SLB Announces Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2022 Results

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- SLB (NYSE: SLB) today announced results for the fourth-quarter and full-year 2022.

Fourth-Quarter Results

SLB CEO Olivier Le Peuch commented, “We delivered strong fourth-quarter results and concluded a remarkable year for SLB with great success. Revenue grew across all Divisions and geographical areas, with robust year-end sales in digital and particularly strong service activity offshore and in the Middle East where we witnessed a significant inflection as capacity expansion projects mobilized.

“Sequentially, fourth-quarter revenue grew 5%; EPS, excluding charges and credits, expanded to $0.71; and adjusted EBITDA margins grew to 24.4%—219 basis points (bps) higher than the same quarter last year—exceeding our target exit rate. More importantly, fourth-quarter pretax segment operating margins and EPS were the highest since 2015, reflecting our enhanced earnings power and potential as activity growth momentum is sustained through the next few years.

An Outstanding Year of Success with Significant Tailwinds

“We concluded the year with 23% growth in revenue; 70% growth in EPS, excluding charges and credits; adjusted EBITDA margin expansion of 152 bps; cash flow from operations of $3.7 billion; and 13% ROCE, its highest level since 2014.

“Overall, 2022 was transformative for SLB as we set new safety, operational, and performance benchmarks for our customers and strengthened our market position both internationally and in North America. We launched our bold new brand identity, reinforcing our leadership position in energy technology, digital, and sustainability, and demonstrated our ability to deliver superior earnings in this early phase of a structural upcycle in energy.

“In North America, we seized the growth cycle throughout the year, increased our pretax operating margins close to 600 bps, and almost doubled our pretax operating income. We effectively harnessed our refocused portfolio, fit-for-basin technology, and performance differentiation to gain greater market access and improved pricing, particularly in the drilling markets where we significantly outperformed rig count growth. Today, we have built one of the highest-quality oilfield services and equipment businesses in North America through the implementation of our returns-focused strategy.

“In the international markets, after a first half of the year that was impacted by geopolitical conflict and supply chain bottlenecks, activity began to visibly inflect in the second half of the year, resulting in full year revenue growth of 20% and margin expansion of more than 150 bps. We laid the foundation for further growth and margin expansion through pricing improvements and a solid pipeline of incremental contract awards. In the Middle East, SLB is well positioned to be a key beneficiary of this visible market expansion, and we expect record levels of upstream investment by NOCs to continue in the next few years. During the year, we secured a sizeable share of tender awards in the region, driven by our differentiated performance, fit-for-purpose technology, and best-in-class local content. Similarly, across offshore basins, we continue to consolidate our advantaged position with new contract awards, particularly in Latin America and Africa.

“In this context, our investments in capex and inventory increased as we exited the year in support of new international and offshore project mobilizations. These factors, combined with lower-than-expected year-end collections, resulted in free cash flow reducing to $0.9 billion for the fourth quarter. Despite these effects, we continued to strengthen our balance sheet during the quarter by reducing both net and gross debt.

“Beyond our financial results, we made significant progress in our sustainability initiatives during the year. We reduced our Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions intensity and launched several new Transition Technologies* to support the decarbonization of oil and gas. Our Transition Technologies portfolio revenue grew more than 30% year on year, and we project it will cross the $1 billion revenue mark in 2023.

“Finally, we initiated increased returns to shareholders, demonstrating confidence in our strategy, our financial outperformance, and our commitment to superior returns. We increased our dividend by 40% in April 2022, followed by a further 43% increase today, and we resumed our share buyback program this month.

“I am extremely proud of our full-year results, and I would like to extend my thanks to the entire team for their outstanding performance.”

Primed for Strong Growth and Returns—A Distinctive New Phase in the Upcycle

Le Peuch said, “The fourth quarter affirmed a distinctive new phase in the upcycle. In the Middle East, revenue increased by double digits sequentially, with growth in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates in the solid teens, affirming the much-anticipated acceleration of activity in the region. Offshore activity continued to strengthen, partially offset by seasonality in the Northern Hemisphere. In North America, US land rig count remains at robust levels, although the pace of growth is moderating. Additionally, pricing continues to trend favorably, extending beyond North America and into the international regions, supported by new technology and very tight equipment and service capacity in certain markets.

“These activity dynamics, improved pricing, and our commercial success—particularly in the Middle East, offshore, and North American markets—combine to set a very strong foundation for outperformance in 2023.

