the remainder of 2014. The
current environment continues to be depressed, while conversely there
are also signs of improvement. There has been developing momentum in
publicly announced asset transactions as well as mergers and
acquisitions in 2014. Natural gas prices have eased somewhat since the
first quarter, but the AECO spot price remained in the $4-per-gigajoule
range throughout July. Hydraulic fracturing providers are known to be
busy, suggesting a reasonable pace of capital spending by oil and
natural gas producers. There is some uncertainty whether these
activities will translate into more active data library sales.
In June, the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors issued
a slight upward revision to its 2014 drilling forecast, noting
higher-than-forecast fleet utilization and a larger number of total
drilling days in the second quarter. In the latest forecast, 11,494
wells are forecast to be completed in 2014, up from 11,102 in 2013.
Pulse will continue to practice prudent cost and capital management and
remain focused on generating returns for shareholders.
Conference call
The company's next conference call will be held after the release of its
year-end 2014 results.
We seek Safe Harbor.
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