NYSE:NR Newpark Resources Q1 2024 Earnings Report Earnings HistoryForecast Newpark Resources EPS ResultsActual EPS$0.10Consensus EPS $0.05Beat/MissBeat by +$0.05One Year Ago EPSN/ANewpark Resources Revenue ResultsActual Revenue$169.11 millionExpected Revenue$170.69 millionBeat/MissMissed by -$1.58 millionYoY Revenue GrowthN/ANewpark Resources Announcement DetailsQuarterQ1 2024Date5/2/2024TimeN/AConference Call DateFriday, May 3, 2024Conference Call Time9:30AM ETConference Call ResourcesConference Call AudioConference Call TranscriptSlide DeckPress Release (8-K)Quarterly Report (10-Q)Earnings HistoryCompany ProfileSlide DeckFull Screen Slide DeckPowered by Newpark Resources Q1 2024 Earnings Call TranscriptProvided by QuartrMay 3, 2024 ShareLink copied to clipboard.There are 8 speakers on the call. Operator00:00:00Good morning. Speaker 100:00:00My name is Mike, and I will be your conference operator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the Newpark Resources First Quarter 20 24 Earnings Conference Call. Today's call is being recorded and will be available for replay beginning at 12:30 pm Eastern Standard Time. The recording can be accessed by dialing 800 723-6062 for domestic or 402-220-2665 for international. All lines are currently muted and after the prepared remarks, there will be a live question and answer session. Speaker 100:00:45It is now my pleasure to turn the floor over to Greg Piontek, Chief Financial Officer Speaker 200:00:52of Newpark Resources. Please go ahead. Operator00:00:53Thank you, operator. I'd like to welcome everyone to the Newpark Resources Q1 2024 Conference Call. Joining me today is Matthew Nagin, our President and Chief Executive Officer. Before handing over to Matthew, I'd like to highlight that today's discussion contains forward looking statements regarding future business and financial expectations. Actual results may differ significantly from those projected in today's forward looking statements due to various risks and uncertainties, including the risks described in our periodic reports filed with the SEC. Operator00:01:28Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update our forward looking statements. Our comments on today's call may also include certain non GAAP financial measures. Additional details and reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are included in our quarterly earnings release, which can be found on our corporate website. There will be a replay of today's call, and it will be available by webcast within the Investor Relations section of our website at newpark.com. Please note that the information disclosed in today's call is current as of May 3, 2024. Operator00:02:08At the conclusion of our prepared remarks, we will open the line for questions. And with that, I would like turn the call over to our President and CEO, Matthew Leningan. Thank you, Greg, and welcome to everyone joining us on today's call. Our Q1 performance was a solid start to the year, one highlighted by both sequential and year over year growth in adjusted EBITDA. Industrial Solutions project activity levels accelerated as the Q1 progressed, positioning us for a strong Q2 consistent with our expectations coming into 2024. Operator00:02:45At a strategic level, to advance our multi year business transformation plan during the Q1, investing in the growth of our Industrial Solutions business, which remains the central driver of our long term value creation strategy. For those new to our story, we've spent the last 3 years positioning Newpark to become a leading pure place specialty rental business servicing the global worksite access market. Operating the nation's largest fleet of the Jira based composite matting system, along with our adjacent services, we provide customers with a reliable all weather load bearing work surface that allows their critical infrastructure construction projects to be undertaken safely and efficiently. In 2023, nearly 60% of our Industrial Solutions revenues were to customers within the electrical utility infrastructure market, positioning Newpark as a leading beneficiary of an ongoing multiyear investment cycle focused on the expansion, hardening and resilience of our electric grid. With multibillion dollar government programs focused on improving the nation's electricity infrastructure, combined with the onshoring of several industry segments and growth in AI data centers, we see a significant and sustained investment cycle in the electrical grid to support these programs, creating long term demand for our worksite access solutions. Operator00:04:12Through our unique vertically integrated model, we design, manufacture, rent, sell and service our Jira based composite matting solutions. Our rental fleet and world class manufacturing capabilities allow us to respond quickly to the needs of our customers, making us a responsive and reliable partner for the varying needs of the industries and customers we serve. With a service life of around 12 to 15 years, we believe the DuraBase system offers a safer, longer lasting replacement to traditional wooden mats, which currently represent an estimated 75 to 80% of the U. S. Market. Operator00:04:50Continued penetration of traditional timber applications represents a significant opportunity for our business. Beyond our U. S. Markets, with over 25 years of setting the standard for composite matting, our products continue to support critical infrastructure projects and our strategic partners around the world. Our DuraBase mats are fully recyclable, not only allowing us to responsibly play a role in the growing circular plastics discussion, but also creating superior unit economics whereby an end of life mat can be reground and reprocessed back into a new unit that can be placed into an additional 12 to 15 year service life at significantly improved economics compared to its initial manufacturing cycle. Operator00:05:33It's an exciting time for our business, and we're looking forward to building upon the progress we've made so far. With that overview, let's take a deeper look at our Q1 performance. On a consolidated basis, 1st quarter adjusted EBITDA increased 31% sequentially and was up modestly versus the prior year period. We also delivered both sequential and year over year growth in adjusted EBITDA margin in both our Industrial Solutions and Fluid Systems businesses during the quarter, primarily driven by a combination of more favorable sales mix and operating cost leverage. Within our Industrial Solutions segment, following a subdued start to the year, demand conditions accelerated as we moved through the Q1, putting us on pace for a stronger Q2 performance. Operator00:06:19Notably, the Q1 rental and service revenues from the utility sector improved on both the sequential and year over year basis, which was offset by declines in revenues from Pipeline and Oil and Gas sectors. Industrial Solutions adjusted EBITDA margin increased 150 basis points versus the prior year to 36.8% in the 1st quarter, as volume and improved operating leverage offset lower blended pricing. As we've stated on prior calls, we continue to pursue an increased number of larger scale, longer duration infrastructure projects. These longer term projects can create a more stable base of revenue and enhance return on investment, but also tend to carry a pricing structure below that of shorter term rental projects. In support of our growth strategy, we're actively building out our U. Operator00:07:10S. Commercial sales teams, expanding coverage in targeted Midwest and West Coast markets, while also continuing our investment in rental fleet expansion. During the Q1, we invested $12,000,000 in the growth of our matting fleet, given the strengthening customer demand drivers I referred to earlier. While this capital investment led to an anticipated negative free cash generation in the Q1, we see a return to positive free cash in the Q2 and for full year 2024. Within our Fluids segment, our Q1 performance benefited from a combination of strong international demand along with improved pricing and continued cost actions, which together contributed to around 120 basis points of adjusted EBITDA margin expansion year over year. Operator00:07:57Our segment revenues from international operations increased 19% versus the prior year, supported by strong growth from our Eastern Hemisphere and Canadian operations. With that, I'll turn the call over to Craig for his prepared remarks. Thanks, Matthew, and good morning, everyone. I'll begin my remarks with a summary of our consolidated and the segment level results for the