“Looking ahead, we believe the macro backdrop and market fundamentals that underpin a strong multi-year upcycle for energy remain very compelling in oil and gas and in low-carbon energy resources. First, oil and gas demand is forecast by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to grow by 1.9 million barrels per day in 2023 despite concerns for a potential economic slowdown in certain regions. In parallel, markets remain very tightly supplied. Second, energy security is prompting a sense of urgency to make further investments to ensure capacity expansion and diversity of supply. And third, the secular trends of digital and decarbonization are set to accelerate with significant digital technology advancements, favorable government policy support, and increased spending on low-carbon initiatives and resources.

“Based on these factors, global upstream spending projections continue to trend positively. Activity growth is expected to be broad-based, marked by an acceleration in international basins. These positive activity dynamics will be amplified by higher service pricing and tighter service sector capacity. The impact of loosening COVID-19 restrictions and an earlier than expected reopening of China could support further upside potential over 2023.

“Overall, the combination of these effects will result in a very favorable mix for SLB with significant growth opportunities in our Core, Digital, and New Energy. We expect another year of very strong growth and margin expansion. We have a clear strategy, an advantaged portfolio, and the right team in place to drive our business forward. I look forward to another successful year for our customers and our shareholders.”

Other Events

On October 26, 2022, SLB announced it entered into an agreement to acquire Gyrodata Incorporated, a global company specializing in gyroscopic wellbore positioning and survey technology. The acquisition will integrate Gyrodata’s wellbore placement and surveying technologies within SLB’s Well Construction business, to bring customers innovative drilling solutions. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023.

In December 2022, SLB repurchased $804 million of its outstanding notes, consisting of $395 million of 3.75% Senior Notes due 2024 and $409 million of 4.00% Senior Notes due 2025.

On January 19, 2023, SLB’s Board of Directors approved a 43% increase in SLB’s quarterly cash dividend from $0.175 per share of outstanding common stock to $0.25 per share, beginning with the dividend payable on April 6, 2023, to stockholders of record on February 8, 2023.

Fourth-Quarter Revenue by Geographical Area

International

Revenue in Latin America of $1.6 billion increased 7% sequentially due to higher Well Construction revenue from increased drilling activity and improved pricing, mainly in Mexico and Brazil. Increased Production Systems sales in Brazil and higher APS project activity in Ecuador also contributed to the sequential revenue growth. Year on year, revenue grew 34% due to higher drilling activity and increased pricing across the area. Higher APS project activity in Ecuador, increased stimulation and drilling activity in Argentina, and higher Production Systems sales and drilling in Brazil also contributed to the year-on-year revenue growth.

Europe/CIS/Africa revenue of $2.1 billion increased 1% sequentially due to strong activity across all Divisions in Africa, mainly in Angola, Central & East Africa, and higher reservoir evaluation and intervention activity in the Caspian, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan. These increases, however, were almost fully offset by activity declines in Russia, Scandinavia, and Europe due to the onset of seasonal effects. Compared to the same quarter last year, revenue grew 30% due to strong Well Construction activity and improved pricing across the area, higher Production Systems sales in Europe and Scandinavia, and activity increases in Africa across Divisions.

Revenue in the Middle East & Asia of $2.5 billion increased 7% sequentially mainly due to double-digit growth across the Middle East, primarily in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Qatar, from strong activity led by Well Construction and Production Systems. Asia was sequentially flat as revenue growth in East Asia, India, and Australia was offset by declines in Indonesia and China, with the latter due to the onset of seasonal effects. Year on year, revenue increased 19% due to increased activity across Divisions in Asia and higher activity from new projects in the Middle East—notably, increased drilling and stimulation activity in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Qatar.

North America

North America revenue of $1.6 billion increased 6% sequentially driven by strong year-end exploration data licensing sales in the US Gulf of Mexico boosting North America offshore revenue. US land revenue increased sequentially due to drilling revenue growth, which outperformed the rig count growth. Compared to the same quarter last year, North America revenue grew 27%. All Divisions experienced significant year-on-year revenue growth, led by Well Construction and Production Systems.

Fourth-Quarter Results by Division

Digital & Integration

Digital & Integration revenue of $1.0 billion increased 12% sequentially, propelled by year-end exploration data licensing sales in the Gulf of Mexico and Africa; increased APS project activity in Ecuador; and higher digital sales in Europe, Africa, and Latin America.

Year on year, revenue growth of 14% was driven primarily by higher APS project revenue in Ecuador and increased exploration data and digital sales both in North America and internationally.

Digital & Integration pretax operating margin of 38% expanded 386 bps sequentially, due to improved profitability in exploration data licensing and digital solutions. Year on year, pretax operating margin was essentially flat.

