In the energy-services world, Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR) is a good neighbor to have. Not only is Nabors the largest independent land-based driller in North America, but it also has some international exposure. What's more, it targets bigger customers with deeper pockets and has been locking more of them up into longer-term deals.
Revenue for the quarter was up 48%, as dayrates continue to accelerate across the board. Revenue growth was fairly strong, with only the Offshore and Alaska segments being the exceptions -- and even those were still positive. As has been the case for pretty much everybody else, Nabors has seen its pricing outrace its costs, and income was up strongly as well.
It doesn't take a lot of work to find an energy company posting great results these days. Onshore drillers like Nabors, offshore folks like Diamond (NYSE:DO) and Transocean (NYSE:RIG), service providers like Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) . everybody's part of the sectorwide party.
What might separate Nabors over the long haul is the character of its business. It has a wide range of customers, but it does a fair bit business with larger oil and gas companies. Why does that matter? Well, if natural gas prices momentarily drop, who do you think will be more likely to stick to their drilling plans? ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) and BP (NYSE:BP) or Bob's Bait, Tackle, and Natural Gas Emporium? Big companies have the budgets and reserves to stick with drilling plans far longer in the face of adverse prices than mom-and-pop operators do.
Along those same lines, I like how Nabors is tying new building activity to longer-term contracts. Overbuilding in response to high dayrates is always a threat, but with companies like Nabors and Helmerich & Payne (NYSE:HP) acting responsibly and locking in a certain return on those new rigs, there's reason for a bit more optimism -- albeit guarded optimism.
By the same token, this stock generally trades in sync with the whole sector, so you shouldn't put too much faith in these positive distinctions. If the sector slows down and momentum investors rush to get out, not many people are going to care about long-term contracts or big customers. Still, quality matters over the long haul, and this is a driller at least worth a look if you'd like a play on domestic natural gas production.
Fool contributor Stephen Simpson has no financial interest in any stocks mentioned (that means he's neither long nor short the shares).
