Baker Hughes Counts 4 Fewer US Rigs, Oil-Directed Rigs Fall

In its weekly release, Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. BHI reported a marginal fall in the U.S. rig count (number of rigs searching for oil and gas in the country). This can be due to a decrease in the tally of oil-directed rigs.

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 1,871 for the week ended Jul 18, 2014. This was down by 4 from the previous week's rig count.

The current nationwide rig count is more than double the lowest level reached in recent years (876 in the week ended Jun 12, 2009) and is above the prior-year level of 1,770. 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 fell by 5 to 1,796, offshore drilling was up by 1 to 57 rigs, while inland waters activity remained steady at 18 units.

Natural Gas Rig Count: The natural gas rig count – which slumped to its lowest point last month since May 1993 – was up by 4 to 315. As per the most recent report, the number of natural gas-directed rigs is down 62% from its recent peak of 811, achieved in 2012.

In fact, the current natural gas rig count is 81% below its all-time high of 1,606 reached in late summer 2008. In the year-ago period, there were 369 active natural gas rigs.

Oil Rig Count: The oil rig count was down by 9 to 1,554. The current tally is way above the previous year's rig count of 1,395. It has recovered strongly from the low of 179 in Jun 2009, rising 8.7 times.

Miscellaneous Rig Count: The miscellaneous rig count (primarily drilling for geothermal energy) rose by 1 to 2 from the previous week.

Rig Count by Type: The number of vertical drilling rigs fell by 11 to 366, 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 up by 7 to 1,505.

Gulf of Mexico (GoM): The GoM rig count was up by 2 to 57.

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 Flotek Industries Inc. FTK. The Houston, TX-based company – carrying a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) – has a solid secular growth story with the potential to rise significantly from the current level.

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