Reservoir Performance

Reservoir Performance revenue of $1.6 billion increased 7% sequentially from new stimulation and intervention projects and activity gains in the Middle East, mainly in Saudi Arabia; intervention activity in the Caspian; and higher exploration evaluation activity as a result of new technology adoption in Europe and Africa, primarily in offshore Scandinavia, Angola, and Ivory Coast.

Year on year, revenue growth of 21% was broad, with double-digit growth across all areas due to increased activity. The revenue growth was led by the Middle East & Asia, which grew 22%. Intervention and stimulation services experienced double-digit growth, both on land and offshore.

Reservoir Performance pretax operating margin of 18% expanded 146 bps sequentially. Profitability was boosted by higher offshore and exploration activity, mainly in Africa, and strong development activity, particularly in US land, and in the Middle East & Asia. Year on year, pretax operating margin expanded 265 bps, with profitability improving both in evaluation and intervention, and geographically improving in US land, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Well Construction

Well Construction revenue of $3.2 billion increased 5% sequentially, outperforming global rig count growth due to strong activity from new projects and solid pricing improvements internationally, particularly in the Middle East & Asia and Latin America. Revenue growth in the Middle East was particularly strong in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, while in Latin America, drilling activity increased mainly in Brazil and Mexico. Europe/CIS/Africa was flat as strong growth in Africa—mainly in Angola, Gabon, Namibia, and South Africa—was offset by seasonal effects in the Northern Hemisphere. In North America, sequential revenue growth outpaced the rig count increase in US land. All business lines, which include measurement, drilling, fluids, and equipment, posted sequential increases, with equipment reporting double-digit growth during the quarter.

Year on year, revenue growth of 35% was driven by strong activity and solid pricing improvements, led by Latin America, which grew 54%, and North America which increased 48%. Europe/CIS/Africa revenue increased 29% while Middle East & Asia revenue grew 24% year on year. High double-digit growth was recorded across the Division’s business lines led by drilling fluids and measurements—both on land and offshore.

Well Construction pretax operating margin of 21% contracted 50 bps sequentially, as improved profitability from increasing activity in the Middle East & Asia, North America, and Latin America was more than offset by the onset of seasonal effects in the Northern Hemisphere. Year on year, pretax operating margin expanded 564 bps, with profitability improving across all areas, driven by higher activity and improved pricing.

Production Systems

Production Systems revenue of $2.2 billion increased 3% sequentially on higher international sales of artificial lift, completions, and midstream production systems, partially offset by reduced sales of valves and subsea production systems. International revenue was boosted by double-digit growth in the Middle East & Asia, particularly in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, East Asia, and Australia; and in Latin America, mainly in Brazil, Mexico, and Guyana.

Year on year, double-digit revenue growth of 26% was driven by new projects and increased product deliveries mainly in Europe/CIS/Africa, North America, and Latin America.

Production Systems pretax operating margin of 11% in the quarter expanded 32 bps sequentially due to a more favorable revenue mix. Year on year, pretax operating margin expanded 173 bps driven by higher sales and execution efficiency as supply chain and logistics constraints eased.

Quarterly Highlights

CORE

Contract Awards

As the strong growth cycle in oil and gas advances, SLB continues to secure new contracts in North America and internationally, particularly in offshore basins and the Middle East. During the quarter, SLB secured the following notable projects:

• Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) awarded SLB a $1.4 billion framework agreement for integrated drilling fluids services to support onshore and offshore production over the next five years. The services include drilling fluids, liquid mud plants, personnel, and waste management. The agreement builds on existing SLB contributions to ADNOC’s vision to expand lower-cost, lower-carbon production and supports the acceleration of its production capacity target of five million barrels of oil per day by 2027.

• In Malaysia, Sarawak Shell Berhad awarded SLB a long-term integrated drilling services (LTIDS) contract for exploration and development of offshore wells. The LTIDS will deliver solutions via technology, synergy, and simplification of processes across multiple business lines with a contract scope that encompasses drilling services and products inclusive of drilling and measurement, electrical wireline, drilling fluids, solids control, cementing, casing drilling, bits, mud logging, and management of third-party subcontractors. SLB will leverage its sustainability portfolio to help Shell deliver cleaner well operations in complex environments.

• Offshore Angola, Azule Energy awarded SLB a contract for integrated completions in Block 15/06, including Agogo Field wells. This full-field development plan uses a completion design for these producing and injection wells that includes fit-for-purpose technologies suited for the deepwater environment, such as Alternate Path^®† sand screens, FORTRESS* premium isolation valves, BluePack* production packers, Metris Extreme* high-pressure and high-temperature permanent pressure testing gauges, and a deep-set TRC-II* tubing-retrievable charged safety valve.