Q1, followed by an update on our outlook for 2024. Our Q1 was highlighted by a 31% sequential improvement in adjusted EBITDA, driven by strong profitability within our Industrial Solutions segment and the International Fluids business units. Operator00:08:38Consolidated 1st quarter revenues improved 1% sequentially, generally in line with our expectations shared on our previous quarterly call. The Industrial Solutions segment revenue was $49,000,000 in the 1st quarter, down at 12% on a year over year basis due primarily to the timing of product sales, but up 5% on a sequential basis. This result was generally in line with our expectations as we anticipate customer activity and project timing to ramp up through the year. Total rental and service revenues were $35,000,000 for the Q1, down slightly on both the sequential and year over year basis. As Matthew touched on, rental project activity steadily improved through the Q1, leading to a 5% sequential improvement in rental revenues, though our mix of less service intensive projects led to a sequential decline in service revenues. Operator00:09:37The 1st quarter rental fleet utilization improved modestly on a sequential basis, though our Q1 exit rate was meaningfully stronger than the full quarter average, which positions us for a strong sequential improvement into Q2. By industry, the utility sector contributed nearly 60% of rental and service revenues for the quarter, delivering growth on both a year over year and sequential basis, while oil and gas pipeline and other industries declined. 1st quarter product sales were $14,000,000 a meaningful sequential improvement, though below prior year levels due to project timing issues. Our rental and service revenues contributed more than 70% of our Q1 segment revenues, in line with the 2023 mix of rental and service versus product sale revenues. Industrial Solutions profitability was strong in the 1st quarter, with the segment delivering a 36.8 percent adjusted EBITDA margin, up 150 basis points from last year, due primarily to a more favorable mix and operating leverage. Operator00:10:47The Food Systems segment generated revenues of $120,000,000 in the Q1 with our international business units delivering solid growth on both a year over year and sequential basis. Our Eastern Hemisphere region contributed $68,000,000 or 57% of our total fluid systems revenues in Q1. The first quarter results reflect an improvement of 8% sequentially and 24% year over year, with the year over year improvement driven by broad based improvements from several markets within Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Revenues from Canada increased 1% sequentially to $21,000,000 in the first quarter, which reflects a 10% year over year improvement. Our U. Operator00:11:36S. Operations contributed $30,000,000 of revenues in the Q1, reflecting a 17% sequential and fifty 6 percent year over year decline. The year over year and sequential declines are primarily driven by a combination of the continued softening of the U. S. Market activity and the lower market share, as well as a notable decline in the average revenue contribution from the rig service. Operator00:12:03With the effects of the U. S. Market softness, we are maintaining our focus on pricing and expense discipline along with balance sheet efficiency. Fluids segment adjusted EBITDA margin improved 120 basis points year over year to 7.2% in the 1st quarter, benefiting from the higher revenue from our international business and continued cost efforts in the U. S. Operator00:12:31SG and A expenses were $24,300,000 in the Q1, including $7,900,000 of corporate office expense. The Q1 of 2024 includes $2,300,000 related to the fluid sale process, while Q1 of 2023 included nearly $1,000,000 for strategic planning activities. Despite the elevated project expenses in 2024, total SG and A is down $1,100,000 year over year, primarily reflecting the effects of cost rationalization efforts in the U. S. Fluids and Corporate Office. Operator00:13:10Interest expense was $1,800,000 in the 1st quarter, down modestly on both a sequential and year over year basis, primarily reflecting the effect of lower overall debt balances. Tax expense was $2,800,000 in the 1st quarter, reflecting an effective tax rate of 28%, which includes a favorable impact from previously unbenefited US NOL carry forwards. Adjusted EPS was $0.10 per diluted share in the 1st quarter compared to $0.04 in the 4th quarter and $0.09 in the Q1 of last year. Operating cash flow was $12,000,000 for the Q1, including the effects of our annual employee incentive program payouts, while $13,000,000 was used to fund our net CapEx substantially all of which was directed toward the Industrial Solutions matting fleet expansion as we seek to capitalize on the growth opportunities and strengthening demand conditions. We ended the quarter with total debt of $77,000,000 and cash of $38,000,000 resulting in net debt of $40,000,000 a 0.5 times net leverage ratio. Operator00:14:25Let's now turn to our business outlook. As before, we remain highly constructive on the multi year demand outlook for both businesses. Within Industrial Solutions, we continue to see strong fundamentals for utilities and critical infrastructure spending, which remains our largest customer market. Our full year 2024 expectation for the Industrial Solutions segment remains unchanged. We continue to forecast 20 24 Industrial Solutions revenues in the $230,000,000 to $240,000,000 range, with segment adjusted EBITDA in a range of $80,000,000 to $85,000,000 and segment CapEx of $30,000,000 to $35,000,000 In terms of near term outlook, we've seen a strong start to the Q2, both in rental project and product sales activity. Operator00:15:17And combined with our current pipeline and quoting levels, we anticipate Industrial Solutions to deliver total year over year revenue growth of 15% to 20% in Q2. In Fluid Systems, while the U. S. Market outlook remains somewhat challenged, our Eastern Hemisphere and Canada business units, which contributed 75% of the segment's revenue in Q1, continued to perform at a high level. Overall, we expect Q2 Fluid Systems revenues to be 15% to 20% lower on a year over year basis, primarily reflecting lower activity in the U. Operator00:15:54S. At the lower level, we expect segment adjusted EBITDA margins in the low to mid single digits as the effects of the lower volume are largely offset by improved pricing and the effects of overhead reductions in the U. S. In terms of capital allocation priorities, our view remains relatively unchanged as we continue to prioritize investments into the organic growth of our rental fleet. We expect our 2024 net capital investments will remain dependent upon our projected rental revenue growth rate. Operator00:16:29Beyond our continued organic investments in Industrial Solutions, we expect our free cash flow generation this year will be primarily used to build liquidity for inorganic growth opportunities or through a return of capital to shareholders through our programmatic share repurchase program following the completion of our fluid strategic review process. And with that, I'd like to turn the call back over to Matthew for his concluding remarks. Thanks, Greg. As we look at the remainder of 2024, our priorities are clear. 1st, we will continue our plans to become a leading pure play specialty rental business, serving the global worksite access market as we build upon our leading position with the Jura based composite matting system. Operator00:17:14At an organic level, we intend to continue prioritizing capital investment in the growth of our rental fleet, which historically has generated cash returns in excess of 25%. During the Q1, 95% of our total CapEx was directed towards the Industrial Solutions segment. 