ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion is intended to assist you in understanding our financial position and results of operations for each of the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. You should read the following discussion and analysis in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the related notes.
The following discussion contains forward-looking statements. For a description of limitations inherent in forward-looking statements, see “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” on page ii.
Overview
We rent, operate and maintain, as well as sell natural gas compressors and related equipment. We also design, fabricate and manufacture compressor units both for sale and rental to our customers. Some fabrication work is done in-house with an increasing amount done by third-party contractors. Our primary focus is on the rental of natural gas compressors. Our rental contracts generally provide for initial terms of six to 60 months, with our larger horsepower units having longer initial terms than our small and medium horsepower units. After the initial term of our rental contracts, most of our customers have continued to rent our compressors on a month-to-month basis. Rental amounts are billed monthly in advance and include maintenance of the rented compressors. As of December 31, 2023, we had 1,247 natural gas compressors totaling 420,432 horsepower rented to 84 customers, compared to 1,221 natural gas compressors totaling 318,350 horsepower rented to 81 customers at December 31, 2022. Of the 420,432 horsepower rented as of December 31, 2023, we had 279,238 of the total horsepower operating under contracts expiring between 2024 and 2028 and we had 141,194 of that horsepower rented on a month-to-month basis. Of the 1,247 compressors rented at December 31, 2023, 773 were rented on a month-to-month basis.
We also fabricate natural gas compressors for sale to our customers, designing compressors to meet unique specifications dictated by well pressures, production characteristics and particular applications for which compression is sought. Fabrication of compressors involves our purchase of engines, compressors, coolers and other components, and our assembling of these components on skids for delivery to customer locations. These major components of our compressors are acquired through periodic purchase orders placed with third-party suppliers on an “as needed” basis, which presently requires a minimum three to twelve month lead time with delivery dates scheduled to coincide with our estimated production schedules. Although we do not have formal continuing supply contracts with any major supplier, we believe we have adequate alternative sources available. Finally due to supply chain disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and the increased rate of inflation, we continue to experience cost increases and sporadic unavailability of many of our parts needed to fabricate and maintain our rental fleet. While we have a robust supplier network, pricing pressure from our customers and competitors presents challenges in increasing our rental rates to offset these increased costs which could have a material adverse effect on the results of our operations and financial condition, particularly if we were unable to increase our rental rates and sales prices proportionate to any such component price increases. We also use third-party contractors for fabrication and these companies may experience the same risks.
In December 2023, we decided to cease fabrication of new compressor units for sale or rental to customers at our Midland, Texas facility. We continue to maintain new unit compressor fabrication capability at our Tulsa, Oklahoma facility as well as having relationships with multiple outsourced compressor fabrication providers.
We also manufacture a line of compressor frames, cylinders and parts, known as our CiP (Cylinder-in-Plane) product line. We use finished CiP component products in the fabrication of compressor units for sale or rental by us or sell the finished component products to other compressor fabricators. Although we have significantly de-emphasized our flare product line, we continue to hold a limited inventory of flare stacks and related ignition and control devices for onshore and offshore incineration of gas compounds such as hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, natural gas and liquefied petroleum gases. To provide customer support for our compressor and flare sales businesses, we stock varying levels of replacement parts at our Midland, Texas facility and at field service locations. We also provide an exchange and rebuild program for screw compressors and maintain an inventory of new and used compressors to facilitate this business.
We provide aftermarket services to our non-rental customers under written maintenance contracts or on an as-required basis in the absence of a service contract.
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The following table sets forth our revenues from each of our three product lines categories for the periods presented:
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)
Our strategy for growth is focused on our compressor rental business. Margins, exclusive of depreciation and amortization, for our rental business have historically run in the mid-40% to low-60% range, while margins for the compressor sales business tend to be in the mid-20% range.
The oil and natural gas equipment rental and services industry is cyclical in nature. The most critical factor in assessing the outlook for the industry is the worldwide supply and demand for oil and natural gas and the corresponding changes in commodity prices. As demand and prices increase, oil and natural gas producers typically increase their capital expenditures for drilling, development and production activities, although recent equity capital constraints and demands from institutional investors to keep spending within operating cash flow have meaningfully restrained capital expenditure budgets of domestic exploration and production companies. Generally, increased capital expenditures result in greater revenues and profits for service and equipment companies.
Generally, higher commodity prices lead to higher capital expenditures by oil and natural gas producers and higher levels of production. In general, we expect our overall business activity and revenues to track the level of activity in the oil and natural gas industry, specifically production levels, with changes in crude oil and condensate production and consumption levels and prices affecting our business more than changes in domestic natural gas production and consumption levels and prices. In recent years we have increased our rental and sales in unconventional oil shale plays, which are more dependent on crude oil prices. With this shift towards oil production the demand for overall compression services and products is driven by two general factors; an increased focus by producers on artificial lift applications, e.g., production enhancement with compression assisted gas lift; and declining reservoir pressure in maturing natural gas producing fields, especially non-conventional production. These latter types of applications have historically been serviced by wellhead size compressors, and continue to be, but there has also been an economic move by our customers towards centralized drilling and production facilities, which have increased the market need for single and multiple larger horsepower compressor packages. We recognized this need in recent years and have shifted our cash and fabrication resources towards designing, fabricating and renting gas compressor packages that range from 400 horsepower up to 2,500 horsepower. While this is a response to market conditions and trends, it also provides us with the opportunity to compete as a full-line compression provider.
We typically experience a decline in demand during periods of low crude oil and natural gas prices. In recent years, our level of activity has become more largely driven by the price of crude oil as opposed to natural gas. During the first quarter of 2020, due to COVID, we saw a substantial decline in the prices for oil and natural gas. While prices largely recovered in 2021 and then stabilized in 2022 and 2023, activity levels of exploration and production companies have been and will continue to be dependent not only on commodity prices, but also on their ability to generate sufficient operational cash flow to fund their activities. Generally, we feel that the level of demand for our compressor services is more closely tied to production activities, which are likely to fare better than drilling activity in periods of declining commodity prices.
For fiscal year 2024, our forecasted capital expenditures will be directly dependent upon our customers’ compression requirements and our capital availability, assuming prudent use of leverage. We believe that cash on hand, cash flows from operations and borrowings under our revolving credit facility will be sufficient to satisfy our capital and liquidity requirements through 2024. If we require additional capital to fund any significant unanticipated expenditures, including any material acquisitions of other businesses, joint ventures or other opportunities, this additional capital could exceed our current resources, might not be available to us when we need it, or might not be on acceptable terms.
Critical Accounting Policies and Practices
We have identified the policies below as critical to our business operations and the understanding of our results of operations. In the ordinary course of business, we have made a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of results of operations and financial condition in the preparation of our financial statements in conformity with accounting
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principles generally accepted in the United States. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates under different assumptions and conditions. We believe that the following discussion addresses our most critical accounting policies, which are those that are most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and require our most difficult, subjective, and complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. We describe our significant accounting policies more fully in Note 2 ("Summary of Significant Accounting Policies") to our consolidated financial statements.
Our critical accounting policies are as follows:
•revenue recognition;
•provision for credit losses;
•accounting for income taxes;
•accounting for long-lived assets; and
•accounting for inventory.
Revenue Recognition Policy
Our revenue is measured based on a consideration specified in a customer’s contract, excluding any sale incentives and taxes collected on behalf of third parties (i.e. sales and property taxes). We recognize revenue once a performance obligation has been satisfied and control over a product or service has transferred to the customer. Shipping and handling costs incurred are accounted for as fulfillment costs and are included in cost of revenues in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Nature of Goods and Services
Rental Revenue. The Company generates revenue from renting compressors and flare systems to our customers. These contracts may also include a fee for servicing the compressor or flare during the rental contract. Our rental contracts typically range from six to 60 months, with our larger horsepower compressors having longer minimum contract terms. Our rental revenue is recognized over time, with equal monthly payments over the term of the contract. After the terms of the contract have expired, a customer may renew their contract or continue renting on a monthly basis thereafter. Our rental business follows ASC 842 for revenue recognition. In accordance with ASC 842 – Leases, we have applied the practical expedient ASC 842-10-15-42A, which allows the Company to combine lease and non-lease components.
Sales Revenue. The Company generates revenue by the sale of custom/fabricated compressors, and parts, as well as, exchange/rebuilding customer owned compressors and sale of used rental equipment. The Company designs and fabricates compressors and flares based on the customer’s specifications outlined in their contract. Though the equipment being built is customized by the customer, control under these contracts does not pass to the customer until the compressor is completed and shipped, or, in accordance with a bill and hold arrangements, the customer accepts title and assumes the risk and rewards of ownership. We request some of our customers to make progressive payments as the product is being built; these payments are recorded as a contract liability on the Deferred Income line on the consolidated balance sheet until control has been transferred. These contracts also may include an assurance warranty clause to guarantee the product is free from defects in material and workmanship for a set duration of time; this is a standard industry practice and is not considered a performance obligation. Our sales and aftermarket services follow ASC 606 for revenue recognition.
Provision for Credit Losses
We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers and adjust credit limits based on management's assessment of the customer's financial condition, third-party credit reports and payment history, as well as industry conditions and general economic conditions. We continuously monitor collections and payments from our customers and maintain a provision for estimated credit losses based upon our historical experience and any specific customer collection issues that we have identified. While such credit losses have historically been within our expectations and the provisions established, we cannot guarantee that we will continue to experience the same credit loss rates that we have in the past. Management believes that its provision for credit losses is adequate; however, actual write-offs may exceed the recorded provision.
