STEP Energy Services Ltd. Reports Fourth Quarter and Year End 2024 Results

In This Article:

CALGARY, Alberta, March 12, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--STEP Energy Services Ltd. (the "Company" or "STEP") (TSX: STEP) is pleased to announce its financial and operating results for the three months and twelve months ended December 31, 2024. The following press release should be read in conjunction with the management’s discussion and analysis ("MD&A") and audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto as at December 31, 2024 (the "Financial Statements"). Readers should also refer to the "Forward-looking information & statements" legal advisory and the section regarding "Non-IFRS Measures and Ratios" at the end of this press release. All financial amounts and measures are expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated. Additional information about STEP is available on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca, including the Company’s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2024 dated March 11, 2025 (the "AIF").

CONSOLIDATED HIGHLIGHTS

FINANCIAL REVIEW

($000s except percentages and per share amounts)

Three months ended

Years ended

December 31,

December 31,

December 31,

December 31,

 

December 31,

 

 

2024

 

2023

 

2024

 

2023

 

2022

Consolidated revenue

$

147,454

$

195,047

$

954,966

$

945,723

$

989,018

Net income (loss)

$

(44,604)

$

(5,244)

$

1,762

$

50,419

$

94,781

Per share-basic

$

(0.62)

$

(0.07)

$

0.03

$

0.70

$

1.37

Per share-diluted

$

(0.62)

$

(0.07)

$

0.02

$

0.67

$

1.31

Adjusted EBITDA (1)

$

4,108

$

18,436

$

169,107

$

163,578

$

198,906

Adjusted EBITDA % (1)

 

3%

 

9%

 

18%

 

17%

 

20%

Free Cash Flow (1)

$

(16,632)

$

(4,458)

$

85,715

$

82,811

$

111,788

Per share-basic (1)

$

(0.23)

$

(0.06)

$

1.20

$

1.15

$

1.61

Per share-diluted (1)

$

(0.23)

$

(0.06)

$

1.15

$

1.10

$

1.55

(1) Adjusted EBITDA, Free Cash Flow, Free Cash Flow per share-basic and Free Cash Flow per share-diluted are non-IFRS financial measures, Adjusted EBITDA % is a non-IFRS financial ratio. These metrics are not defined and have no standardized meaning under IFRS. See Non-IFRS Measures and Ratios.

OPERATIONAL REVIEW

($000s except days, proppant, pumped, horsepower and units)

Three months ended

Years ended

December 31,

December 31,

December 31,

December 31,

December 31,

 

 

2024

 

2023

 

2024

 

2023

 

2022

Fracturing services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fracturing operating days (2)

 

233

 

362

 

1,536

 

1,635

 

2,042

Proppant pumped (tonnes)

 

267,500

 

460,300

 

2,331,700

 

2,153,200

 

2,229,000

Fracturing crews

 

7

 

8

 

7

 

8

 

8

Dual fuel horsepower ("HP"), ended

 

369,550

 

301,500

 

369,550

 

301,500

 

182,750

Total HP, ended

 

474,800

 

490,000

 

474,800

 

490,000

 

490,000

Coiled tubing services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coiled tubing operating days (2)

 

1,133

 

1,263

 

5,193

 

4,976

 

4,338

Active coiled tubing units, ended

 

21

 

21

 

21

 

21

 

19

Total coiled tubing units, ended

 

35

 

35

 

35

 

35

 

33

(2) An operating day is defined as any coiled tubing or fracturing work that is performed in a 24-hour period, exclusive of support equipment.

($000s except shares)

 

 

 

 

As at December 31,

 

2024

 

2023

 

2022

Cash and cash equivalents

$

4,362

$

1,785

$

2,785

Working capital (including cash and cash equivalents) (3)

$

35,355

$

42,104

$

66,580

Total assets

$

580,635

$

606,519

$

682,532

Total long-term financial liabilities (3)

$

83,394

$

118,970

$

168,746

Net Debt (3)

$

52,668

$

87,844

$

142,224

Shares outstanding

 

72,037,391

 

72,233,064

 

71,589,626

(3) Working Capital, Total long-term financial liabilities and Net Debt are non-IFRS financial measures. They are not defined and have no standardized meaning under IFRS. See Non-IFRS Measures and Ratios.