2nd, we will continue to drive further efficiency improvements across all corners of the organization, positioning us to realize improved operating leverage. During the Q1 of 2024, we continue to take actions to streamline our overhead structure across both segments and the corporate office, generating approximately $3,000,000 in annual cost savings. Finally, we remain committed to a returns focused capital allocation strategy that includes a combination of internal investment, inorganic growth and return of capital to shareholders. Operator00:18:07In February, we increased our remaining share repurchase authorization to $50,000,000 to support our return of capital program. While the Q1 included annual employee incentive program payouts and investments in rental fleet that reduced free cash flow generation, we expect to be free cash flow positive for the duration of 2024, positioning us to advance our capital allocation priorities. Turning briefly to our Fluids business strategic review, we continue to work diligently to evaluate alternatives and we remain focused on having the process substantially completed by mid year 2024. In closing, I want to thank our shareholders for their ongoing support, our employees for their dedication to the business, including their commitment to safety and compliance, and our customers for their ongoing partnership. And with that, we'll open the call for questions. Speaker 100:19:00Thank you. And we do have our first question from Aaron Swachala with Craig Hallum. Speaker 300:19:23Yes. Good morning, Matthew and Greg. Thanks for taking the questions. First for me, you've kind of talked about the pipeline growth mid to high teens last quarter in industrial. Can you just give us an update there, especially considering the additions to the fleet in the Q1? Speaker 300:19:38And then just any changes you're seeing in the market competitively within composites or wood just given lumber prices or really seems like we're starting to see this transition away from wood towards composites? You kind of talked about 75%, 80% of the market being wood today. Operator00:19:56Hey, thanks, Aaron. It's Matthew. I'll take that one. Look, in terms of pipeline, we still see robust growth in the pipeline. There hasn't been material change quarter on quarter in terms of the growth we've seen there. Operator00:20:08What we are seeing is that pipeline representing a more forward looking view of project start duration. If you look back historically, roughly 50% plus of our pipeline was starting and the projects within the quarter that they were quoted. We're seeing that now push out a quarter or so into the future, which is positive for us. It gives us a better line of sight to the future quarter. But other than that, quoting activity remains robust, which I think is supported by the views in the market of a stronger second half to the year and continued kind of reinforcement of CapEx plans from utilities. Operator00:20:51So all looking positive there. On the competitive side, not a lot to report that's different there. I think there's still a tightening I believe in supply and demand as we look forward. Interesting to note that some of the participants in the market who have large positions in timber fleets and now calling out that they're looking to build composite fleets. So I think your inference there is accurate that people are seeing the value advantage of the composite match in terms of unit economics and lifetime advantages. Operator00:21:25So we're encouraged by those signals as well. Speaker 300:21:31Great. Thanks for the color there. And then maybe second, you've had good progress on the cost reduction in efficiency efforts. I think you called out $3,000,000 of annual savings. So it looks like we're around kind of mid-20s for those corporate costs adjusting for some things. Speaker 300:21:45Can you just kind of talk about the progress towards that kind of high teens target and kind of timeline to get there? Operator00:21:53Yes. This is Greg. Speaker 400:21:54If you carve out the transaction related, the sale process related costs that we had mentioned, you're really running now in a call it a 22%, 23% range in terms of cash expense at the corporate level. And as we had talked about in the past, while we're continuing to look you're always looking for ways to continue to streamline your organization, I think the more meaningful shift is really post, completing the strategic review of fluids. That's really when you have the greater ability to adjust your cost structure. Speaker 300:22:33All right. Understood. Thanks for the color. I'll turn it over. Operator00:22:37Thanks, Aaron. Speaker 100:22:40And our next question comes from Amit Dayal with H. C. Wainwright. Speaker 300:22:45Thank you, guys. Speaker 200:22:47So with respect to the cadence for the rest of the year, you indicated year over year improvements in 2Q. So from that point onwards, again, sort of sequential improvements or maybe any lumpiness in the next three quarters? Operator00:23:05Yes. I mean, I'll attempt that one. As far as the visibility goes, we're continuing to see good growth in the pipeline, which would suggest continued growth throughout the year. We do call out every year that depending on how dry the summer months are and the lows on the grid during the summer months that can slow activity on the rental and service side. And then typically we're seeing a stronger Q4 on the direct sales side. Operator00:23:34We're not seeing anything that causes us to think that those longer term trends have changed. And just based on the strength of our pipeline build here, we feel comfortable with the rest of the year is building quite nicely. Speaker 200:23:48Okay. Thank you. And then you highlighted maybe pursuing longer term rental contracts and those could come with slightly lower margins. How much lower would those margins be relative to your legacy rental business? Speaker 400:24:07Yes, it's Greg. I guess the way I'd frame that is, I wouldn't think it would be a large driver in terms of bringing your overall pricing down. Again, you got to look at these projects in terms of their overall profitability. The longer term gives you greater visibility, gives you more stability, allows you to manage your fleet to a higher utilization. So net net, you're generating a solid of a return on investment as the shorter term projects. Speaker 400:24:36But the pricing profile is just can be lower. And it's really a function of size and length of project is what drives that difference. Speaker 200:24:49Okay, understood. Then I guess just the last one, maybe you've touched on it a little bit already, these corporate overheads, savings on that side, is there any further room or are we done with those types of cuts for now? Speaker 400:25:11I would generally say we're I would not expect meaningful movement in the cost structure in the near term. Like I said, we're always looking to for opportunities to streamline. But again, the more meaningful change in our overall structure really comes following completion of our strategic review of fluids. Speaker 200:25:34Okay, understood. That's all I have. Thank you so much. Operator00:25:38Thanks, Aaron. Speaker 100:25:41And our next question comes from Gerry Sweeney with Roth Capital. Speaker 500:25:45Hey, Matthew and Greg. Thanks for taking my call this morning. Operator00:25:48Thanks, Gerry. Speaker 500:25:50Question on the Midwest, you discussed building out your sales in those areas. Just curious, a couple of little questions here. How big of an opportunity is it versus I know you think you're a little bit bigger, especially in the Southeast. How does sort of that zone compare to the Southeast? And then how long would it take to get a big enough presence there that we start to see some dollars coming through in a meaningful way? Operator00:26:21Yes, Jerry. I think the way we look at that market is there's no reason it couldn't be as substantial as say our project timing and our ability to get in there and penetrate some customers that we haven't traditionally serviced. But our anticipation would be that within 12 months, we should see that operating at a fairly efficient level. So the great thing about this business is we get in there with sales first, we start to build the relationships, then we start to move the assets into those markets. So we're not committing a large amount of capital here and waiting for it to be productive. Operator00:27:07We can flex that in as the activity levels dictate. Speaker 400:27:11Yes, I was just going to add, I think you can look at the examples of our previous expansion when we went into the East Coast, the Southeast and the Mid Atlantic regions and as we built that out, that was kind of a 12 to 18 month sort of process to map those up. Speaker 500:27:31Got you. And I was going to say, would acquisitions be an opportunity in that area, especially to speed up the process or gain a little bit more scale? Operator00:27:39Yes, Jerry. We've always kind of said that we would evaluate those markets on an acceleration basis if having somebody in there that already has the relationships and has the appropriate safety culture and operational efficiency that we look forward, we'd obviously consider that as well as doing it organically ourselves. Speaker 500:28:00Got it. One more question. This is government spending, I. E. Stimulus. Speaker 