• In the UK, Equinor awarded SLB a four-year contract extension to continue support for Mariner Field development in the North Sea. The integrated drilling and well services contract includes drilling, measurement, electric wireline logging, drilling and completions fluids, solids control, cementing, completions, and electrical submersible pump systems, together with engineering and project management. Including delivery of more than 20 wells over the four years, the contract extension builds on the collaboration between Equinor and SLB and the implementation of well construction technologies and digital solutions that have enabled highest achievements in safety, performance, and sustainability in Mariner Field.

• Offshore Trinidad and Tobago, bp awarded to Subsea Integration Alliance a large contract for its Cypre project, a two-phase liquid natural gas tieback. The contract scope covers the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) of the subsea production systems and subsea pipelines. The award represents Subsea Integration Alliance’s first fully integrated EPCI single contract with bp and the alliance’s first development in the Caribbean nation.

• In India, Cairn Oil & Gas, Vedanta Limited awarded SLB a $400 million contract to provide integrated services on its Rajasthan block over a five-year period. The scope of work encompasses 14 services from across all four of SLB’s Divisions, with the objective of improving efficiency in the intervention and workover space, thereby boosting production from the block.

Oil & Gas Decarbonization, New Technology, and Performance

SLB continues to develop and deploy innovative technologies that lower operational emissions and environmental impact in reservoir evaluation, well construction, production, and integrated operations for customers globally. Customer adoption of SLB technology is accelerating and continues to significantly impact performance leading to more efficient operations, lower carbon emissions, and higher returns for our customers. Notable highlights include:

• In the US’ Midland Basin, Pioneer Natural Resources successfully deployed novel SLB cement-free slurry technology on an 18-well field testing campaign. This pilot in North America resulted in the complete elimination of Portland cement from slurry designs, offering a unique opportunity for the oilfield industry to substantially decrease CO₂ emissions related to well construction. In addition to aligning with Pioneer’s objective to lead in environmental stewardship through proactive measures, the field trials validated the ability of the technology to fit within standard oilfield cementing workflows without major changes to the design process, onsite execution, or post-job evaluation. This innovative SLB solution will be available to customers later this year to help lower oilfield operations emissions and achieve net-zero objectives.

• The SLB fit-for-basin frac plug portfolio achieved significant global market adoption milestones. The FracXion Micro* fully composite frac plugs eclipsed 100,000 installations. The full portfolio of ReacXion* fully dissolvable frac plugs, an SLB footprint-reducing technology, achieved 50,000 installations and lowered operators’ CO₂e emissions by reducing diesel consumption by an estimated 5.7 million liters. These technologies represent how SLB creates new opportunities by understanding customer needs to amplify our sustainability impact and reduce our customers' cost to operate.

• In Saudi Arabia, during November 2022 and working in collaboration with Saudi Aramco Unconventional Resources, SLB’s integrated fracturing services team exceeded previous SLB records for stages and pumping hours per month by 19%. This was achieved through applying latest technologies, best field practices, and close collaboration between Saudi Aramco and SLB. This level of efficiency rivals that of the most efficient fracturing crews in North America. Additionally, real-time job visibility and digitalization of SLB maintenance operations increased asset efficiency and reliability while reducing carbon footprint.

• Offshore Norway, the Well Intervention and Stimulation Alliance comprising Aker BP, StimWell Services, and SLB conducted the world's first successful wireline and slickline autonomous operations. These are examples of the SLB Neuro* autonomous solutions, which offer enhanced technologies for improved well economics with repeatability, reliability, and reduced carbon. The automatic conveyance and spooling technology functions without user intervention and matches the performance achieved by experienced operators for safe and efficient execution. The system is now successfully integrated into routine wireline and slickline operations for the Well Intervention and Stimulation Alliance.

DIGITAL

Customers are increasingly choosing to leverage SLB’s portfolio of digital products and services to drive transformation, improve efficiency, and elevate productivity.

• In Brazil, Petrobras has awarded SLB a five-year contract to deploy digital solutions for E&P integrated workflows across the board with AI and machine-learning capabilities for more than 500 users. Enabled by the DELFI* cognitive E&P environment, the digital deployment will drive efficiency increases, innovation, and faster decision making to support Petrobras’ aggressive production development plans while helping to lower greenhouse gas emissions with proven reductions in processing time.

