Citi analyst Scott Gruber downgraded Precision Drilling to Neutral from Buy and lowered his price target for the shares to C$1.90 from C$2.50. The analyst recently cut his 2020 U.S. rig count forecast, which now calls for a 5% year-over-year decline next year. Falling utilization across both super spec and standard rig classes likely weigh on pricing, Gruber tells investors in a research note. The analyst adds that despite the recent pullback in shares of land drillers, his estimates are now ~30% below consensus for 2020.

Reports Q1 revenue $528M, consensus $387.19M. CEO Kevin Neveu stated, "Precision had an impressive start to 2024 and we expect to build on this momentum throughout the year. Our Canadian drilling operations, international business, and completion and production services all outperformed during the first quarter and we more than doubled our cash from operations compared to the same period last year. We continued to focus on shareholder returns and repurchased $10 million of common shares in the first quarter. We remain firmly committed to repaying debt between $150 million and $200 million in 2024 and allocating 25% to 35% of our free cash flow to share buybacks..."