Accounting for Income Taxes
As part of the process of preparing our financial statements, we are required to estimate our federal income taxes as well as income taxes in each of the states in which we operate. This process involves us estimating our actual current tax exposure together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and accounting
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purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included in our consolidated balance sheet. We must then assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and, to the extent we believe that recovery is not probable, we must establish a valuation allowance. To the extent we establish a valuation allowance or increase this allowance in a period, we must include an expense in the tax provision in the statement of income.
Significant management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities and any valuation allowance recorded against our net deferred tax assets. We currently have no valuation allowance and fully expect to utilize all of our deferred tax assets.
ASC 740 also prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. In order to record any financial statement benefit, we are required to determine, based on technical merits of the position, whether it is more likely than not (a likelihood of more than 50 percent) that a tax position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes. If that step is satisfied, then we must measure the tax position to determine the amount of benefit to recognize in the financial statements. The tax position is measured at the largest amount of the benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Our policy regarding income tax interest and penalties is to expense those items as other expense.
Long-Lived Assets
Rental Equipment, Property and Equipment (Including Retirement of Rental Equipment)
Rental equipment and property and equipment are recorded at cost less accumulated depreciation, except for work-in-progress on new rental equipment which is recorded at cost until it’s complete and added to the fleet. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Our rental equipment has estimated useful lives between 15 to 25 years, while our property and equipment has estimated useful lives which range from 3 to 39 years. The majority of our property and equipment, including rental equipment, is a direct cost to generating revenue.
We assess the impairment of rental equipment and property and equipment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the net recorded amount may not be recoverable. The following factors could trigger an impairment review: significant underperformance relative to historical or projected future cash flows; significant adverse changes in the extent or manner in which asset (or asset group) is being used or its condition, including a meaningful drop in fleet utilization over the prior four quarters; significant negative industry or company-specific trends or actions, including meaningful capital expenditure budget reductions by our major customers or other sizable exploration and production or midstream companies, as well as significant declines in oil and natural gas prices; legislative changes prohibiting us from leasing our units; or poor general economic conditions. An impairment loss is recognized if the future undiscounted cash flows associated with the asset (or asset group) and the estimated fair value of the asset are less than the asset's carrying value.
Inventories
We value our total inventory (current and long-term) at the lower of the actual cost and net realizable value of the inventory. We regularly review inventory quantities on hand and record a provision for excess and obsolete inventory based primarily on current and anticipated customer demand and production requirements. The Company accesses anticipated customer demand based on current and upcoming capital expenditure budgets of its major customers as well as other significant companies in the industry, along with oil and natural gas price forecasts and other factors affecting the industry. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our provision for excess and obsolete inventory totaled $4.0 million. The majority of this amount was due to a 2023 charge related to the company's decision to cease future compressor fabrication at our Midland facility, which reduced the expected future demand of certain inventory items held at this facility.
Our Performance Trends and Outlook
The market for compression equipment and services is highly dependent on the production levels of oil and natural gas. The level of production for oil activity and capital expenditures has generally been dependent upon the prevailing view of future gas and oil prices, which are influenced by numerous supply and demand factors, including availability and cost of capital, well productivity and development costs, global and domestic economic conditions, environmental regulations, policies of OPEC countries and Russia, and other factors. We feel that the current oil market production outlook is favorable, with current oil prices creating strong incentives for our customers to maximize their production levels. We believe that the current natural gas market outlook is not as strong, as the current level of natural gas prices makes this a more challenging market. While oil prices have historically been volatile, we expect demand for our existing compressor fleet to remain positive assuming oil prices remain in reasonable bands around current pricing levels. While the current production outlook for natural gas is not as strong, given the continued level of depressed prices, we do feel that opportunities exist for specialized compression applications, including for our small and medium horsepower units.
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The oil and natural gas industries have historically been cyclical and production levels of oil and natural gas are dependent upon numerous factors. We will continue to evaluate our business and operating strategy and we will continue to remain prudent in both our allocation of capital and our capital structure. Nevertheless, if any of these circumstances change, our business could be adversely affected.
Results of Operations
Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2022
The table below shows our revenues and percentage of total revenues for each of our product lines for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Revenue
Year Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands)
Total revenue increased to $121.2 million from $84.8 million, or 42.8%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to 2022. This increase was mainly a result of increased rental revenue (42.6% increase) primarily due to a greater number of large horsepower units being rented and rental unit price increases as well as higher aftermarket service revenue (239.7% increase) primarily due to increased compressor sets and related freight charges.
Rental revenue increased to $106.2 million (42.6%) from $74.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to 2022. Rental revenues comprised 87.6% of our total revenues for the years ended December 31, 2023, compared to 87.8% for 2022. As of December 31, 2023, we had 1,876 natural gas compressors in our rental fleet, up from 1,869 units at year end 2022. In addition, the Company's total unit horsepower increased by 22.3% to 520,365 at December 31, 2023, compared to 425,340 horsepower at year end 2022. As of December 31, 2023, we had 1,247 natural gas compressors totaling 420,432 horsepower rented to 84 customers, compared to 1,221 natural gas compressors totaling 318,350 horsepower rented to 81 customers as of December 31, 2022. This increase in rented horsepower reflects the addition of 73 high horsepower compressors with 94,340 horsepower to the Company's fleet during 2023. The rental fleet had unit utilization as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 of 66.5% and 65.3%, respectively, while our horsepower utilization for the same periods was 80.8% and 74.8%, respectively. The increase in both utilization metrics was mainly the result of the addition and increased demand for our higher horsepower units. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we placed into service 92 newly set units, 73 of which were 400 horsepower or larger.
Sales revenue increased to $8.9 million from $8.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to 2022. This increase is largely attributable to an increase in parts sales during 2023. Sales are subject to fluctuations in the timing of industry activity related to capital projects and, as such, can vary substantially between periods.
Company management routinely reviews its inventory for obsolescence. Due to the slow-moving nature, obsolescence of a portion of the Company's long-term inventory, inventory related to the retirement of certain rental equipment and management's decision to cease further fabrication at our Midland fabrication facility, we recorded an increase of $4.0 million in the inventory allowance reserve to reduce the carrying amount of inventory items where we feel there is reduced future demand for certain items. We ended 2023 with an inventory allowance balance of $4.0 million.
Company management also routinely reviews its rental fleet to determine which units are no longer of the type, configuration, make or model that our customers are demanding or that are not cost efficient to refurbish, maintain and/or operate. As a result of this review, we determined 95 units should be retired from our rental fleet. Accordingly, we recorded a $0.5 million loss on retirement of rental equipment during the year ended December 31, 2023.
Operating income increased to $10.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in operating income was mainly due to a $36.3 million increase in revenues partially offset by a $2.8 million increase in selling, general and administrative expenses and a $11.1 million increase in costs of rentals primarily related to growth of our rental fleet and inflationary pressures on parts and labor expenses.
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Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased by $2.8 million to $16.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to $13.6 million for 2022. This 20.6% increase was primarily the result of increased consulting and recruiting charges related to interim executive roles and search firms partially offset by a decrease in officer bonus accruals.
Depreciation and amortization expense increased to $26.6 million from $24.1 million, or 10.1%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to 2022. The increase is the result of new units added to our rental fleet in 2023. We added 92 units (approximately 98,349 horsepower) to our fleet during the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2023. Seventy-three of those units were 400 horsepower or larger, representing approximately 96% of the horsepower added.
Income tax expense increased to $1.9 million from $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to 2022. Our effective tax rate for both years differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21%. The Company recorded a current income tax expense of $0.5 million on its consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022. Our income tax expense in 2023 was largely due to certain executive severance compensation expenses incurred during 2023 that are non-deductible for income tax purposes. As such, we recognized income tax expense of $1.9 million while incurring net income before income taxes of $6.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Adjusted Gross Margin Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2022
The table below shows our adjusted gross margin and related percentages for each of our product lines for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. Adjusted gross margin is the difference between revenue and cost of revenues, exclusive of depreciation and amortization expense.
Adjusted Gross Margin (1)
Year Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands)
(1) For a reconciliation of adjusted gross margin to its most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, please read "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below.
Our overall adjusted gross margin percentage increased to 48.5% for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to 45.3% for the year ended December 31, 2022. Our increase in gross margin is mainly due to an increase in rental revenues. Rental revenues increased 42.6% over 2022, while our costs of rentals increased 29.5% driven by additional units sets and inflationary pressures primarily in labor and parts costs. Our sales margin decreased to 0.0% in 2023 from 10.7% in 2022. Sales revenues increased 4.1% attributable to increased parts sales. While many sales costs are variable, certain costs such as labor or fixed overhead are less variable as a certain staff level is retained to meet demand when market forces shift. Third party aftermarket services margin decreased to 23.5% from 46.6% for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to 2022. This decrease is primarily attributable to a large increase in lower margin pass through costs related to new compressor sets during 2023. Aftermarket services only represents 5.0% of our revenue in 2023, providing minimal impact on our overall adjusted gross margin.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Our definition and use of Adjusted EBITDA
“Adjusted EBITDA” is a non-GAAP financial measure that we define as earnings (net income or (loss)) before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as well as an increase in inventory allowance and inventory impairment expense, retirement of rental equipment, non-recurring severance expenses and non-cash equity compensation expenses. This term, as used and defined by us, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures employed by other companies and is not a measure of performance calculated in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for operating income, net income or loss, cash flows provided by operating, investing and financing activities, or other income or cash flow statement data prepared in accordance with GAAP. However, management believes Adjusted EBITDA is useful to an investor in evaluating our operating performance because:
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•it is widely used by investors in the energy industry to measure a company’s operating performance without regard to items excluded from the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA, which can vary substantially from company to company depending upon accounting methods and book value of assets, capital structure and the method by which assets were acquired, among other factors;
•it helps investors to more meaningfully evaluate and compare the results of our operations from period to period by removing the impact of our capital structure and asset base from our operating structure; and
•it is used by our management for various purposes, including as a measure of operating performance, in presentations to our Board of Directors, as a basis for strategic planning and forecasting, and as a component for setting incentive compensation.
Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under generally accepted accounting principles. Some of these limitations are:
•Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect all our cash expenditures, future requirements for capital expenditures, or contractual commitments;
•Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs;
•Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our debts; and
•although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect any capital expenditures for such replacements.
There are other material limitations to using Adjusted EBITDA as a measure of performance, including the inability to analyze the impact of certain recurring items that materially affect our net income or loss, and the lack of comparability of results of operations of different companies. Please read the table below under “Reconciliation” to see how Adjusted EBITDA reconciles to our net income, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.
Reconciliation
The following table reconciles our net income (loss), the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, to Adjusted EBITDA:
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)
Impairment expense 779 —
Retirement of rental equipment 505 196
Our definition and use of Adjusted Gross Margin
We define “Adjusted Gross Margin” as total revenue less costs of revenues (excluding depreciation and amortization expense). Adjusted gross margin is included as a supplemental disclosure because it is a primary measure used by our management as it represents the results of revenue and costs (excluding depreciation and amortization expense), which are key components of our operations. Adjusted gross margin differs from gross margin, in that gross margin includes depreciation expense. We believe adjusted gross margin is important because it focuses on the current operating performance of our operations and excludes the impact of the prior historical costs of the assets acquired or constructed that are utilized in those
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operations. Depreciation expense does not accurately reflect the costs required to maintain and replenish the operational usage of our assets and therefore may not portray the costs from current operating activity. Rather, depreciation expense reflects the systematic allocation of historical property and equipment values over the estimated useful lives.
Adjusted gross margin has certain material limitations associated with its use as compared to gross margin. These limitations are primarily due to the exclusion of depreciation expense, which is material to our results of operations. Because we use capital assets, depreciation expense is a necessary element of our costs and our ability to generate revenue. In order to compensate for these limitations, management uses this non-GAAP measure as a supplemental measure to other GAAP results to provide a more complete understanding of our performance.
As an indicator of our operating performance, adjusted gross margin should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, gross margin as determined in accordance with GAAP. Our adjusted gross margin may not be comparable to a similarly titled measure of another company because other entities may not calculate adjusted gross margin in the same manner.
Reconciliation
The following table calculates gross margin, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, and reconciles it to adjusted gross margin:
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)
Costs of revenue, exclusive of depreciation and amortization (62,454) (46,357)
Depreciation allocable to costs of revenue (25,856) (23,551)
Depreciation allocable to costs of revenue 25,856 23,551
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our working capital positions as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 were as follows:
As of December 31,
(in thousands)
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,746 $ 3,372
Current Liabilities:
For the year ended December 31, 2023, we invested approximately $153.9 million in rental equipment, property and other equipment. During the year, we added $152.5 million in new equipment to our rental fleet and $1.4 million in other property and equipment. Our investment in rental equipment includes any changes to work-in-progress related to our rental fleet jobs at the beginning of the year compared to the end of the year. Our rental work-in-progress increased by $13.8 million during
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2023. We financed our investment in rental equipment, property and other equipment with cash flows from operations during 2023 and borrowings under our revolving credit facility. We anticipate that our cash flows from operations as well as our borrowing capacity under our Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (defined below) will provide ample liquidity for our planned capital expenditures during 2024 and beyond.
Cash flows
At December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $2.7 million compared to $3.4 million at year end 2022. Our cash flow from operations of $18.0 million was offset by capital expenditures of $153.9 million during 2023. We had net proceeds of $139.0 million from borrowings under our revolving credit facility. We also had working capital of $43.6 million at December 31, 2023, compared to $23.7 million at December 31, 2022. We had net cash flow from operating activities of $18.0 million during 2023 compared to $27.8 million during 2022. Our cash flow from operating activities of $18.0 million was negatively impacted by changes in working capital. Certain such changes were caused by a significant increase in rental activity, which led to delays in billing and collecting amounts due from certain customers. We anticipate a reversal of this trend during 2024 and a return to more historical levels of working capital.
Senior Bank Borrowings
On May 11, 2021, we entered into a five-year senior secured revolving credit agreement ("Credit Agreement") with Texas Capital Bank, National Association (the "Lender") with an initial commitment of $20 million and an accordion feature that would increase the maximum commitment to $30 million, subject to collateral availability. We also have a right to request from the Lender, on an uncommitted basis, an increase of up to $30 million on the aggregate commitment; provided, however, the aggregate commitment amount is not permitted to exceed $50 million. The maturity date of the Credit Agreement is May 11, 2026. The obligations under the Credit Agreement are secured by a first priority lien on a variety of our assets, including inventory and accounts receivable as well as a variable number of our leased compressor equipment.
On February 28, 2023, we replaced our Credit Agreement by entered into a five-year senior secured revolving credit agreement (“Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”) with Texas Capital Bank, as administrative agent (the “Lender”), TCBI Securities, Inc., as joint lead arranger and sole book runner and Bank of America, N.A., as joint lead arranger, with an initial commitment of $175 million as of the closing date. Subject to collateral availability, we also have a right to request from the Lender, on an uncommitted basis, an increase of up to $125 million on the aggregate commitment; provided, however, the aggregate commitment amount is not permitted to exceed $300 million. The maturity date of the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement is February 28, 2028. The obligations under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement are secured by a first priority lien on a variety of our assets, including inventory and accounts receivable as well as a variable number of our leased compressor equipment. In connection with the amendment, we agreed to pay fees of $2.0 million (representing fees equal to 1.39% of the $145 million increase in the commitment) and reimburse the lenders for their expenses. The obligations under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement are secured by a first priority lien on a variety of our assets, including inventory and accounts receivable as well as a variable number of our leased compressor equipment.
On November 14, 2023, the Company entered into a First Amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the 'Amendment") with the Lender and certain other lenders to (i) increase the lender commitment from $175 million to $225 million, and (ii) to add First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company as a new lender to the facility. In connection with the Amendment, we agreed to pay fees of $0.6 million (representing fees equal to 1.125% of the $50 million increase in the commitment) and reimburse the lenders for their expenses.
Borrowing Base. At any time before the maturity of the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, we may draw, repay and re-borrow amounts available under the borrowing base up to the maximum aggregate availability discussed above. Generally, the borrowing base equals the sum of (a) 85% of eligible accounts receivable owed to the Company, plus (b) 50% of the eligible inventory, valued at the lower of cost or market value at such time, subject to a cap of this component not to exceed $2.5 million, plus (c) the lesser of (i) 95% of the net book value of the compressors that the Lender has determined are eligible for the extension of credit, valued at the lower of cost or market value with depreciation not to exceed 25 years, at such time and (ii) 80% of the net liquidation value percentage of the net book value of the eligible compressors that the Lender has determined are eligible for the extension of credit, valued at the lower of cost or market value with depreciation not to exceed 25 years, at such time, plus (d) 80% of the net book value, valued at the lower of cost (excluding any costs for capitalized interest or other noncash capitalized costs) or market of the eligible new compressor fleet, minus (e) any required availability reserves determined by the Lender in its sole discretion. The Lender may adjust the borrowing base components if material deviations in the collateral are discovered in future audits of the collateral.
Interest and Fees. Under the terms of the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, we have the option of selecting the applicable variable rate for each revolving loan, or portion thereof, of either (a) the Base Rate (as defined below) plus the Applicable Margin, or (b) in the case of a Term SOFR ("Secured Overnight Financing Rate") Loan, the Adjusted Term SOFR rate plus the Applicable Margin. "Base Rate" means, for any day, a rate of interest per annum equal to the highest of (a) the
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prime rate for such day; (b) the sum of the federal funds rate for such day plus 0.50%; and (c) the Adjusted Term SOFR for such day plus 1.00%. The Applicable Margin is determined based upon the leverage ratio as set forth in the most recent compliance certificate received by the Lender for each fiscal quarter from time to time pursuant to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. Depending on the leverage ratio, the Applicable Margin can be 2.00% to 2.75% for Base Rate Loans (as defined in the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement) and 3% to 3.75% for Term SOFR Loans and for requested letters of credit. In addition, we are required to pay a monthly commitment fee on the daily average unused amount of the commitment while the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement is in effect at an annual rate equal to 0.50% of the unused commitment amount. Accrued interest is payable monthly on outstanding principal amounts and unused commitment fee, provided that accrued interest on Term SOFR Loans is payable at the end of each interest period, but in no event less frequently than quarterly.
Covenants. The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains customary representations and warranties, as well as covenants which, among other things, condition or limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness and liens; enter into transactions with affiliates; make acquisitions in excess of certain amounts; pay dividends; redeem or repurchase capital stock or senior notes; make investments or loans; make negative pledges; consolidate, merge or effect asset sales; or change the nature of our business. In addition, we are subject to certain financial covenants in the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement that require us to maintain (i) a leverage ratio, as defined, lesser than or equal to 3.50 to 1.00 as of the last day of each fiscal quarter ending on or prior to December 31, 2024 and 3.25 to 1.00 for the fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2025 and for each fiscal quarter thereafter and (ii) a fixed charge coverage ratio greater than or equal to1.25 to 1.00 as of the last day of each fiscal quarter.
Events of Default and Acceleration. The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains customary events of default for credit facilities of this size and type, and includes, without limitation, payment defaults; defaults in performance of covenants or other agreements contained in the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement and the other transaction documents; inaccuracies in representations and warranties; certain defaults, termination events or similar events; certain defaults with respect to any other Company indebtedness in excess of $1 million; certain bankruptcy or insolvency events; the rendering of certain judgments in excess of $1 million; certain ERISA events; certain change in control events and the defectiveness of any liens under the secured revolving credit agreement. Obligations outstanding under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement may be accelerated upon the occurrence of an event of default.
