Oct 29, 2026 earnings call — Sequential revenue growth and margin expansion
RPC reported third quarter revenue of $468 million, up 1% sequentially, with adjusted EBITDA of $71.5 million and adjusted diluted EPS of $0.10.
Revenue $0.5B (est $0.5B) · EPS $0.10 (est $0.10)
Key quotes
"While completion activity levels remained relatively subdued this quarter, RPC overall generated sequential revenue growth and particularly strong margin expansion driven by solid operational execution, strong cost leverage in several product lines, technology adoption, and contributions from targeted investments."
"While Pintail has maintained its leading Permian market position, persistent pricing weakness combined with increased cost pressures have reduced our initial long-term earnings expectations for this business."
"Net cash provided by operating activities during the quarter was $41 million. After CapEx of $40 million, free cash flow was $1 million."
Analyst Q&A 1
2027 outlook, labor, spare equipment reactivation
Q (Don Crist · Johnson Rice): He asked how the company sees early 2027 and whether larger customers will add services. He also asked if labor competition or wage inflation is hurting operations and if spare equipment could be reactivated into another crew.
A: Management said they are optimistic about early 2027 because E&Ps are encouraged by commodity prices and they expect a net positive, though not full steam ahead. They said labor is tightening, which affects cost and availability, but this is similar to past periods of competition for workers. On spare equipment, they said additional capacity is being kept on the sideline; they could place it if ready, but need pricing to rise and a firm customer commitment before reactivating crews.
"If our additional capacity were ready to go tomorrow, there's a likelihood we could find a place for it to work." — Ben Palmer (CEO)