How Impairment Charges Stifled Diamond Offshore Earnings

Photo of Paul Ausick
By Paul Ausick Updated Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.
How Impairment Charges Stifled Diamond Offshore Earnings

© Thinkstock

Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. (NYSE: DO) reported second-quarter 2016 results before markets opened on Monday. The offshore drill rig operator posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.16 and revenues of $388.75 million. In the second quarter of 2015, the company reported EPS of $0.64 on revenues of $470.54 million. Thomson Reuters has a mean estimate for EPS of $0.04 and revenues of $374.17 million.

Diamond is controlled by Loews Corp. (NYSE: L), which itself reported Monday morning adjusted EPS of $0.60 for the second quarter. The commercial property and casualty insurance company also posted revenue of $3.31 billion in the period.

On a GAAP basis, Diamond lost $4.30 per share, primarily due to $678.15 million in impairment charges related to the carrying value of eight semi-submersible rigs and their associated inventory. The company cold-stacked (mothballed) two rigs during the quarter and said it intends to scrap two more.

[nativounit]

President and Chief Executive Officer Marc Edwards said:

Although the market continues to be challenged, our focus is on striking a balance between controlling costs and laying the foundation to ensure Diamond Offshore is well positioned for the recovery.

Second-quarter operating expenses doubled from $499.9 million last year to $1.02 billion, entirely due to the impairment charge.

As of June 30, 2016, Diamond’s total contracted backlog was $4.4 billion, representing 28 rig years of work. Approximately 86% of the company’s available ultra-deepwater rig days for the remainder of 2016 are contracted.

Shares were up 1.2% in Monday’s premarket to $23.00. The stock’s 52-week range is $14.18 to $26.72, but the consensus 12-month price target is just $21.41.

[wallst_email_signup]

Photo of Paul Ausick
About the Author Paul Ausick →

Paul Ausick has been writing for a673b.bigscoots-temp.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.

Featured Reads

Our top personal finance-related articles today. Your wallet will thank you later.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

CBOE Vol: 1,568,143
PSKY Vol: 12,285,993
STX Vol: 7,378,346
ORCL Vol: 26,317,675
DDOG Vol: 6,247,779

Top Losing Stocks

LKQ
LKQ Vol: 4,367,433
CLX Vol: 13,260,523
SYK Vol: 4,519,455
MHK Vol: 1,859,865
AMGN Vol: 3,818,618