In its weekly release, Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. (BHI) reported a rise in the U.S. rig count (number of rigs searching for oil and gas in the country). This upside can be attributed to a sharp increase in the tally of natural gas-directed rigs, partially offset by lower oil rig count.
The Baker Hughes’ data, issued since 1944, acts as an important yardstick for energy service providers in gauging the overall business environment of the oil and gas industry.
Analysis of the Data
Weekly Summary: Rigs engaged in exploration and production in the U.S. totaled 1,782 for the week ended Aug 2, 2013. This was up by 6 from the previous week’s rig count and indicates the fifth increase in as many weeks.
The current nationwide rig count is more than double the lowest level reached in recent years (876 in the week ended Jun 12, 2009), though it is way below the prior-year level of 1,930. It rose to a 22-year high in 2008, peaking at 2,031 in the weeks ending Aug 29 and Sep 12.
Rigs engaged in land operations ascended by 3 to 1,699, inland waters activity was up by 3 to 25 rigs, while offshore drilling remained steady at 58 units.
Natural Gas Rig Count: The natural gas rig count – which recently slumped to its lowest point since Jun 1995 – increased for the fifth time in 6 weeks to 388 (a gain of 19 rigs from the previous week). Despite the weekly jump, the number of gas-directed rigs is down by 52% from its 2012 peak of 811.
In fact, the current natural gas rig count remains 76% below its all-time high of 1,606 reached in late summer 2008. In the year-ago period, there were 498 active natural gas rigs.
Oil Rig Count: The oil rig count – that rocketed to a 25-year high of 1,432 in Aug last year – fell by 13 to 1,388 and is currently below the previous year’s total of 1,429. Nevertheless, it has recovered strongly from a low of 179 in Jun 2009, rising 7.8 times.
Miscellaneous Rig Count: The miscellaneous rig count (primarily drilling for geothermal energy) at 6 remained unchanged from the previous week.
Rig Count by Type: The number of vertical drilling rigs rose by 10 to 432, while the horizontal/directional rig count (encompassing new drilling technology that has the ability to drill and extract gas from dense rock formations, also known as shale formations) was down by 4 to 1,350.
Gulf of Mexico (GoM): The GoM rig count was up by 1 to 55. Oil drilling increased to 41 rigs from 40 a week ago, though the number of gas rigs remained flat at 14.
Conclusion
A Key Barometer of Drilling Activity: An increase or decrease in the Baker Hughes rotary rig count heavily weighs on the demand for energy services – drilling, completion, production etc. – provided by companies that include large-cap names like Halliburton Co. (HAL) and Schlumberger Ltd. (SLB). However, our preferred pick in this group is GulfMark Offshore Inc. (GLF). The Houston, TX-based firm – sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) – has a solid secular growth story with potential to rise significantly from current level.
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