• In Norway, Equinor awarded SLB a contract to deploy digital leak detection and virtual flow metering solutions for the multiphase production network during phase two of the Johan Sverdrup field. The SLB solution is based on the OLGA Online* production management system, which was selected by Equinor for its technical capabilities. The system will support early pipeline leak detection workflows and deliver accurate virtual flow metering solutions in a challenging technical and regulatory environment. The Johan Sverdrup field is an offshore oil discovery located in the Norwegian Continental Shelf and at plateau the field will produce 720,000 barrels of oil per day.

• Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) Innovation & Technology Group, Information Management Team, collaborated with SLB to build an integrated digital workflow using the DELFI cognitive E&P environment to continuously monitor water production in a producing oil field, enabling KOC to avoid potential oil losses of 465,000 barrels. Conventional approaches were unable to detect changes in water cut quickly, preventing KOC engineers from taking timely action to avoid oil losses. A solution was implemented using DELFI Data Science, a package of AI and analytics solutions for energy workflows that includes embedded technology from Dataiku, the platform for everyday AI. The solution provides automated water cut estimation and prediction that is 5,400 times faster than the conventional method. This enables data-driven decision making to minimize oil loss with a few simple clicks that yield results in seconds. Based on the success of this project, KOC recommended full implementation of this solution.

NEW ENERGY

SLB’s domain expertise and experience in technology industrialization is helping to lead the energy transition. We continue to work with partners across various industries to innovate clean energy solutions for a balanced planet.

• SLB and Linde entered into a strategic collaboration on carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) projects to accelerate decarbonization solutions across industrial and energy sectors. The collaboration will combine decades of experience in CO₂ capture and sequestration; innovative technology portfolios; project development and execution expertise; and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) capabilities. CO₂ is found or produced in many industrial and energy applications. This collaboration will focus on hydrogen and ammonia production, where CO₂ is a by-product, and on natural gas processing. CCUS abates the emissions from these energy-intensive industries, creating new low-carbon energy sources and products. Using SLB and Linde’s global footprint across multiple sectors and industries, the collaboration will expand customer reach and will focus on designing business and operating models that maximize value for all stakeholders.

• Genvia, the clean hydrogen technology venture of SLB, France’s CEA, and partners, was selected by the European Commission as part of the Important Project of Common European Interest in the hydrogen technology program (IPCEI-Hy2Tech). Genvia will receive up to 200 million euros from the French Government’s France 2030 fund as part of the program. The grant will be used to accelerate the time to market of Genvia high-performance electrolyzer technology.

• SLB is collaborating with Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals and the Oman Investment Authority in building a national strategy to develop the potential of Oman’s geothermal resources. This follows the completion of an extensive project to evaluate data from more than 7,000 oil, gas, and water wells, with the objective of mapping sweet spots for geothermal prospects in the country. The next phase will include assessment of the economic feasibility of the development of potential geothermal resources. This collaboration between the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Oman Investment Authority, and SLB is in line with Oman’s efforts to decarbonize the energy sector, achieve its net zero goal, and implement Oman Vision 2040.

• Celsius Energy, a venture of SLB’s New Energy business focused on heating and cooling solutions for buildings, was awarded a contract for one of the 10 largest geoenergy projects in Europe, where demand for low-carbon and locally sourced energy is rising. This project, based in the eastern region of France, will provide heating and cooling to dozens of buildings by combining geoenergy and waste heat from the world’s largest particle accelerator. Celsius Energy’s proprietary technology will enable the project to be completed with a limited drilling footprint of 174 bores and will leverage patented digital modeling and control capability for smart grid performance optimization.

FINANCIAL TABLES

Liquidity

Charges & Credits

In addition to financial results determined in accordance with US generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), this fourth-quarter and full-year 2022 earnings release also includes non-GAAP financial measures (as defined under the SEC’s Regulation G). In addition to the non-GAAP financial measures discussed under “Liquidity”, net income, excluding charges & credits, as well as measures derived from it (including diluted EPS, excluding charges & credits; SLB Net income attributable to SLB, excluding charges & credits; effective tax rate, excluding charges & credits; and adjusted EBITDA) are non-GAAP financial measures. Management believes that the exclusion of charges & credits from these financial measures enables it to evaluate more effectively SLB’s operations period over period and to identify operating trends that could otherwise be masked by the excluded items. These measures are also used by management as performance measures in determining certain incentive compensation. The foregoing non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for or superior to, other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. The following is a reconciliation of certain of these non-GAAP measures to the comparable GAAP measures. For a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to the comparable GAAP measure, please refer to the section titled “Supplementary Information” (Question 10).

Divisions

Geographical