As of December 31, 2023, we had $164 million outstanding under our Amended and Restated Credit Agreement with a weighted average interest rate of 9.40%, and we were in compliance with all financial covenants in our Amended and Restated Credit Agreement.
Components of Our Principal Capital Expenditures
Capital expenditures for the years ended December 31:
(in thousands)
Rental equipment and property and equipment $ 153,943 $ 65,122
The level of our capital expenditures will vary in future periods depending on energy market conditions and other related economic factors. Based upon existing economic and market conditions, we believe that our cash on hand, operating cash flow and available line of credit are adequate to fully fund our net capital expenditures requirements for 2024. We also believe we have flexibility with respect to our financing alternatives and adjustments to our capital expenditure plans if circumstances warrant. We do not have any material continuing commitments related to our current operations that cannot be met with our cash on hand and our line of credit. However, our financing capacity could be negatively impacted by other economic factors. Please see Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this report.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
From time-to-time, we enter into off-balance sheet arrangements and transactions that can give rise to off-balance sheet obligations. As of December 31, 2023, we did not have any material off-balance sheet arrangements.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (ASC Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The amendments to ASC Topic 326 require immediate recognition of estimated credit
33
losses expected to occur over the remaining life of many financial assets, including trade receivables. For companies that qualify as smaller reporting companies, the amendments in this update are effective for interim and annual periods beginning after January 1, 2023. January 1, 2023, we adopted ASU 2016-13 on our consolidated financial statements and note disclosures. The adoption did not have a material impact on our financial statements.
Environmental Regulations
Various federal, state and local laws and regulations covering the discharge of materials into the environment, or otherwise relating to protection of human safety and health and the environment, affect our operations and costs. Compliance with these laws and regulations could cause us to incur remediation or other corrective action costs or result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties and the issuance of injunctions delaying or prohibiting operations. In addition, we have acquired certain properties and plant facilities from third parties whose actions with respect to the management and disposal or release of hydrocarbons or other wastes were not under our control. Under environmental laws and regulations, we could be required to remove or remediate wastes disposed of or released by prior owners. In addition, we could be responsible under environmental laws and regulations for properties and plant facilities we lease, but do not own. Compliance with such laws and regulations increases our overall cost of business, but has not had a material adverse effect on our operations or financial condition. It is not anticipated, based on current laws and regulations, that we will be required in the near future to expend amounts that are material in relation to our total expenditure budget in order to comply with environmental laws and regulations but such laws and regulations are frequently changed and we are unable to predict the ultimate cost of compliance. We also could incur costs related to the cleanup of sites to which we send equipment and for damages to natural resources or other claims related to releases of regulated substances at such sites.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Not applicable to Smaller Reporting Companies.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Our consolidated financial statements and supplementary financial data are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K beginning on page F-1.
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (1) recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and (2) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.
Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Interim Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2023. Based upon the evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Interim Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective at a reasonable assurance level, due to the material weakness that was previously disclosed effective December 31, 2022 and discussed below.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and our Interim Chief Accounting Officer, is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (“ICFR”), as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance
34
regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of the consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Our management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on the Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
Based on the results of this evaluation, the Company’s management concluded that internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2023, due to the unremedied material weakness listed below.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in ICFR, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
We have concluded that the following material weakness in our ICFR that was previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,2022 has not been fully remediated as of December 31, 2023.
Management identified a material weakness in its ICFR at December 31, 2023, over our inventory process. Specifically, we have identified issues related to year-end physical inventory count procedures, and the process to review and approve inventory adjusting journal entries.
After giving full consideration to this material weakness, and the additional analyses and other procedures that we performed to ensure that our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K were prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“US GAAP”), our management has concluded that our consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods disclosed in conformity with US GAAP.
Remediation Plan for Previously Identified Material Weakness
Management, with the oversight of the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors, has been actively engaged in remediation efforts to address the material weakness throughout 2023, and these efforts will continue into 2024.
We made progress towards addressing our material weakness in inventory through the specific actions listed below:
•We have made and continue to make enhancements to our control environment by improving guidance, communication of expectations and importance of internal controls. Specifically, in the second quarter of 2023, we engaged a third-party consulting firm, who specializes in internal controls over financial reporting, to assist with the design, implementation, and assessment of our controls and procedures.
•We have hired additional qualified operational and executive personnel during 2023, which has helped to provide additional capacity and expertise to enhance inventory procedures. Specifically, in the third quarter of 2023, the Company hired a new Inventory Control Manager who assumed direct responsibility for inventory procedures and controls. Additionally. in the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company hired a new President and Chief Operating Officer, who is also deeply involved in the inventory process. The Company is also currently assessing if additional accounting and financial personnel should be hired in the organization in order to perform control activities in support of preparation of the financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We expect that this assessment will be completed during the second quarter of 2024, with appropriate action taken during 2024, to ensure that the Company has a sufficient complement of qualified personnel at the right levels, based on any identified gaps in personnel requirements.
•We have evaluated and improved the inventory process and procedures. Specifically, we have retrained all involved personnel in the inventory process, with emphasis on periodic count procedures and inventory adjustments.
•We have updated our inventory accounting policies and procedures to ensure completeness and accuracy of inventory accounts through proper cutoff, accruals, and analytic review procedures at period end.
35
While these actions and planned actions are subject to ongoing management evaluation and will require validation and testing of the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls over a sustained period of financial reporting cycles, we are committed to the continuous improvement of our ICFR and will continue to diligently review our ICFR.
Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm on our ICFR because we are a Smaller Reporting Company and are not subject to auditor attestation requirements under applicable SEC rules.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Other than the changes noted above there were no changes in our ICFR during the year ended December 31, 2023, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURES REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS
None.
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PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the sections “Election of Directors,” “Executive Officers,” “Corporate Governance” and “The Board of Directors and its Committees” in our definitive proxy statement which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after December 31, 2023 or as such period may be extended by action of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to our directors, officers and employees. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is posted in the "Investor Relations" section of our website at www.ngsgi.com. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics maybe obtained free of charge by writing before to Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., Attn: Investor Relations, 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Ste 300 Midland, TX 79705.
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the section “Executive Compensation” in our definitive proxy statement which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after December 31, 2023 or as such period may be extended by action of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the section “Principal Shareholders and Security Ownership of Management” in our definitive proxy statement which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after December 31, 2023 or as such period may be extended by action of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTORINDEPENDENCE
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the sections “Related Person Transactions” and “Corporate Governance” in our definitive proxy statement which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after December 31, 2023 or as such period may be extended by action of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the section “Principal Accountant Fees and Services” in our definitive proxy statement which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after December 31, 2023 or as such period may be extended by action of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
37
PART IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The following documents are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:
(a)(1) and (a)(2) Consolidated Financial Statements
For a list of Consolidated Financial Statements, see “Index to Consolidated Financial Statements” incorporated herein by reference.
(a)(3) Exhibits
A list of exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K is set forth below:
Exhibit No.Description
38
*21.1 Subsidiaries of the registrant
*23.1 Consent of Ham, Langston & Brezina L.L.P.
97.1* Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. Clawback Policy
101.INS XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
* Filed herewith.
ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY
None.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
April 1, 2024 By: /s/ Justin C. Jacobs
Justin C. Jacobs
Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS,that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Justin Jacobs and John Bittner, jointly and severally, as his/her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him/her and in his/her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite or necessary to be done in and about the premises hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated:
Signature Title Date
/s/ Stephen C. Taylor Chairman of the Board of Directors April 1, 2024
Stephen C. Taylor
John Bittner
/s/ Don Tringali Director April 1, 2024
Don Tringali
/s/ Nigel J. Jenvey Director April 1, 2024
Nigel J. Jenvey
/s/ David L. Bradshaw Director April 1, 2024
David L. Bradshaw
/s/ Georganne Hodges Director April 1, 2024
Georganne Hodges
40
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 F-2
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements F-6
41
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of
Natural Gas Services Group, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
Critical audit matters are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. We determined that there are no critical audit matters.
/s/ Ham, Langston & Brezina LLP
Houston, Texas
April 1, 2024
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2022.
F - 1
NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS(in thousands)
December 31,
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,746 $ 3,372
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current Liabilities:
Commitments and contingencies (Note 15)
Stockholders’ Equity:
Preferred stock, 5,000 shares authorized, no shares issued or outstanding — —
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 478,729 $ 328,246
See accompanying notes to these consolidated financial statements.
F - 2
Year Ended December 31,
Revenue:
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of rentals, exclusive of depreciation stated separately below 48,877 37,750
Cost of sales, exclusive of depreciation stated separately below 8,919 7,650
Selling, general and administrative expenses 16,457 13,642
Impairment expense 779 —
Retirement of rental equipment 505 196
Other income (expense):
Other income (expense) 245 (108)
Total other expense, net (3,837) (472)
Income (loss) before income taxes: 6,620 (41)
Provision for income taxes:
Total income tax expense (1,873) (528)
Earnings (loss) per share:
Weighted average shares outstanding:
See accompanying notes to these consolidated financial statements.
F - 3
NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(in thousands)
Shares Amount Shares Amount Shares Amount
Compensation expense on common stock options — — — — 255 — — — 255
Issuance of restricted stock — — 125 — — — — — —
Compensation expense on restricted common stock — — — 1 1,654 — — — 1,655
Purchase of treasury shares — — — — — — 535 (6,660) (6,660)
Net loss — — — — — (569) — — (569)
Compensation expense on common stock options — — — — 97 — — — 97
Issuance of restricted stock — — 169 — — — — — —
Compensation expense on restricted common stock — — — 2 1,955 — — — 1,957
See accompanying notes to these consolidated financial statements.
