RE article may not show charts7 Jan 2019 17:07
Petrofac increasingly targets project management activities in the refining and petrochemical industry.
The company’s backlog has halved since 2015.
POFCF’s revenues and earnings declined in 1H 2018 following phasing of many lump-sum projects.
The crude price fall can become a concern for the company’s recoverable asset pricing.
Petrofac’s cash flow from operations is negative.
Petrofac has challenges ahead
Petrofac Limited (OTCPK:POFCF) (ADR: OTCPK:POFCY) provides engineering services including conceptual and feasibility studies and front-end engineering and design (or FEED) for onshore, offshore, and downstream energy facilities around the world. The company is making strategic changes in response to the energy market environment. Petrofac is aligning its assets into various project management activities in the refining and petrochemical industry. Its backlog has shrunk considerably over the past few years. The company is trying to clean up its leveraged balance sheet by selling assets. The fall in crude oil price can result in further impairment charges. In 2018, Petrofac’s stock price has decreased by 7% and has outperformed the VanEck Vectors Oil Services ETF (OIH), which declined by nearly 46% during this period. OIH represents the oilfield equipment & services (or OFS) industry. Petrofac is likely headed for a slowdown in the short-to-medium term unless crude price improves dramatically.
How does POFCF’s geographic growth pan out?
Now let us look at how the industry drivers played out in the geographies Petrofac operates in. In the Middle East and North Africa, upstream operators are utilizing more oil-rich resources to maintain the stated spare capacity. Saudi Arabia, however, is planning to increase natural gas production capacity. With a commitment to increase natural gas usage, Algeria presents a growth opportunity for Profac. In Algeria, Petrofac commissioned the Reggane natural gas plant and the Alrar plant in Q3 2018. I have shown in the above chart how international rig count has steadied in 2018. The data is taken from Baker Hughes’ rig count.
Saudi Arabia is POFCF’s second largest revenue producing region, accounting for 12% of its 1H 2018 revenues. The company has an EPC contract in Saudi Arabia’s GCC upstream project, which is worth ~$580 million. In Saudi Arabia, the integrated energy giants are making an increased allocation in the downstream, i.e. in refining and petrochemical operations.
In Europe, POFCF’s Engineering & Production Services (or EPS) segment is anticipating a recovery in brownfield opportunities, while the E&C segment seeks offshore wind opportunities. It is forging a partnership with other equipment manufacturers to bid for both high voltage AC and more massive high voltage DC transmission opportunities. In the U.S., the company is pursuing operational maintenance opportunities in the Gulf of Mexico.
Why is downstream the new focus for POFCF?
As disclosed in the comp