What a fantastic six months it’s been for Patterson-UTI. Shares of the company have skyrocketed 41.1%, hitting $11.77. This was partly thanks to its solid quarterly results, and the performance may have investors wondering how to approach the situation.
Is there a buying opportunity in Patterson-UTI, or does it present a risk to your portfolio? See what our analysts have to say in our full research report, it’s free.
Why Is Patterson-UTI Not Exciting?
We’re happy investors have made money, but we’re cautious about Patterson-UTI. Here are three reasons you should be careful with PTEN, plus one stock we’d rather own.
1. Low Gross Margin Reveals Weak Structural Profitability
In any given year, energy gross margins are heavily influenced by prices, hedging, and cost inflation, but over a full cycle these gross margins reveal which producers are structurally advantaged through superior “rock” quality, infrastructure access, and cost position.
Patterson-UTI, which averaged 29.9% gross margin over the last five years, exhibited bottom-tier unit economics in the sector. It means the company will struggle at higher commodity prices than peers with better gross margins.
2. EBITDA Margin in Limbo
Adjusted EBITDA margin strips out accounting distortions tied to depletion and historical drilling spend, providing a clearer view of the cash-generating power of the underlying asset base before financing and reinvestment decisions.
Looking at the trend in its profitability, Patterson-UTI’s EBITDA margin might have fluctuated slightly but has generally stayed the same over the last year. This raises questions about the company’s expense base because its revenue growth should have given it leverage on its fixed costs, resulting in better economies of scale and profitability. Its EBITDA margin for the trailing 12 months was 18.8%.
3. Mediocre Free Cash Flow Margin Limits Reinvestment Potential
If you’ve followed StockStory for a while, you know we emphasize free cash flow. Why, you ask? We believe that in the end, cash is king, and you can’t use accounting profits to pay the bills.
Patterson-UTI has shown mediocre cash profitability relative to peers over the last five years, giving the company fewer opportunities to return capital to shareholders. Its free cash flow margin averaged 5.8%, below what we’d expect for an upstream and integrated energy business.
Final Judgment
Patterson-UTI isn’t a terrible business, but it isn’t one of our picks. Following the recent surge, the stock trades at 66.3× forward P/E (or $11.77 per share). This valuation tells us a lot of optimism is priced in - you can find more timely opportunities elsewhere. We’d recommend looking at a top digital advertising platform riding the creator economy.
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