500:28:06We're working with bunch of companies that's seeing a lot of stimulus spending. But a lot of the commentary from them is, hey, we're at the back end, dollars to flow through projects approved, etcetera. Some of them most of them are just seeing some a little bit of dollars coming through today and expectations are it's going to speed up 25%, 26%. Are you guys in the same boat or are you seeing a little more spending earlier? Operator00:28:34Yes. Look, we're in the same boat, Jerry. I think from the outset, we were sort of seeing 25 of the year where those funds would start to flow through in a way that would be impactful to us. And I still think that is our view at this point. Speaker 200:28:46Okay. Speaker 500:28:47That's what I assumed. I just wanted to double check. I appreciate it. I'll jump back in line. Speaker 100:28:51Thanks, Derek. And our next question comes from Min Cho with B. Riley Securities. Speaker 600:28:58Hi, Derek. Good morning. I'm on for Alex Riegle this morning. Great quarter. Hi, Alex. Speaker 600:29:04Hi, there. Just wondering if my questions have been answered, but I have a quick one regarding your the rental revenue maybe breakout in the U. S. Versus U. K. Speaker 600:29:13I know that you have a strong business in the U. K. Can you talk a little bit about any difference in the demand dynamics there? Speaker 400:29:22Well, let me I'll start with the mix. First of all, overall, when you look at our rental and service split, it's roughly 90% U. S, 10% U. K. In terms of the demand dynamics? Operator00:29:35Yes, look, the demand dynamic, I think primarily the market in the U. S. Is the electrical utility spend. In the UK, we tend to also get more rail. If you look at High Speed 2 and some other large infrastructure projects going on there, they are consumers of access. Operator00:29:53So, the only real difference we see there is the industry service. But both here and in the U. K, the thematic of the infrastructure investment and improvement are both strong and we're looking forward to that sort of supporting the business for years to come. Speaker 400:30:09Yes. In terms of the CapEx that Operator00:30:12we mentioned, yes, I just wanted Speaker 400:30:14to point out that that is supporting both growth in the U. S. And also the UK. Speaker 600:30:20Excellent. Also, Greg, the SG and A was a little bit higher than we had expected. Do you expect us to be a pretty good run rate on a quarterly basis for the rest of the year? Speaker 400:30:31I think when you look at the quarter, again, I think it's important that you look at the transaction, the sale process and related items that we had called out as well as the severance. But adjusting for that, yes, I think that underlying growth or run rate is a fairly accurate rate going forward. Speaker 600:30:53Excellent. And then finally, you had mentioned targeting larger projects. Do you have anything in backlog yet? Or if you talk about the progress that you're making on those types of projects so far? Operator00:31:07Yes. Thanks, Minh. We as we look at our forward backlog, then we are seeing a build in that backlog in those larger projects. So we feel like that focus is working for us. Speaker 600:31:34Perfect. All right, great. Thank you. Operator00:31:38Thanks, Ben. Speaker 100:31:40And our next question comes from Bill Dezelo with Keaton Capital. Speaker 700:31:45Thank you. I actually like to follow-up on that last question and the pipeline of new projects becoming larger and ask why. What has led to that? Is that a function of what's happening in the market? Or is that your own emphasis on those projects? Operator00:32:06Yes, Bill. I think it's a little bit of both. One of the things that we were coming into the T and D space traditionally from our oil and gas markets, varying needs of those project types, I think we have won more confidence with the project owners that we can execute and meet their needs. Moving forward, as we continue to invest in our fleet, we see that being even more so. So I think there's a little bit of A, the projects are out there and B, we continue to demonstrate that we can obviously, Speaker 400:32:57the And obviously, the more Operator00:32:59you penetrate this, it just improves your visibility, improves your stability in your overall rental and service operations. Speaker 700:33:06Great. That is helpful. And then continuing on the Industrial Solutions segment, what's led to the strength exiting the Q1? Is it as simple as project timing or is there something bigger that's taking place there? Operator00:33:27I think you nailed in the first bit there, Bill. It's really just the projects getting underway. So I'd like to say there was more magic than that, but it really is just the way these things have timed out. Speaker 700:33:39Matt, I've given you the opportunity to take credit for magic and you're just set aside. Yes. Speaker 400:33:46I think this goes back to why we continually emphasize the focus on full year and TTM. Again, you do have these project timings resulted in quarter to quarter sort of swings, but they do balance out over the year. Speaker 700:34:05Great. Thank you. And then a couple of questions relative to the Fluids business, please. Are books still going out on the Fluids business or are those out and now we're in the next phase of the process? Operator00:34:19Yes, Bill, I think it's probably safer for us to kind of leave that one and just kind of revert to the script that we put forward, which is where we're moving forward in the process and optimistic about our conclusion in that first half. Speaker 700:34:35Okay. And then would you please discuss the swing factors with the Fluids operating income that led to it being up, what I think $3,000,000 plus on a $24,000,000 revenue decline? Speaker 400:34:52Yes. Overall, it is more than anything, you've got the mix shift and we've always we've talked about the profitability of the business here, international versus the U. Operator00:35:02S, which is historically the international has been a stronger performer. So you have that mix shift as well. We also had the benefit of the pricing. We had talked over the past year of the impact that we've had with some of the inflation, which we're unable to push through contracts. We had to wait for contract renewals. Operator00:35:19That's continuing to come through to drive strength Speaker 400:35:22in the overall pricing. And then the last factor there is also on the U. S. Side with the U. S. Speaker 400:35:28Being a much tougher market landscape continuing to take cost out to offset some of the deterioration. So you put all those things together and and ultimately it's leading to a more profitable business than what it was a year ago. Speaker 700:35:44Great. Thank you both for the time and congratulations on a Speaker 100:35:52And we have reached our allotted time for our question and answer session today. I will now turn the call back over to the management team for closing remarks. Operator00:35:59Sure. That concludes our call today. Should you have any questions or requests, please reach out to us using our email at investorsnewpark.com. And we look forward to talking to you again next quarter. Thank you. Speaker 100:36:12This does conclude today's program. Thank you for your participation. You may now disconnect.Read morePowered by Conference Call Audio Live Call not available Earnings Conference CallNewpark Resources Q1 202400:00 / 00:00Speed:1x1.25x1.5x2x Earnings DocumentsSlide DeckPress Release(8-K)Quarterly report(10-Q) Newpark Resources Earnings HeadlinesTwo new option listings and two option delistings on December 19thDecember 20, 2024 | markets.businessinsider.comNewpark Resources Focuses on Specialty Rental ServicesDecember 5, 2024 | markets.businessinsider.comGet Your Bank Account “Fed Invasion” Ready with THESE 4 Simple StepsStarting as soon as a few months from now, the United States government will make a sweeping change to bank accounts nationwide. It will give them unprecedented powers to control your bank account.April 21, 2025 | Weiss Ratings (Ad)Newpark Resources management to meet with Craig-HallumDecember 2, 2024 | tipranks.comNewpark Resources reports Q3 EPS ($1.99) vs 9c last yearNovember 9, 2024 | markets.businessinsider.comNewpark Resources Inc (NR) Q3 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Navigating Challenges with ...November 9, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comSee More Newpark Resources Headlines Get Earnings Announcements in your inboxWant to stay updated on the latest earnings announcements and upcoming