F - 4
Year Ended December 31,
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Amortization of debt issuance costs 425 48
Gain on disposal of assets (481) (250)
Impairment expense 779 —
Retirement of rental equipment 505 196
Provision for credit losses 492 —
Loss on company owned life insurance 235 389
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid income taxes and prepaid expenses (7) (250)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 2,436 10,033
NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES 18,033 27,764
CASH FLOWS USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchase of rental equipment, property and other equipment (153,943) (65,122)
Purchase of company owned life insurance (422) (329)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment 477 372
NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES (153,888) (65,079)
CASH FLOWS PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Payments of other long term liabilities (95) (3)
Payments of debt issuance costs (2,693) (77)
Purchase of treasury shares — (6,660)
Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards (983) (515)
NET CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES 135,229 17,745
NET CHANGE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS (626) (19,570)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD 3,372 22,942
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD $ 2,746 $ 3,372
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION:
NON-CASH TRANSACTIONS
Transfer of rental equipment to inventory $ 665 $ —
Right of use asset acquired through a finance lease $ 1,146 $ —
Right of use asset acquired through an operating lease $ 63 $ 229
See accompanying notes to these consolidated financial statements.
F - 5
NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. Description of Business
Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (the "Company", “NGS”, "Natural Gas Services Group", "we" or "our") (a Colorado corporation), is a leading provider of natural gas compression equipment and services to the energy industry. We rent, operate and maintain natural gas compressors and related equipment. We also design, fabricate and manufacture compressor units both for sale and rental to our customers. NGS is headquartered in Midland, Texas, with a fabrication facility located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a rebuild shop in Midland, Texas, and service facilities located in major oil and natural gas producing basins in the U.S. The Company was formed on December 17, 1998.
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, its subsidiary, NGSG Properties, LLC and the rabbi trust associated with the Company’s deferred compensation plan, see Note 10. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions for the periods presented have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in these consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant estimates include fixed asset lives, provision for credit losses and the allowance for inventory obsolescence. Additionally, NGS conducts a yearly review of impairment of long-lived assets. Throughout the review, determining factors are based on estimates that can significantly impact the carrying value of these assets. It is at least reasonably possible these estimates could be revised in the near term and the revisions could be material.
Cash Equivalents and Financial Instruments
For purposes of reporting cash flows, we consider all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. At times, cash balances at banks and financial institutions may exceed federally insured amounts.
Accounts Receivable
Our trade receivables consist of customer obligations for the sale of compressors and flare systems due under normal trade terms, and operating leases for the use of our natural gas compressors. The receivables are not collateralized except as provided for under lease agreements. However, we typically require deposits of as much as 50% or use of progress payments for large custom sales contracts. We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers and adjust credit limits based on management's assessment of the customer's financial condition and payment history, as well as industry conditions and general economic conditions. We continuously monitor collections and payments from our customers, and maintain a provision for estimated credit losses based upon our historical experience and any specific customer collection issues that we have identified. While such credit losses have historically been within our expectations and the provisions established, we cannot guarantee that we will continue to experience the same credit loss rates that we have in the past. The provision for credit losses was $0.8 million and $0.3 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Management believes that the allowance is adequate; however, actual write-offs may exceed the recorded allowance.
F - 6
A summary of our allowance for credit losses is as follows:
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)
Revenue Recognition Policy
Revenue is measured based on a consideration specified in a customer’s contract, excluding any sale incentives and taxes collected on behalf of third parties (i.e. sales and property taxes). Revenue is recognized when a customer obtains control of promised goods or services in an amount that reflects the consideration that we expect to receive for those goods or services. To recognize revenue, we (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when, or as, we satisfy the performance obligation(s). Shipping and handling costs incurred are accounted for as fulfillment costs and are included in cost of revenues in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Nature of Goods and Services
The following is a description of principal activities from which the Company generates its revenue:
Rental Revenue. The Company generates revenue from renting compressors and flare systems to our customers. These contracts, which all qualify as operating leases under ASC Topic 842, Leases (ASC 842), may also include a fee for servicing the compressor or flare during the rental contract. Our rental contracts typically range from six to 60 months. Our revenue is recognized over time, with equal monthly payments over the term of the contract. After the terms of the contract have expired, a customer may renew their contract or continue renting on a monthly basis thereafter. In accordance with ASC 842 – Leases, we have applied the practical expedient ASC 842-10-15-42A, which allows the Company to combine lease and non-lease components.
Sales Revenue. The Company generates revenue by the sale of custom/fabricated compressors, flare systems and parts, as well as exchange/rebuilding customer owned compressors and sale of used rental equipment. Our sales revenue is recognized in accordance with ASC 606.
Custom/fabricated compressors - The Company designs and fabricates compressors based on the customer’s specifications outlined in their contract. Though the equipment being built is customized by the customer, control under these contracts does not pass to the customer until the compressor is completed and shipped, or in accordance with a bill and hold arrangements the customer accepts title and assumes the risk and rewards of ownership. We request some of our customers to make progressive payments as the product is being built; these payments are recorded as a contract liability on the Deferred Income line on the consolidated balance sheet until control has been transferred. These contracts also may include an assurance warranty clause to guarantee the product is free from defects in material and workmanship for a set duration of time; this is a standard industry practice and is not considered a performance obligation.
Parts - Revenue is recognized after the customer obtains control of the parts. Control is passed either by the customer taking physical possession or the parts being shipped. The amount of revenue recognized is not adjusted for expected returns, as our historical part returns have been de minimis.
Exchange or rebuild customer owned compressors - Based on the contract, the Company will either exchange a new/rebuilt compressor for the customer’s malfunctioning compressor or rebuild the customer’s compressor. Revenue is recognized after control of the replacement compressor has transferred to the customer based on the terms of the contract, i.e., by physical delivery, delivery and installment, or shipment of the compressor.
F - 7
Used compressors or flares - From time to time, a customer may request to purchase a used compressor out of our rental fleet. Revenue from the sale of rental equipment is recognized when the control has passed to the customer based on the terms of the contract, i.e. when the customer has taken physical possession or the equipment has been shipped.
Aftermarket Service Revenue. The Company provides routine or call-out services on customer owned equipment. Revenue is recognized after services in the contract are rendered.
Payment terms for sales revenue and aftermarket services revenue discussed above are generally 30 to 60 days although terms for specific customers can vary. Also, the transaction prices are not subject to variable consideration constraints.
Disaggregation of Revenue
The following table shows the Company's revenue disaggregated by product or service type for the years ended:
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)
Other (Parts/Rebuilds) - sales 7,034 4,728
Total revenue from contracts with customers 15,008 10,360
Contract Balances
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had the following receivables and deferred income from contracts with customers:
December 31,
(in thousands)
Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable - contracts with customers $ 7,138 $ 4,353
Less: Allowance for doubtful accounts (823) (338)
Deferred income $ 418 $ 37
The Company recognized less than $0.1 million in revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023, that was included in accrued liabilities at the beginning of 2023. For the period ended December 31, 2022, the Company recognized revenue of $1.3 million from amounts related to sales that were included in deferred income at the beginning of 2022.
The increases (decreases) in accounts receivable and deferred income were primarily due to normal timing differences between our performance and the customers’ payments.
Transaction Price Allocated to the Remaining Performance Obligations
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $0.4 million of revenue related to unsatisfied performance obligations.
F - 8
Contract Costs
The Company recognizes the incremental costs of obtaining contracts as an expense when incurred if the amortization period of the assets that the Company otherwise would have recognized is one year or less. These costs are included in selling, general and administrative expense on our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Leases
Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 842 requires all leases to be reported on the balance sheet as right-of-use ("ROU") assets and lease obligations. We determine if an arrangement is a lease at inception and determine lease classification and recognize ROU assets and liabilities on the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As the discount rate implicit in the lease is rarely readily determinable, we estimate our incremental borrowing rate using information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of the lease payments. We, as a lessee, apply the practical expedient to not separate non-lease components from lease components, therefore, accounting for each separate lease component and its associated non-lease component, as a single lease component. For each lease that 1) contains the same timing and pattern of transfer for lease and non-lease components and 2) if the lease component, if accounted for separately, would be classified as an operating lease, the Company has elected to not separate non-lease components from lease components.
Major Customers and Concentration of Credit Risk
Sales and rental income from Occidental Permian, LTD. ("Oxy") in 2023 and 2022 amounted to 50% and 42% of revenue, respectively. No other single customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenues in 2023 and 2022. Oxy's accounts receivable balances amounted to 64% and 55% of our accounts receivable as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. No other customers amounted to more than 10% of our accounts receivable as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Inventory
Inventory (current and long-term) is valued at the lower of cost and net realizable value. The cost of inventories is determined by the weighted average method. We regularly review inventory quantities on hand and record a provision for excess and obsolete inventory based primarily on current and anticipated customer demand and production requirements. The Company assesses anticipated customer demand based on current and upcoming capital expenditure budgets of its major customers as well as other significant companies in the industry, along with oil and natural gas price forecasts and other factors affecting the industry. In addition, our long-term inventory consists of raw materials and replacement parts that remain useable but which the Company does not expect to sell or use within the next year.
Rental Equipment and Property and Equipment
Rental equipment and property and equipment are recorded at cost less accumulated depreciation, except for work-in-progress on new rental equipment which is recorded at cost until it’s complete and added to the fleet. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Our rental equipment has estimated useful lives between 15 and 25 years, while our property and equipment has estimated useful lives which ranges from 3 to 39 years. The majority of our property and equipment, including rental equipment, is a direct cost to generating revenue.