2024 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS

  • The year ended December 31, 2024 was STEP’s best performance for the following financial metrics since 2022, when oil and natural gas prices were significantly higher than they were in 2024:

    • Consolidated revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $955.0 million, in line with $945.7 million in the prior year.

    • For the year ended December 31, 2024, Adjusted EBITDA was $169.1 million or 18% of revenue compared to $163.6 million or 17% of revenue in the prior year.

    • Free Cash Flow for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $85.7 million compared to $82.8 million in 2023.

  • Net income for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $1.8 million, or $0.02 per diluted share, compared to $50.4 million in 2023, or $0.67 per diluted share. Included in net income for the year ended December 31, 2024 was:

    • Impairment expense of $36.7 million compared to nil in the same period of the prior year. The impairment was taken on real estate and fracturing pumps with Tier 1 and Tier 2 engines (the tiers established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to control emissions) and associated ancillary fracturing equipment held in the U.S. fracturing cash generating unit ("CGU").

    • Transaction costs of $2.2 million related to the proposed take private transaction discussed below, consisting of legal and consulting fees, compared to nil in the same period of the prior year, and;

    • Share based compensation expense of $6.3 million, compared to $1.1 million in the same period of the prior year.

  • STEP continued to advance its shareholder return strategy in 2024:

    • During 2024, the Company repurchased and cancelled 1,873,134 shares at an average price of $4.17 per share under its Normal Course Issuer Bid ("NCIB"). Under the NCIB, the Company was permitted to repurchase and cancel 3.6 million shares, representing 5% of Company’s issued and outstanding shares.

    • Subsequent to year end, STEP renewed its NCIB in January 2025. The Company is authorized to repurchase and cancel up to 3.6 million shares, representing 5% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares.

  • STEP also made significant progress on debt reduction during the year while continuing to invest into the long-term sustainability of the business:

    • The Company had Net Debt of $52.7 million at December 31, 2024, compared to $87.8 million at December 31, 2023. STEP has reduced Net Debt by approximately $255 million from peak levels in 2018.

    • The Company invested $93.3 million in capital expenditures, continuing the upgrades of fracturing pumps to Tier 4 dual fuel technology, enhancing STEP's internal sand delivery and storage services, and the refurbishment of other ancillary equipment, including STEP’s first fully electrified back side fracturing equipment.

  • Working Capital as at December 31, 2024 of $35.4 million was $6.7 million lower than the $42.1 million at December 31, 2023. Working capital fluctuations are typical and are influenced by activity levels and timing of client receipts.

  • In 2024 STEP pumped a record 2.3 million tonnes of proppant, an 8% increase from 2023.

  • STEP continued to develop its position in 2024 as the leading provider of coiled tubing technology in North America with the following actions:

    • Acquired the proprietary technology and intellectual property behind the STEP-conneCT downhole tool, making STEP the exclusive provider of this technology across North America.

    • STEP worked with a key U.S. client to further develop the Company’s ultra deep coiled tubing capability, giving the Company the ability to service deeper wells. STEP used this technology, known as Coil+, to reach a depth record of 30,210 feet (9,208 meters) in 2024.

  • On December 19, 2024, STEP, 2659160 Alberta Ltd. and the limited partnerships comprising ARC Energy Fund 8 (a private equity fund advised by ARC Financial Corp.) mutually agreed to terminate the arrangement agreement originally entered into on November 3, 2024. The November 3, 2024, agreement stated that STEP’s major shareholder (ARC Energy Fund 8) and 2659160 Alberta Ltd would acquire all the issued and outstanding common shares of STEP not already owned, directly or indirectly, by ARC. The decision to terminate the agreement was made after it became clear that the requisite minority shareholder approval could not be achieved.

  • In mid to late Q1 2025, the U.S. fracturing CGU was subject to changes in business conditions that materially impacts its expected economic performance. As a result, STEP will begin an orderly wind down of operations of this CGU following completion of the current Q1 work scope and will present the financial results for U.S. fracturing as discontinued operations going forward.