reports for companies like Newpark Resources? Sign up for Earnings360's daily newsletter to receive timely earnings updates on Newpark Resources and other key companies, straight to your email. Email Address About Newpark ResourcesNewpark Resources (NYSE:NR) provides products, rentals, and services primarily to the oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) industry. It operates through two segments, Fluids Systems and Industrial Solutions. The Fluids Systems segment provides drilling, completion, and stimulation fluids products and related technical services to customers primarily in the North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, as well as other countries in the Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Industrial Solutions segment offers composite matting system rentals utilized for temporary worksite access; related site construction and services to customers in various markets, including power transmission, E&P, pipeline, renewable energy, petrochemical, construction, and other industries primarily in the United States and Europe; recyclable composite mats to customers worldwide; and access road construction, site planning and preparation, environmental protection, erosion control, and site restoration services. The company was incorporated in 1932 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.View Newpark Resources ProfileRead more More Earnings Resources from MarketBeat Earnings Tools Today's Earnings Tomorrow's Earnings Next Week's Earnings Upcoming Earnings Calls Earnings Newsletter Earnings Call Transcripts Earnings Beats & Misses Corporate Guidance Earnings Screener Earnings By Country U.S. Earnings Reports Canadian Earnings Reports U.K. Earnings Reports Latest Articles Archer Aviation Unveils NYC Network Ahead of Key Earnings Report3 Reasons to Like the Look of Amazon Ahead of EarningsTesla Stock Eyes Breakout With Earnings on DeckJohnson & Johnson Earnings Were More Good Than Bad—Time to Buy? 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There are 8 speakers on the call. Operator00:00:00Good morning. Speaker 100:00:00My name is Mike, and I will be your conference operator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the Newpark Resources First Quarter 20 24 Earnings Conference Call. Today's call is being recorded and will be available for replay beginning at 12:30 pm Eastern Standard Time. The recording can be accessed by dialing 800 723-6062 for domestic or 402-220-2665 for international. All lines are currently muted and after the prepared remarks, there will be a live question and answer session. Speaker 100:00:45It is now my pleasure to turn the floor over to Greg Piontek, Chief Financial Officer Speaker 200:00:52of Newpark Resources. Please go ahead. Operator00:00:53Thank you, operator. I'd like to welcome everyone to the Newpark Resources Q1 2024 Conference Call. Joining me today is Matthew Nagin, our President and Chief Executive Officer. Before handing over to Matthew, I'd like to highlight that today's discussion contains forward looking statements regarding future business and financial expectations. Actual results may differ significantly from those projected in today's forward looking statements due to various risks and uncertainties, including the risks described in our periodic reports filed with the SEC. Operator00:01:28Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update our forward looking statements. Our comments on today's call may also include certain non GAAP financial measures. Additional details and reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are included in our quarterly earnings release, which can be found on our corporate website. There will be a replay of today's call, and it will be available by webcast within the Investor Relations section of our website at newpark.com. Please note that the information disclosed in today's call is current as of May 3, 2024. Operator00:02:08At the conclusion of our prepared remarks, we will open the line for questions. And with that, I would like turn the call over to our President and CEO, Matthew Leningan. Thank you, Greg, and welcome to everyone joining us on today's call. Our Q1 performance was a solid start to the year, one highlighted by both sequential and year over year growth in adjusted EBITDA. Industrial Solutions project activity levels accelerated as the Q1 progressed, positioning us for a strong Q2 consistent with our expectations coming into 2024. Operator00:02:45At a strategic level, to advance our multi year business transformation plan during the Q1, investing in the growth of our Industrial Solutions business, which remains the central driver of our long term value creation strategy. For those new to our story, we've spent the last 3 years positioning Newpark to become a leading pure place specialty rental business servicing the global worksite access market. Operating the nation's largest fleet of the Jira based composite matting system, along with our adjacent services, we provide customers with a reliable all weather load bearing work surface that allows their critical infrastructure construction projects to be undertaken safely and efficiently. In 2023, nearly 60% of our Industrial Solutions revenues were to customers within the electrical utility infrastructure market, positioning Newpark as a leading beneficiary of an ongoing multiyear investment cycle focused on the expansion, hardening and resilience of our electric grid. With multibillion dollar government programs focused on improving the nation's electricity infrastructure, combined with the onshoring of several industry segments and growth in AI data centers, we see a significant and sustained investment cycle in the electrical grid to support these programs, creating long term demand for our worksite access solutions. Operator00:04:12Through our unique vertically integrated model, we design, manufacture, rent, sell and service our Jira based composite matting solutions. Our rental fleet and world class manufacturing capabilities allow us to respond quickly to the needs of our customers, making us a responsive and reliable partner for the varying needs of the industries and customers we serve. With a service life of around 12 to 15 years, we believe the DuraBase system offers a safer, longer lasting replacement to traditional wooden mats, which currently represent an estimated 75 to 80% of the U. S. Market. Operator00:04:50Continued penetration of traditional timber applications represents a significant opportunity for our business. Beyond our U. S. Markets, with over 25 years of setting the standard for composite matting, our products continue to support critical infrastructure projects and our strategic partners around the world. Our DuraBase mats are fully recyclable, not only allowing us to responsibly play a role in the growing circular plastics discussion, but also creating superior unit economics whereby an end of life mat can be reground and reprocessed back into a new unit that can be placed into an additional 12 to 15 year service life at significantly improved economics compared to its initial manufacturing cycle. Operator00:05:33It's an exciting time for our business, and we're looking forward to building upon the progress we've made so far. With that overview, let's take a deeper look at our Q1 performance. On a consolidated basis, 1st quarter adjusted EBITDA increased 31% sequentially and was up modestly versus the prior year period. We also delivered both sequential and year over year growth in adjusted EBITDA margin in both our Industrial Solutions and Fluid Systems businesses during the quarter, primarily driven by a combination of more favorable sales mix and operating cost leverage. Within our Industrial Solutions segment, following a subdued start to the year, demand conditions accelerated as we moved through the Q1, putting us on pace for a stronger Q2 performance. Operator00:06:19Notably, the Q1 rental and service revenues from the utility sector improved on both the sequential and year over year basis, which was offset by declines in revenues from Pipeline and Oil and Gas sectors. Industrial Solutions adjusted EBITDA margin increased 150 basis points versus the prior year to 36.8% in the 1st quarter, as volume and improved operating leverage offset lower blended pricing. As we've stated on prior calls, we continue to pursue an increased number of larger scale, longer duration infrastructure projects. These longer term projects can create a more stable base of revenue and enhance return on investment, but also tend to carry a pricing