We assess the impairment of rental equipment and property and equipment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the net recorded amount may not be recoverable. The following factors could trigger an impairment review: significant underperformance relative to historical or projected future cash flows; significant adverse changes in the extent or manner in which asset (or asset group) is being used or its condition, including a meaningful drop in fleet utilization over the prior four quarters; significant negative industry or company-specific trends or actions, including meaningful capital expenditure budget reductions by our major customers or other sizable exploration and production or midstream companies, as well as significant declines in oil and natural gas prices; legislative changes prohibiting us from leasing our units or flares; or poor general economic conditions. An impairment loss is recognized if the future undiscounted cash flows associated with the asset (or asset group) and the estimated fair value of the asset are less than the asset's carrying value.
Sales of equipment out of the rental fleet are included with sales revenue and cost of sales, while retirements of units are shown a separate operating expense. Gains and losses resulting from sales and dispositions of other property and equipment are included within selling, general, and administrative expenses. Maintenance and repairs are charged to cost of rentals as incurred.
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Intangibles
At December 31, 2023 and 2022, NGS had intangible assets, which relate to developed technology and a trade name. Developed technology is amortized on a straight-line basis with a useful life of 20 years, with a weighted average remaining life of approximately four years as of December 31, 2023. NGS has an intangible asset related to the trade name of SCS which was acquired in our acquisition of Screw Compression Systems in January 2005. This asset is not being amortized as it has been deemed to have an indefinite life.
Our policy is to review intangibles that are being amortized for impairment when indicators of impairment are present. In addition, it is our policy to review indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually or when indicators of impairment are present. We review intangibles through an assessment of the estimated future cash flows related to such assets. In the event that assets are found to be carried at amounts in excess of estimated undiscounted future cash flows, then the assets will be adjusted for impairment to a level commensurate with a discounted cash flow analysis of the underlying assets.
Warranty
When warranted, we accrue amounts for estimated warranty claims based upon current and historical product warranty costs and any other related information known. There was no warranty reserve as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Income Taxes
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, and net operating losses and tax credit carry-forwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the period that includes the statutory enactment date. Valuation allowances are established to reduce deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
ASC Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. In order to record any financial statement benefit, we are required to determine, based on technical merits of the position, whether it is more likely than not (a likelihood of more than 50 percent) that a tax position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes. If that step is satisfied, then we must measure the tax position to determine the amount of benefit to recognize in the financial statements. The tax position is measured at the largest amount of the benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. We have no uncertain tax positions as of December 31, 2023.
Our policy regarding income tax interest and penalties is to expense those items as other expense.
Capitalized Interest
Effective January 1, 2023, the Company began capitalizing interest from external borrowings on significant expenditures for the fabrication of its natural gas compressor equipment until such projects are ready for their intended use. Capitalized interest is added to the cost of the underlying asset and is amortized over the useful lives of the assets in the same manner as the underlying assets. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company capitalized interest totaling approximately $5.5 million.
Fair Value Measurement
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date under current market conditions. ASC Topic 820 established a fair value hierarchy, which requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs when measuring fair value. These inputs are categorized as follows:
Level 1- quoted prices in an active market for identical assets or liabilities;
Level 2- quoted prices in an active market for similar assets or liabilities, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for similar assets or liabilities, inputs derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means; and
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Level 3- valuation methodology with unobservable inputs that are significant to the fair value measurement.
Management believes that the fair value of our cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables, and accounts payable at December 31, 2023 and 2022 approximate their carrying values due to the short-term nature of the instruments or the use of prevailing market interest rates. The company considered the borrowings under the credit facility to approximate fair value based upon borrowing rates currently available to us for loans with similar terms (level 2).
Segments and Related Information
ASC 280-10-50, “Operating Segments”, define the characteristics of an operating segment as a) being engaged in business activity from which it may earn revenue and incur expenses, b) being reviewed by the company's chief operating decision maker (CODM) for decisions about resources to be allocated and assess its performance and c) having discrete financial information. Although we look at our products to analyze the nature of our revenue, other financial information, such as certain costs and expenses, net income and EBITDA are not captured or analyzed by these categories. Our CODM does not make resource allocation decisions or assess the performance of the business based on these categories, but rather in the aggregate. Based on this, management believes that it operates in one business segment.
We are engaged in the business of designing and fabricating compressors. Our compressors are sold and rented to our customers. In addition, we provide aftermarket services on compressors in our fleet and to third parties. These business activities are similar in all geographic areas. Historically, our manufacturing process has been essentially the same for the entire Company and has been performed in-house at our facilities in Midland, Texas and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Increasingly, however, we have contracted with third party fabricators to assemble our larger horsepower natural gas compressors. Our customers primarily consist of entities in the business of producing oil and natural gas. The maintenance and service of our products is consistent across the entire Company and is performed via an internal fleet of vehicles. The regulatory environment is similar in every jurisdiction in that the most impacting regulations and practices are the result of federal energy policy.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (ASC Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The amendments to ASC Topic 326 require immediate recognition of estimated credit losses expected to occur over the remaining life of many financial assets, including trade receivables. For companies that qualify as smaller reporting companies, the amendments in this update are effective for interim and annual periods beginning after January 1, 2023. As of January 1, 2023 we adopted ASU 2016-13. The standard did not materially affect our consolidated financial statements and note disclosures.
In December 2023, the Financial Standards Accounting Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2023- 09 “Income Taxes (Topics 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures” to expand the disclosure requirements for income taxes, specifically related to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid. ASU 2023-09 is effective for our annual periods beginning January 1, 2025, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the potential effect that the updated standard will have on the financial statement disclosures.
In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07 “Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures” which expands annual and interim disclosure requirements for reportable segments, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses. ASU 2023-07 is effective for our annual periods beginning January 1, 2024, and for interim periods beginning January 1, 2025, with early adoption permitted. The adoption is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements or disclosures.
3. Inventory
Our inventory, net of allowance for obsolescence of $4.0 million and $0.1 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, consisted of the following:
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December 31,
(in thousands)
Our long-term inventory consists of raw materials that remain viable but which the Company does not expect to sell or use within the next year.
Inventory Allowance
We routinely review our inventory allowance balance to account for slow moving or obsolete inventory costs that may not be recoverable in the future. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our provision for excess and obsolete inventory totaled $4.0 million. The majority of this amount was due to a 2023 charge related to the company's decision to cease future compressor fabrication at our Midland facility, which reduced the expected future demand of certain inventory items held at this facility.
A summary of our inventory allowance is as follows:
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)
Beginning balance $ 120 $ 64
4. Rental Equipment, Property and Equipment
Rental Equipment
Our rental equipment and associated accumulated depreciation as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, consisted of the following:
December 31,
(in thousands)
Rental equipment, net of accumulated depreciation $ 373,649 $ 246,450
Our rental equipment has an estimated useful life between 15 and 25 years. Depreciation expense for rental equipment was $24.0 million and $21.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
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Retirement of Rental Equipment
Management routinely reviews the Company's inventory of rental equipment for retirement or obsolescence. During 2023, management reviewed the rental fleet to determine which units were not of the type, configuration, make or model that our customers are demanding or that were not cost efficient to refurbish, maintain and/or operate. As a result of this review, we recorded a $0.5 million loss on retirement of rental equipment during the year ended December 31, 2023.
During our review of our rental compressor units in 2022, we recorded a $0.2 million loss on retirement of rental equipment.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment consists of the following at December 31, 2023 and 2022:
December 31,
(in thousands)
Depreciation expense for property and equipment was $2.4 million and $2.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Depreciation Expense by Product Line
The following table depicts annual depreciation expense associated with each product line as well as our corporate activities at December 31, 2023 and 2022:
December 31,
(in thousands)
Service & Maintenance 89 33
5. Rental Activity
We rent natural gas compressor packages to entities in the petroleum industry. These rental arrangements are classified as operating leases and generally have original terms of six months to sixty months and continue on a month-to-month basis thereafter.
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Future minimum rent payments for arrangements not on a month-to-month basis at December 31, 2023, are as follows:
Years Ending December 31, (in thousands)
Thereafter —
6. Leases
The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception by assessing whether it conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. The Company’s operating leases are primarily related to property leases for its field offices. The Company's operating leases have remaining lease terms of one to eight years. Renewal and termination options are included in the lease term when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise the option. The company's finance leases are primarily related to vehicles used in our rental business. The company's finance leases have lease terms of 3 years.
The Company's lease agreements do not contain any contingent rental payments, material residual guarantees or material restrictive covenants.
Right of use assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As substantially all of the Company's leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate, which is based on a fully collateralized loan over the lease term, to determine the present value of lease payments. The following table reflects the amounts related to leases that are recorded on our consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:
Classification on Consolidated December 31,
($ in thousands)
Operating lease assets Other assets $ 210 $ 349
Finance lease assets Other assets $ 1,045 $ —
Current lease liabilities Accrued liabilities $ 58 $ 155
Current lease liabilities Accrued liabilities 307 —
Non-current lease liabilities Other long-term liabilities 173 194
Non-current lease liabilities Other long-term liabilities 723 —
Total lease liabilities $ 1,261 $ 349
Weighted average remaining lease term in years 3.1 4.5
Implicit Rate 9.1 % 5.2 %
Operating lease costs are recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Total operating lease costs for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 were approximately $0.5 million and $0.4 million respectively.
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December 31,
(in thousands)
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities
Finance lease cost $ 95 $ —
(1) Lease costs are classified on the Consolidated Statements of Operations in cost of sales, cost of compressors and selling, general and administrative expenses.
(2) Includes costs of $0.3 million for leases with terms of 12 months or less and $0.2 million for leases with terms greater than 12 months for the year ended December 31, 2023. Includes costs of $0.2 million for leases with terms of 12 months or less and $0.2 million for leases with terms greater than 12 months for the year ended December 31, 2022.
