Topic: How To Invest

Pat: What is your opinion on Basic Energy Services?

Article Excerpt

Basic Energy Services Inc., $7.94, symbol BAS on New York (Shares outstanding: 41.8 million; Market cap: $351.1 million; www.basicenergyservices.com), provides drilling and well services to over 2,000 oil and natural gas exploration firms. Most of Basic Energy’s clients operate in shale oil areas, including the Permian and Eagle Ford (Texas), Bakken (North Dakota), Haynesville (Louisiana) and Marcellus (Pennsylvania). The company has four divisions: Completion and Remedial Services (47% of 2014 revenue) rents pumping and related equipment, mainly to firms specializing in hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) drilling techniques; Fluid Services (25%) rents tank trucks, storage tanks and water treatment equipment; Well Servicing (24%) helps its clients install and remove drilling equipment and improve the flow of liquids to the surface; Contract Drilling (4%) operates a fleet of 12 drilling rigs. The company recently wrote down $34.7 million of goodwill stemming from previous acquisitions. If you exclude this charge and other unusual items, it earned $18.1 million, or $0.43 a share, in 2014. That’s a big improvement over the…