structure below that of shorter term rental projects. In support of our growth strategy, we're actively building out our U. Operator00:07:10S. Commercial sales teams, expanding coverage in targeted Midwest and West Coast markets, while also continuing our investment in rental fleet expansion. During the Q1, we invested $12,000,000 in the growth of our matting fleet, given the strengthening customer demand drivers I referred to earlier. While this capital investment led to an anticipated negative free cash generation in the Q1, we see a return to positive free cash in the Q2 and for full year 2024. Within our Fluids segment, our Q1 performance benefited from a combination of strong international demand along with improved pricing and continued cost actions, which together contributed to around 120 basis points of adjusted EBITDA margin expansion year over year. Operator00:07:57Our segment revenues from international operations increased 19% versus the prior year, supported by strong growth from our Eastern Hemisphere and Canadian operations. With that, I'll turn the call over to Craig for his prepared remarks. Thanks, Matthew, and good morning, everyone. I'll begin my remarks with a summary of our consolidated and the segment level results for the Q1, followed by an update on our outlook for 2024. Our Q1 was highlighted by a 31% sequential improvement in adjusted EBITDA, driven by strong profitability within our Industrial Solutions segment and the International Fluids business units. Operator00:08:38Consolidated 1st quarter revenues improved 1% sequentially, generally in line with our expectations shared on our previous quarterly call. The Industrial Solutions segment revenue was $49,000,000 in the 1st quarter, down at 12% on a year over year basis due primarily to the timing of product sales, but up 5% on a sequential basis. This result was generally in line with our expectations as we anticipate customer activity and project timing to ramp up through the year. Total rental and service revenues were $35,000,000 for the Q1, down slightly on both the sequential and year over year basis. As Matthew touched on, rental project activity steadily improved through the Q1, leading to a 5% sequential improvement in rental revenues, though our mix of less service intensive projects led to a sequential decline in service revenues. Operator00:09:37The 1st quarter rental fleet utilization improved modestly on a sequential basis, though our Q1 exit rate was meaningfully stronger than the full quarter average, which positions us for a strong sequential improvement into Q2. By industry, the utility sector contributed nearly 60% of rental and service revenues for the quarter, delivering growth on both a year over year and sequential basis, while oil and gas pipeline and other industries declined. 1st quarter product sales were $14,000,000 a meaningful sequential improvement, though below prior year levels due to project timing issues. Our rental and service revenues contributed more than 70% of our Q1 segment revenues, in line with the 2023 mix of rental and service versus product sale revenues. Industrial Solutions profitability was strong in the 1st quarter, with the segment delivering a 36.8 percent adjusted EBITDA margin, up 150 basis points from last year, due primarily to a more favorable mix and operating leverage. Operator00:10:47The Food Systems segment generated revenues of $120,000,000 in the Q1 with our international business units delivering solid growth on both a year over year and sequential basis. Our Eastern Hemisphere region contributed $68,000,000 or 57% of our total fluid systems revenues in Q1. The first quarter results reflect an improvement of 8% sequentially and 24% year over year, with the year over year improvement driven by broad based improvements from several markets within Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Revenues from Canada increased 1% sequentially to $21,000,000 in the first quarter, which reflects a 10% year over year improvement. Our U. Operator00:11:36S. Operations contributed $30,000,000 of revenues in the Q1, reflecting a 17% sequential and fifty 6 percent year over year decline. The year over year and sequential declines are primarily driven by a combination of the continued softening of the U. S. Market activity and the lower market share, as well as a notable decline in the average revenue contribution from the rig service. Operator00:12:03With the effects of the U. S. Market softness, we are maintaining our focus on pricing and expense discipline along with balance sheet efficiency. Fluids segment adjusted EBITDA margin improved 120 basis points year over year to 7.2% in the 1st quarter, benefiting from the higher revenue from our international business and continued cost efforts in the U. S. Operator00:12:31SG and A expenses were $24,300,000 in the Q1, including $7,900,000 of corporate office expense. The Q1 of 2024 includes $2,300,000 related to the fluid sale process, while Q1 of 2023 included nearly $1,000,000 for strategic planning activities. Despite the elevated project expenses in 2024, total SG and A is down $1,100,000 year over year, primarily reflecting the effects of cost rationalization efforts in the U. S. Fluids and Corporate Office. Operator00:13:10Interest expense was $1,800,000 in the 1st quarter, down modestly on both a sequential and year over year basis, primarily reflecting the effect of lower overall debt balances. Tax expense was $2,800,000 in the 1st quarter, reflecting an effective tax rate of 28%, which includes a favorable impact from previously unbenefited US NOL carry forwards. Adjusted EPS was $0.10 per diluted share in the 1st quarter compared to $0.04 in the 4th quarter and $0.09 in the Q1 of last year. Operating cash flow was $12,000,000 for the Q1, including the effects of our annual employee incentive program payouts, while $13,000,000 was used to fund our net CapEx substantially all of which was directed toward the Industrial Solutions matting fleet expansion as we seek to capitalize on the growth opportunities and strengthening demand conditions. We ended the quarter with total debt of $77,000,000 and cash of $38,000,000 resulting in net debt of $40,000,000 a 0.5 times net leverage ratio. Operator00:14:25Let's now turn to our business outlook. As before, we remain highly constructive on the multi year demand outlook for both businesses. Within Industrial Solutions, we continue to see strong fundamentals for utilities and critical infrastructure spending, which remains our largest customer market. Our full year 2024 expectation for the Industrial Solutions segment remains unchanged. We continue to forecast 20 24 Industrial Solutions revenues in the $230,000,000 to $240,000,000 range, with segment adjusted EBITDA in a range of $80,000,000 to $85,000,000 and segment CapEx of $30,000,000 to $35,000,000 In terms of near term outlook, we've seen a strong start to the Q2, both in rental project and product sales activity. Operator00:15:17And combined with our current pipeline and quoting levels, we anticipate Industrial Solutions to deliver total year over year revenue growth of 15% to 20% in Q2. In Fluid Systems, while the U. S. Market outlook remains somewhat challenged, our Eastern Hemisphere and Canada business units, which contributed 75% of the segment's revenue in Q1, continued to perform at a high level. Overall, we expect Q2 Fluid Systems revenues to be 15% to 20% lower on a year over year basis, primarily reflecting lower activity in the U. Operator00:15:54S. At the lower level, we expect segment adjusted EBITDA margins in the low to mid single digits as the effects of the lower volume are largely offset by improved pricing and the effects of overhead reductions in the U. S. In terms of capital allocation priorities, our view remains relatively unchanged as we continue to prioritize investments into the organic growth of our rental fleet. We expect our 2024 net capital investments will remain dependent upon our projected rental revenue growth rate. Operator00:16:29Beyond our continued organic investments in Industrial Solutions, we expect our free cash flow generation this year will be primarily used to build liquidity for inorganic growth opportunities or through a return of capital to shareholders through our programmatic share repurchase program following the completion of our fluid strategic review process. And with that, I'd like to turn the call back over to Matthew for his concluding remarks. Thanks, Greg. As we look at the remainder of 2024, our priorities are clear. 