Oil field services giant Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB), which has a primary office in Houston, reported a net loss of more than $3.4 billion for the second quarter.

However, the loss was due to more than $3.7 billion of pretax restructuring and asset impairment charges taken in response to market conditions, according to a July 24 press release announcing the Q2 financial results.

The largest single portion of those charges was $1 billion of severance costs associated with reducing Schlumberger’s workforce by more than 21,000 employees. More information about the workforce reduction was not included in the release, but it appears that most, if not all, of those job cuts have already taken place. As of the end of Q2 on June 30, Schlumberger employed 85,000 people worldwide, per the release. That’s down from the approximately 103,000 employees Schlumberger reported in its Q1 earnings. In its Q4 2019 earnings, Schlumberger reported approximately 105,000 employees.

Schlumberger already confirmed job cuts were coming in the second quarter, including in Houston, as it contends with supply and demand pressures. The company implemented a furlough program in Houston earlier this year and announced plans for 51 additional layoffs elsewhere in Texas as it closes two facilities associated with one of its subsidiaries, Cameron International. Cameron also plans to close a facility in Moore, Oklahoma, affecting 74 employees. That facility was slated to lay off its employees in June and July.

“In Texas, Schlumberger has accelerated the restructure of its land-based operations by reducing its personnel and instituting furlough programs, by business line and location. These organizational changes are expected to continue over the next couple of months,” Schlumberger said in an emailed statement in May. “In light of these realities, we have made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce in Houston and close both our Cameron facilities in Kennedy and Corpus Christi, Texas.”

But the severance charges and asset impairments weren’t the only issues hurting Schlumberger’s second-quarter financial results, which included the full impact of the Covid-19 downturn.

Revenue for the quarter was less than $5.36 billion, down 28% from the first quarter and down 35% from Q2 2019. North America saw the biggest drop in revenue from Q1 2020 — down 48% — but international revenue was also down 19%.

“This has probably been the most challenging quarter in past decades,” Schlumberger CEO Olivier Le Peuch said in the release.

The “unprecedented fall in North America activity and international activity drop due to downward revisions to customer budgets accentuated by COVID-19 disruptions (speak) volumes about an industry confronted with historic oil demand and supply imbalances caused by demand destruction from the global Covid-19 containment effort,” he continued.

However, things might be turning around — as long as Covid-19 doesn’t take a turn for the worse, Le Peuch noted. He concluded:

“Looking at the macro view in the near-term, oil demand is slowly starting to normalize and is expected to improve as government measures support consumption. However, subsequent waves of potential Covid-19 resurgence pose a negative risk to this outlook.

“The conditions are set in the third quarter for a modest frac completion activity increase in North America, though from a very low base. Internationally, markets may continue to be disrupted by the pandemic and will continue to adjust to budget levels set during the second quarter, but this would be mostly offset by the seasonal return of activity in the Northern Hemisphere and the rebound of Latin America from its second-quarter weakness. However, any further material Covid-19 disruption or significant setback in oil demand arising from a slower economic recovery could present downside risks to this outlook. Absent these risks, we anticipate flat sequential revenue on a global basis and our pretax segment operating income and margin should expand as a result of our restructuring efforts, improved activity mix, and sustained benefits from technology adoption, including digital.

“We believe the decisive and comprehensive measures we have taken to face the industry reality will continue to protect our liquidity and cash positions and allow us to expand our margins. We have taken the long-term view in restructuring our company—aligning with our customers’ workflows, empowering a lean and responsive organization, and accelerating the execution of our performance strategy, with capital stewardship, fit-for-basin, and digital as key attributes of success. I am extremely optimistic about the future of Schlumberger, building on the strength of our international franchise and positioning the company as the performance partner of choice for our customers in the new industry landscape.”

By Olivia Pulsinelli – Assistant Managing Editor, Houston Business Journel

Courtesy of The Houston Business Journal
https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2020/07/24/schlumberger-job-cuts-net-loss-q2-2020-covid19.html

California-based Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX), which has a major presence in Houston, has reached an all-stock deal to buy Houston-based Noble Energy Inc. (Nasdaq: NBL) a little over a year after losing out on Anadarko Petroleum Corp.

Chevron will acquire Noble’s stock for $10.38 per share, or $5 billion in total, according to a July 20 press release. That represents a nearly 12% premium on the 10-day average based on closing stock prices on July 17. Based on Chevron’s July 17 closing price, Noble Energy shareholders will receive 0.1191 shares of CVX for each share of NBL, and Chevron will issue approximately 58 million shares of stock.