The following table shows the future maturities of lease liabilities:
Year Ending December 31, Lease Liabilities
(in thousands)
Thereafter 16
Total lease payments 1,276
Less: Imputed interest (15)
Rent expense under such leases was $0.2 million and $0.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
7. Intangibles
At December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had intangible assets, which relate to developed technology and a trade name. Amortization expense recognized in each of the years ending December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $0.1 million. Estimated amortization expense for 2024 is approximately $0.1 million. The Company has an intangible asset with a gross carrying value of $0.7 million at December 31, 2023, related to the trade name of SCS which was acquired in our acquisition of Screw Compression Systems in January 2005. This asset is not being amortized as it has been deemed to have an indefinite life.
The following table represents the identified intangible assets by major asset class (in thousands):
Our policy is to review intangibles that are being amortized for impairment when indicators of impairment are present. In addition, it is our policy to review indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually or when indicators of
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impairment are present. We review intangibles through an assessment of the estimated future cash flows related to such assets. In the event that assets are found to be carried at amounts in excess of estimated undiscounted future cash flows, then the assets will be adjusted for impairment to a level commensurate with a discounted cash flow analysis of the underlying assets. Based upon our analysis, we experienced no impairment of intangible assets during the years ended December 31, 2023 or 2022.
8. Credit Facility
On May 11, 2021, we entered into a five-year senior secured revolving credit agreement ("Credit Agreement") with Texas Capital Bank, National Association (the "Lender") with an initial commitment of $20 million and an accordion feature that would increase the maximum commitment to $30 million, subject to collateral availability. On December 12, 2022, we entered into a First Amendment to the Credit Agreement (the "First Amendment") to increase the maximum commitment to $30 million. We also have a right to request from the Lender, on an uncommitted basis, an increase of up to $30 million on the aggregate commitment; provided, however, the aggregate commitment amount is not permitted to exceed $50 million. The maturity date of the Credit Agreement was May 11, 2026. The obligations under the Credit Agreement were secured by a first priority lien on a variety of our assets, including inventory and accounts receivable as well as a variable number of our leased compressor equipment. At December 31, 2022, we had $25.0 million outstanding under the Credit Agreement with a weighted average interest rate of 7.32%.
On February 28, 2023, we replaced our Credit Agreement by entering into a five-year senior secured revolving credit agreement (“Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”) with Texas Capital Bank, as administrative agent (the “Lender”), TCBI Securities, Inc., as joint lead arranger and sole book runner and Bank of America, N.A., as joint lead arranger, with an initial commitment of $175 million as of the closing date. Subject to collateral availability, we also have a right to request from the Lender, on an uncommitted basis, an increase of up to $125 million on the aggregate commitment; provided, however, the aggregate commitment amount is not permitted to exceed $300 million. The maturity date of the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement is February 28, 2028. In connection with the amendment we agreed to pay fees of $2.0 million (representing fees equal to 1.39% of the $145 million increase in the commitment) and reimburse the lenders for their expenses. The obligations under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement are secured by a first priority lien on a variety of our assets, including inventory and accounts receivable as well as a variable number of our leased compressor equipment.
On November 14, 2023, the Company entered into a First Amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the "Amendment") with the Lender and certain other lenders to (i) increase the lender commitment from $175 million to $225 million, and (ii) to add First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company as a new lender to the facility. In connection with the Amendment, we agreed to pay fees of $0.6 million (representing fees equal to 1.125% of the $50 million increase in the commitment) and reimburse the lenders for their expenses. As of December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with all financial covenants in our credit agreement. At December 31, 2023, we had $164.0 million outstanding under our Amended and Restated Credit Agreement at a weighted average interest rate of 9.40%. At December 31, 2023, we had approximately $56.0 million of availability under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement.
Borrowing Base. At any time before the maturity of the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, we may draw, repay and re-borrow amounts available under the borrowing base up to the maximum aggregate availability discussed above. Generally, the borrowing base equals the sum of (a) 85% of eligible accounts receivable owed to the Company, plus (b) 50% of the eligible inventory, valued at the lower of cost or market value at such time, subject to a cap of this component not to exceed $2.5 million, plus (c) the lesser of (i) 95% of the net book value of the compressors that the Lender has determined are eligible for the extension of credit, valued at the lower of cost or market value with depreciation not to exceed 25 years, at such time and (ii) 80% of the net liquidation value percentage of the net book value of the eligible compressors that the Lender has determined are eligible for the extension of credit, valued at the lower of cost or market value with depreciation not to exceed 25 years, at such time, plus (d) 80% of the net book value, valued at the lower of cost (excluding any costs for capitalized interest or other noncash capitalized costs) or market of the eligible new compressor fleet, minus (e) any required availability reserves determined by the Lender in its sole discretion. The Lender may adjust the borrowing base components if material deviations in the collateral are discovered in future audits of the collateral.
Interest and Fees. Under the terms of the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, we have the option of selecting the applicable variable rate for each revolving loan, or portion thereof, of either (a) the Base Rate (as defined below) plus the Applicable Margin, or (b) in the case of a Term SOFR (“Secured Overnight Financing Rate”) Loan, the Adjusted Term SOFR rate plus the Applicable Margin. "Base Rate" means, for any day, a rate of interest per annum equal to the highest of (a) the prime rate for such day; (b) the sum of the federal funds rate for such day plus 0.50%; and (c) the Adjusted Term SOFR for such day plus 1.00%. The Applicable Margin is determined based upon the leverage ratio as set forth in the most recent compliance certificate received by the Lender for each fiscal quarter from time to time pursuant to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. Depending on the leverage ratio, the Applicable Margin can be 2.00% to 2.75% for Base Rate Loans (as
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defined in the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement) and 3% to 3.75% for Term SOFR Loans and for requested letters of credit. In addition, we are required to pay a monthly commitment fee on the daily average unused amount of the commitment while the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement is in effect at an annual rate equal to 0.50% of the unused commitment amount. Accrued interest is payable monthly on outstanding principal amounts and unused commitment fee, provided that accrued interest on Term SOFR Loans is payable at the end of each interest period, but in no event less frequently than quarterly.
Covenants. The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains customary representations and warranties, as well as covenants which, among other things, condition or limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness and liens; enter into transactions with affiliates; make acquisitions in excess of certain amounts; pay dividends; redeem or repurchase capital stock or senior notes; make investments or loans; make negative pledges; consolidate, merge or effect asset sales; or change the nature of our business. In addition, we are subject to certain financial covenants in the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement that require us to maintain (i) a leverage ratio, as defined, lesser than or equal to 3.50 to 1.00 as of the last day of each fiscal quarter ending on or prior to December 31, 2024 and 3.25 to 1.00 for the fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2025 and for each fiscal quarter thereafter and (ii) a fixed charge coverage ratio greater than or equal to 1.25 to 1.00 as of the last day of each fiscal quarter.
Events of Default and Acceleration. The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains customary events of default for credit facilities of this size and type, and includes, without limitation, payment defaults; defaults in performance of covenants or other agreements contained in the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement and the other transaction documents; inaccuracies in representations and warranties; certain defaults, termination events or similar events; certain defaults with respect to any other Company indebtedness in excess of $1.0 million; certain bankruptcy or insolvency events; the rendering of certain judgments in excess of $1.0 million; certain ERISA events; certain change in control events and the defectiveness of any liens. Obligations outstanding under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement may be accelerated upon the occurrence of an event of default.
9. Income Taxes
The provision for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, consists of the following (in thousands):
Current expense
State expense $ (35) $ (17)
Total current expense (35) (17)
Deferred (expense) benefit:
Total deferred expense (1,838) (511)
The effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, differs from the statutory rate as follows:
State and local taxes (1.3) % 812.2 %
Stock based compensation 0.7 % (58.5) %
Nondeductible compensation 8.2 % (1,846.3) %
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act ("CARES Act") was enacted in response to the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act, among other things, permits federal income tax net operating loss ("NOL") carryovers and carrybacks to offset 100% of taxable income for taxable years beginning before 2021. In addition, the CARES Act allows NOLs incurred in 2018, 2019, and 2020 to be carried back to each of the five preceding taxable years to generate a refund of previously paid federal income taxes.The Company generated significant NOLs
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during 2018 and 2019 and filed carryback claims for these losses to the preceding five years.Accordingly, as of March 31, 2020, the Company recorded a federal income tax receivable of $15.0 million and an increase to its deferred tax liability of $10.1 million on its balance sheet.During the third quarter of 2020, the Company received refunds corresponding to the 2018 NOL carryback, leaving a balance in the federal income tax receivable of $11.5 million at December 31, 2023.
In conjunction with the $11.5 million income tax refund claim, on March 8, 2023, the Company received a notice from the Internal Revenue Service that its 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 income tax returns were selected for examination.
The income tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of deferred income tax assets and (liabilities) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, are as follows (in thousands):
Deferred income tax assets:
Research and development credits 1,313 1,338
Interest expense 991 —
Inventory reserves 893 —
Deferred income tax liabilities:
Goodwill and other intangible assets (143) (192)
Total deferred income tax liabilities (68,253) (48,619)
Net deferred income tax liabilities $ (41,636) $ (39,798)
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had NOL carryforwards for federal income tax purposes of $96.0 million, which may be carried forward indefinitely and can offset up to 80% of future taxable income in any given year.Future changes in ownership, as defined by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code ("IRC"), could limit the amount of NOL carryforwards used in any one year.In general, under Section 382 and 383 of the IRC, a corporation that undergoes an “ownership change” is subject to limitations on its ability to utilize its pre-change NOLs and certain tax credits, to offset future taxable income and tax. In general, an ownership change occurs if the aggregate stock ownership of certain stockholders changes by more than 50 percentage points over such stockholders’ lowest percentage of ownership during the testing period (generally three years).