1st, we will continue our plans to become a leading pure play specialty rental business, serving the global worksite access market as we build upon our leading position with the Jura based composite matting system. Operator00:17:14At an organic level, we intend to continue prioritizing capital investment in the growth of our rental fleet, which historically has generated cash returns in excess of 25%. During the Q1, 95% of our total CapEx was directed towards the Industrial Solutions segment. 2nd, we will continue to drive further efficiency improvements across all corners of the organization, positioning us to realize improved operating leverage. During the Q1 of 2024, we continue to take actions to streamline our overhead structure across both segments and the corporate office, generating approximately $3,000,000 in annual cost savings. Finally, we remain committed to a returns focused capital allocation strategy that includes a combination of internal investment, inorganic growth and return of capital to shareholders. Operator00:18:07In February, we increased our remaining share repurchase authorization to $50,000,000 to support our return of capital program. While the Q1 included annual employee incentive program payouts and investments in rental fleet that reduced free cash flow generation, we expect to be free cash flow positive for the duration of 2024, positioning us to advance our capital allocation priorities. Turning briefly to our Fluids business strategic review, we continue to work diligently to evaluate alternatives and we remain focused on having the process substantially completed by mid year 2024. In closing, I want to thank our shareholders for their ongoing support, our employees for their dedication to the business, including their commitment to safety and compliance, and our customers for their ongoing partnership. And with that, we'll open the call for questions. Speaker 100:19:00Thank you. And we do have our first question from Aaron Swachala with Craig Hallum. Speaker 300:19:23Yes. Good morning, Matthew and Greg. Thanks for taking the questions. First for me, you've kind of talked about the pipeline growth mid to high teens last quarter in industrial. Can you just give us an update there, especially considering the additions to the fleet in the Q1? Speaker 300:19:38And then just any changes you're seeing in the market competitively within composites or wood just given lumber prices or really seems like we're starting to see this transition away from wood towards composites? You kind of talked about 75%, 80% of the market being wood today. Operator00:19:56Hey, thanks, Aaron. It's Matthew. I'll take that one. Look, in terms of pipeline, we still see robust growth in the pipeline. There hasn't been material change quarter on quarter in terms of the growth we've seen there. Operator00:20:08What we are seeing is that pipeline representing a more forward looking view of project start duration. If you look back historically, roughly 50% plus of our pipeline was starting and the projects within the quarter that they were quoted. We're seeing that now push out a quarter or so into the future, which is positive for us. It gives us a better line of sight to the future quarter. But other than that, quoting activity remains robust, which I think is supported by the views in the market of a stronger second half to the year and continued kind of reinforcement of CapEx plans from utilities. Operator00:20:51So all looking positive there. On the competitive side, not a lot to report that's different there. I think there's still a tightening I believe in supply and demand as we look forward. Interesting to note that some of the participants in the market who have large positions in timber fleets and now calling out that they're looking to build composite fleets. So I think your inference there is accurate that people are seeing the value advantage of the composite match in terms of unit economics and lifetime advantages. Operator00:21:25So we're encouraged by those signals as well. Speaker 300:21:31Great. Thanks for the color there. And then maybe second, you've had good progress on the cost reduction in efficiency efforts. I think you called out $3,000,000 of annual savings. So it looks like we're around kind of mid-20s for those corporate costs adjusting for some things. Speaker 300:21:45Can you just kind of talk about the progress towards that kind of high teens target and kind of timeline to get there? Operator00:21:53Yes. This is Greg. Speaker 400:21:54If you carve out the transaction related, the sale process related costs that we had mentioned, you're really running now in a call it a 22%, 23% range in terms of cash expense at the corporate level. And as we had talked about in the past, while we're continuing to look you're always looking for ways to continue to streamline your organization, I think the more meaningful shift is really post, completing the strategic review of fluids. That's really when you have the greater ability to adjust your cost structure. Speaker 300:22:33All right. Understood. Thanks for the color. I'll turn it over. Operator00:22:37Thanks, Aaron. Speaker 100:22:40And our next question comes from Amit Dayal with H. C. Wainwright. Speaker 300:22:45Thank you, guys. Speaker 200:22:47So with respect to the cadence for the rest of the year, you indicated year over year improvements in 2Q. So from that point onwards, again, sort of sequential improvements or maybe any lumpiness in the next three quarters? Operator00:23:05Yes. I mean, I'll attempt that one. As far as the visibility goes, we're continuing to see good growth in the pipeline, which would suggest continued growth throughout the year. We do call out every year that depending on how dry the summer months are and the lows on the grid during the summer months that can slow activity on the rental and service side. And then typically we're seeing a stronger Q4 on the direct sales side. Operator00:23:34We're not seeing anything that causes us to think that those longer term trends have changed. And just based on the strength of our pipeline build here, we feel comfortable with the rest of the year is building quite nicely. Speaker 200:23:48Okay. Thank you. And then you highlighted maybe pursuing longer term rental contracts and those could come with slightly lower margins. How much lower would those margins be relative to your legacy rental business? Speaker 400:24:07Yes, it's Greg. I guess the way I'd frame that is, I wouldn't think it would be a large driver in terms of bringing your overall pricing down. Again, you got to look at these projects in terms of their overall profitability. The longer term gives you greater visibility, gives you more stability, allows you to manage your fleet to a higher utilization. So net net, you're generating a solid of a return on investment as the shorter term projects. Speaker 400:24:36But the pricing profile is just can be lower. And it's really a function of size and length of project is what drives that difference. Speaker 200:24:49Okay, understood. Then I guess just the last one, maybe you've touched on it a little bit already, these corporate overheads, savings on that side, is there any further room or are we done with those types of cuts for now? Speaker 400:25:11I would generally say we're I would not expect meaningful movement in the cost structure in the near term. Like I said, we're always looking to for opportunities to streamline. But again, the more meaningful change in our overall structure really comes following completion of our strategic review of fluids. Speaker 200:25:34Okay, understood. That's all I have. Thank you so much. Operator00:25:38Thanks, Aaron. Speaker 100:25:41And our next question comes from Gerry Sweeney with Roth Capital. Speaker 500:25:45Hey, Matthew and Greg. Thanks for taking my call this morning. Operator00:25:48Thanks, Gerry. Speaker 500:25:50Question on the Midwest, you discussed building out your sales in those areas. Just curious, a couple of little questions here. How big of an opportunity is it versus I know you think you're a little bit bigger, especially in the Southeast. How does sort of that zone compare to the Southeast? And then how long would it take to get a big enough presence there that we start to see some dollars coming through in a meaningful way? Operator00:26:21Yes, Jerry. I think the way we look at that market is there's no reason it couldn't be as substantial as say our project timing and our ability to get in there and penetrate some customers that we haven't traditionally serviced. But our anticipation would be that within 12 months, we