The total enterprise value of the deal is $13 billion, including net debt and book value of non-controlling interest, the release states. Noble Energy shareholders will own approximately 3% of the combined company when the deal closes, which is expected in the fourth quarter. The acquisition is expected to generate $300 million of run-rate operating and other cost synergies within a year of the deal closing.

“The acquisition of Noble Energy provides Chevron with low-cost, proved reserves and attractive undeveloped resources that will enhance an already advantaged upstream portfolio,” the press release states. “Noble Energy brings low-capital, cash-generating offshore assets in Israel, strengthening Chevron’s position in the Eastern Mediterranean. Noble Energy also enhances Chevron’s leading U.S. unconventional position with derisked acreage in the DJ Basin and 92,000 largely contiguous and adjacent acres in the Permian Basin.”

Similarly, Chevron expected its previously announced acquisition of The Woodlands-based Anadarko to boost its upstream business, including in the Permian. Chevron had planned to pay $65 per share, mostly in stock, to buy Anadarko but was outbid by Houston-based Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OXY), which offered $76 per share, mostly in cash. Those offers were made in spring 2019, and Occidental closed its acquisition in August 2019.

Since then, the oil and gas industry has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, which drove down demand for transportation fuels worldwide, and the threat of a price war. Although oil prices have recovered significantly from the historic lows seen in April, they still haven’t returned to 2019 levels.

“Our strong balance sheet and financial discipline gives us the flexibility to be a buyer of quality assets during these challenging times,” Chevron Chairman and CEO Michael Wirth noted in the July 20 release. “This is a cost-effective opportunity for Chevron to acquire additional proved reserves and resources. Noble Energy’s multi-asset, high-quality portfolio will enhance geographic diversity, increase capital flexibility, and improve our ability to generate strong cash flow. These assets play to Chevron’s operational strengths, and the transaction underscores our commitment to capital discipline.”

For Noble, the deal comes less than a year after it closed a $1.6 billion cash-and-stock deal that represented the conclusion of Noble Energy’s strategic review of its midstream business. Noble Midstream Partners LP (NYSE: NBLX), a master limited partnership, acquired all of Noble Energy’s remaining midstream interests. Noble Energy’s incentive distribution rights were eliminated. The deal immediately lowered the MLP’s cost of capital and enhanced the companies’ alignment, the companies said at the time.

“Over the last few years, we have made significant progress executing our strategic objectives, including driving capital efficiency gains onshore, advancing our offshore conventional gas developments and significantly reducing our cost structure,” David Stover, Noble Energy’s chairman and CEO, said in the July 20 release. “As we looked to build on this positive momentum, the Noble Energy Board of Directors and management team conducted a thorough process and concluded that this transaction is the best way to maximize value for all Noble Energy shareholders.”

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC is acting as financial adviser to Chevron. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is acting as legal advisor to Chevren. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is acting as financial adviser to Noble Energy. Vinson & Elkins LLP is acting as legal advisor to Noble Energy.

By Olivia Pulsinelli – Assistant Managing Editor

Courtesy of The Houston Business Journal

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2020/07/20/chevron-to-buy-noble-energy.html

A subsidiary of Switzerland-based Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) expects to eliminate 75 to 110 offshore jobs in September, the company told the Texas Workforce Commission this week.

The affected employees are all offshore employees who work on Discoverer Inspiration, a drilling rig operated by a Transocean affiliate in the Gulf of Mexico. The employees report to management in Transocean’s office at 1414 Enclave Parkway in Houston, according to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act letter Transocean sent to the TWC.

The rig will complete its current operating contract and does not have a contract for additional work, Transocean said. The layoffs are expected to begin on Sept. 15, and the company considers the layoffs to be permanent. However, Transocean might recall some of the affected employees if it secures a new contract for the Discoverer Inspiration, per the WARN letter.

Affected employees will receive a severance package, but bumping rights do not exist, meaning workers with more seniority cannot take jobs from those with less seniority.

Companies working in the energy industry have been announcing layoffs for months. The industry is dealing with problems from both sides of the supply-demand equation. Social distancing as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a massive reduction in demand for transportation fuels, while a price war between OPEC member states and other large, oil and gas producing countries layered on further pressure.

That has resulted in many exploration and production companies making deep cuts to their budgets and thus drilling less. Other offshore job cuts in recent months include London-based Seadrill Ltd. (NYSE: SDRL) laying off up to 135 people over the summer and Pacific Drilling SA (NYSE: PACD) laying off more than 80 people in April. Both have offices in Houston.

By Olivia Pulsinelli – Assistant Managing Editor

Courtesy of The Houston Business Journal

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2020/07/10/transocean-offshore-rig-employees-to-be-laid-off.html