We account for uncertain tax positions in accordance with guidance in FASB ASC 740, which prescribes the minimum recognition threshold a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements. The Company assessed whether it had any uncertain tax positions related to open tax years and concluded there were none. Accordingly, no reserve for uncertain tax positions has been recorded as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Our policy regarding income tax interest and penalties is to expense those items as incurred. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, there were no significant income tax interest or penalty items in the statement of operations.
We file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state jurisdictions. With few exceptions, we are no longer subject to U.S. federal or state income tax examination by tax authorities for years before 2015.
10. Deferred Compensation Plans
Effective January 1, 2016, the Company established a non-qualified deferred compensation plan for executive officers, directors and certain eligible employees. The assets of the deferred compensation plan are held in a rabbi trust and are subject to additional risk of loss in the event of bankruptcy or insolvency of the Company. The plan allows for deferral of up to 90% of a participant’s base salary, bonus, commissions, director fees and restricted stock awards. A Company owned life insurance policy held in a rabbi trust is utilized as a source of funding for the plan. The cash surrender value of the life insurance policy is $3.0 million and $2.4 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, with a loss related to the policy of $(0.2) million
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and $(0.4) million reported in other income in our consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
For deferrals of base salary, bonus, commissions and director fees, settlement payments are made to participants in cash, either in a lump sum or in periodic installments. The deferred obligation to pay the deferred compensation and the deferred director fees is adjusted to reflect the positive or negative performance of investment measurement options selected by each participant and was $3.6 million and $2.8 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The deferred obligation is included in other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets.
For deferrals of restricted stock units, the plan does not allow for diversification, therefore, distributions are paid in shares of our common stock and the obligation is carried at grant value. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, we have none and 3,138 unvested restricted stock units being deferred. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively we have released and issued 191,700 and 188,562 shares to the deferred compensation plan with a value of $2.7 million and $2.6 million, respectively.
11. Stockholders' Equity
Preferred Stock
We have a total of 5.0 million authorized preferred shares which may be issued in series with rights and preferences as designated by the Board of Directors. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, there were no issued or outstanding preferred shares.
12. Stock-Based and Other Long-Term Incentive Compensation
Restricted Stock
On June 20, 2019, at our annual meeting of shareholders, our shareholders approved the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan for restricted shares/units, stock options and other equity awards which reserved for issuance up to 500,000 shares of common stock in connection with awards. On June 16, 2022, at our annual meeting of shareholders, our shareholders approved an amendment to the Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares available for issuance under the plan by 650,000 shares of common stock. As of December 31, 2023, we had outstanding awards of 133,898 shares under the Equity Incentive Plan that may vest over the next three years. As of December 31, 2023, 405,833 shares were still available for issuance under the Equity Incentive Plan.
On April 26, 2022, 4,212 shares of restricted common stock were awarded to each of our four independent Board members. The restricted stock issued to our directors vests in one year from the date of grant. On August 15, 2022, the Compensation Committee awarded 32,040 shares of restricted common stock to two executive officers that vest ratably over three years, beginning on April 25, 2023. In addition, on August 15, 2022, the Compensation Committee awarded 60,839 shares of restricted common stock to Mr. Stephen Taylor, our Interim Chief Executive Officer. The restricted shares granted to Mr. Taylor vested in full on June 30, 2023. On April 25, 2023, the Compensation Committee awarded 27,840 shares of restricted stock to our Chief Technical Officer that vest ratably over three years, beginning on April 25, 2024. Pursuant to the Retirement Agreement dated May 17, 2022, between the Company and Mr. Taylor, our Interim Chief Executive Officer, on April 25, 2023, the Compensation Committee awarded 58,790 fully vested shares of common stock to Mr. Taylor. On May 9, 2023, the Compensation Committee awarded each of our four independent Board members 9,470 restricted stock units. These restricted stock units vest one year from the date of grant. On June 30, 2023, Stephen C. Taylor was granted restricted stock units for 10,101 and 10,101 shares of common stock that will vest immediately and one year from the date of grant, respectively. On October 8, 2023, the Compensation Committee awarded 6,361 restricted stock units to Brian Tucker, our Chief Operating Officer. These units will vest ratably over three years beginning on October 9, 2024. On October 26, 2023, the compensation committee awarded 4,623 restricted stock units to an independent director. These units vest one year from the date of the grant.
Compensation expense related to the restricted shares was approximately $2.0 million and $1.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, there was a total of approximately $0.7 million of unrecognized compensation expense related to the unvested portion of these restricted shares/units. This expense is expected to be recognized over the next three years.
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A summary of all restricted stock/unit activity as of December 31, 2022 and 2023 and changes during the years then ended are presented below.
Other Long-Term Incentive Compensation
On April 28, 2020, the Compensation Committee issued a long-term incentive award of $1.1 million to an executive officer that vests in equal, annual tranches over three years. At the time of vesting, each tranche was paid in cash. On March 18, 2021, the Compensation Committee issued a long-term incentive award of $1.0 million to an executive officer that vests in equal, annual tranches over three years. On March 18, 2021, we issued a $50,000 award to each of our three independent Board members. On April 1, 2021, we issued a $50,000 award to a newly appointed independent Board member. These awards vest one year from the date of grant and were paid in cash upon vesting. On April 26, 2022, we issued a $50,000 award to each of our four independent Board members. These awards vest one year from the date of grant and were paid in cash upon vesting. The Company accounts for these other long-term incentive awards as liabilities under accrued liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet. The vesting of these awards is subject to acceleration upon certain events, such as (i) death or disability of the recipient, (ii) certain circumstances in connection with a change of control of the Company, (iii) for executive officers, termination without cause (as defined in the agreement), and (iv) for executive officers, resignation for good reason (as defined). Total compensation expense related to these other long-term incentive awards was approximately $0.4 million and $1.0 million respectively for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022 respectively there was a total of $0.0 million and $0.7 million of unrecognized compensation expense related to these other long-term incentive awards which is expected to be recognized over the next year.
1998 Stock Option Plan
Our 1998 Stock Option Plan as amended, which is stockholder approved, permits the granting of stock options to its employees for up to 1.0 million shares of common stock. We believe that such awards align the interests of our employees with our stockholders. Option awards are generally granted with an exercise price equal to the market price of our stock at the date of grant; those option awards generally vest in equal increments over three years of continuous service and have ten-year contractual terms. Certain option and share awards provide for accelerated vesting if there is a change in control of the Company (as defined in the Stock Option Plan). The last date that grants can be made under the Stock Option Plan is February 28, 2026. As of December 31, 2023, 415,085 shares were still available to be granted under the Stock Option Plan.
The fair value of each option award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option valuation model that uses the assumptions noted in the following table. The risk-free rate for periods within the contractual life of the option is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant. The expected life of options granted is based on the vesting period and historical exercise and post-vesting employment termination behavior for similar grants. We use historical data to estimate option exercise and employee termination within the valuation model; separate groups of employees that have similar historical exercise behavior are considered separately for valuation purposes.
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Expected volatility 47 % 54.5 %
Expected dividend yield — % — %
During the year ended December 31, 2023, and 2022, we made 6,000 and 215,000 stock option grants, respectively.
A summary of all option activity as of December 31, 2022 and 2023 and changes during the years then ended are presented below:
(in thousands)
The weighted average grant date fair value of options granted during 2023 and 2022 was $5.11 and $4.24 per option respectively. There were no option exercises in either 2023 or 2022.
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The following table summarizes information about our stock options outstanding at December 31, 2023:
Range of Exercise Prices Options Outstanding Options Exercisable
The summary of the status of our unvested stock options as of December 31, 2023, and changes during the year then ended is presented below.
Unvested stock options: Shares Weighted AverageGrant Date Fair Value
We recognized stock compensation expense from stock options of $0.1 million and $0.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, there was $0.1 million of unamortized compensation cost related to unvested stock options.
13. Earnings (loss) per Share
Basic earnings (loss) per common share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings (loss) per common share is computed using the weighted average number of common stock and common stock equivalent shares outstanding during the period.
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The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted loss per share (in thousands, except per share amounts):
Year Ended December 31,
Numerator:
Denominator for basic net earnings (loss) per common share:
Weighted average common shares outstanding 12,316 12,305
Denominator for diluted net income (loss) per share:
Weighted average common shares outstanding 12,316 12,305
Dilutive effect of stock options and restricted shares 67 —
Earnings (loss) per common share:
In the year ended December 31, 2022, 250,847 restricted stock/units and 201,584 stock options were not included in the computation of diluted loss per share due to their antidilutive effect. In the year ended December 31, 2023, 10,984 restricted stock/units and 129,751 stock options were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share due to their antidilutive effect.
14. Accrued Liabilities
Accrued liabilities consisted of the following as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands):
15. Commitments and Contingencies
Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we are a party to various legal proceedings in the ordinary course of our business. While management is unable to predict the ultimate outcome of these actions, it believes that any ultimate liability arising from these actions will not have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flow. We are not currently a party to any bankruptcy, receivership, reorganization, adjustment or similar proceeding, and we are not aware of any other threatened litigation.
16. Related Party
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we sold $0.9 million of compressor components to N-G Joint Venture, LLC our 14% joint venture. As of December 31, 2023, we had accounts receivable of $0.2 million with N-G.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we paid $0.3 million to Mill Road Capital, a large shareholder, for expense reimbursements related to our cooperation agreement.
17. Subsequent Events
On February 1, 2024, the Company announced that it had appointed Justin Jacobs as Chief Executive Officer, effective February 12, 2024. Mr. Jacobs is a member of our board of directors.
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