should see that operating at a fairly efficient level. So the great thing about this business is we get in there with sales first, we start to build the relationships, then we start to move the assets into those markets. So we're not committing a large amount of capital here and waiting for it to be productive. Operator00:27:07We can flex that in as the activity levels dictate. Speaker 400:27:11Yes, I was just going to add, I think you can look at the examples of our previous expansion when we went into the East Coast, the Southeast and the Mid Atlantic regions and as we built that out, that was kind of a 12 to 18 month sort of process to map those up. Speaker 500:27:31Got you. And I was going to say, would acquisitions be an opportunity in that area, especially to speed up the process or gain a little bit more scale? Operator00:27:39Yes, Jerry. We've always kind of said that we would evaluate those markets on an acceleration basis if having somebody in there that already has the relationships and has the appropriate safety culture and operational efficiency that we look forward, we'd obviously consider that as well as doing it organically ourselves. Speaker 500:28:00Got it. One more question. This is government spending, I. E. Stimulus. Speaker 500:28:06We're working with bunch of companies that's seeing a lot of stimulus spending. But a lot of the commentary from them is, hey, we're at the back end, dollars to flow through projects approved, etcetera. Some of them most of them are just seeing some a little bit of dollars coming through today and expectations are it's going to speed up 25%, 26%. Are you guys in the same boat or are you seeing a little more spending earlier? Operator00:28:34Yes. Look, we're in the same boat, Jerry. I think from the outset, we were sort of seeing 25 of the year where those funds would start to flow through in a way that would be impactful to us. And I still think that is our view at this point. Speaker 200:28:46Okay. Speaker 500:28:47That's what I assumed. I just wanted to double check. I appreciate it. I'll jump back in line. Speaker 100:28:51Thanks, Derek. And our next question comes from Min Cho with B. Riley Securities. Speaker 600:28:58Hi, Derek. Good morning. I'm on for Alex Riegle this morning. Great quarter. Hi, Alex. Speaker 600:29:04Hi, there. Just wondering if my questions have been answered, but I have a quick one regarding your the rental revenue maybe breakout in the U. S. Versus U. K. Speaker 600:29:13I know that you have a strong business in the U. K. Can you talk a little bit about any difference in the demand dynamics there? Speaker 400:29:22Well, let me I'll start with the mix. First of all, overall, when you look at our rental and service split, it's roughly 90% U. S, 10% U. K. In terms of the demand dynamics? Operator00:29:35Yes, look, the demand dynamic, I think primarily the market in the U. S. Is the electrical utility spend. In the UK, we tend to also get more rail. If you look at High Speed 2 and some other large infrastructure projects going on there, they are consumers of access. Operator00:29:53So, the only real difference we see there is the industry service. But both here and in the U. K, the thematic of the infrastructure investment and improvement are both strong and we're looking forward to that sort of supporting the business for years to come. Speaker 400:30:09Yes. In terms of the CapEx that Operator00:30:12we mentioned, yes, I just wanted Speaker 400:30:14to point out that that is supporting both growth in the U. S. And also the UK. Speaker 600:30:20Excellent. Also, Greg, the SG and A was a little bit higher than we had expected. Do you expect us to be a pretty good run rate on a quarterly basis for the rest of the year? Speaker 400:30:31I think when you look at the quarter, again, I think it's important that you look at the transaction, the sale process and related items that we had called out as well as the severance. But adjusting for that, yes, I think that underlying growth or run rate is a fairly accurate rate going forward. Speaker 600:30:53Excellent. And then finally, you had mentioned targeting larger projects. Do you have anything in backlog yet? Or if you talk about the progress that you're making on those types of projects so far? Operator00:31:07Yes. Thanks, Minh. We as we look at our forward backlog, then we are seeing a build in that backlog in those larger projects. So we feel like that focus is working for us. Speaker 600:31:34Perfect. All right, great. Thank you. Operator00:31:38Thanks, Ben. Speaker 100:31:40And our next question comes from Bill Dezelo with Keaton Capital. Speaker 700:31:45Thank you. I actually like to follow-up on that last question and the pipeline of new projects becoming larger and ask why. What has led to that? Is that a function of what's happening in the market? Or is that your own emphasis on those projects? Operator00:32:06Yes, Bill. I think it's a little bit of both. One of the things that we were coming into the T and D space traditionally from our oil and gas markets, varying needs of those project types, I think we have won more confidence with the project owners that we can execute and meet their needs. Moving forward, as we continue to invest in our fleet, we see that being even more so. So I think there's a little bit of A, the projects are out there and B, we continue to demonstrate that we can obviously, Speaker 400:32:57the And obviously, the more Operator00:32:59you penetrate this, it just improves your visibility, improves your stability in your overall rental and service operations. Speaker 700:33:06Great. That is helpful. And then continuing on the Industrial Solutions segment, what's led to the strength exiting the Q1? Is it as simple as project timing or is there something bigger that's taking place there? Operator00:33:27I think you nailed in the first bit there, Bill. It's really just the projects getting underway. So I'd like to say there was more magic than that, but it really is just the way these things have timed out. Speaker 700:33:39Matt, I've given you the opportunity to take credit for magic and you're just set aside. Yes. Speaker 400:33:46I think this goes back to why we continually emphasize the focus on full year and TTM. Again, you do have these project timings resulted in quarter to quarter sort of swings, but they do balance out over the year. Speaker 700:34:05Great. Thank you. And then a couple of questions relative to the Fluids business, please. Are books still going out on the Fluids business or are those out and now we're in the next phase of the process? Operator00:34:19Yes, Bill, I think it's probably safer for us to kind of leave that one and just kind of revert to the script that we put forward, which is where we're moving forward in the process and optimistic about our conclusion in that first half. Speaker 700:34:35Okay. And then would you please discuss the swing factors with the Fluids operating income that led to it being up, what I think $3,000,000 plus on a $24,000,000 revenue decline? Speaker 400:34:52Yes. Overall, it is more than anything, you've got the mix shift and we've always we've talked about the profitability of the business here, international versus the U. Operator00:35:02S, which is historically the international has been a stronger performer. So you have that mix shift as well. We also had the benefit of the pricing. We had talked over the past year of the impact that we've had with some of the inflation, which we're unable to push through contracts. We had to wait for contract renewals. Operator00:35:19That's continuing to come through to drive strength Speaker 400:35:22in the overall pricing. And then the last factor there is also on the U. S. Side with the U. S. Speaker 400:35:28Being a much tougher market landscape continuing to take cost out to offset some of the deterioration. So you put all those things together and and ultimately it's leading to a more profitable business than what it was a year ago. Speaker 700:35:44Great. Thank you both for the time and congratulations on a Speaker 100:35:52And we have reached our allotted time for our question and answer session today. I will now turn the call back over to the management team for closing remarks. Operator00:35:59Sure. That concludes our call today. Should you have any questions or requests, please reach out to us using our email at investorsnewpark.com. And we look forward to talking to you again next quarter. Thank you. Speaker 100:36:12This does conclude today's program. Thank you for your participation. You may now disconnect.Read morePowered by