first thoughts on earnings Maybe sales are slowing down - only 8% rise year over year . Backlog down slightly but confusingly book to bill up slightly to .91.
Decided to focus on the outlook section .
Over the short and medium term, oil & gas market fundamentals remain robust for international markets, especially in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Increased drilling activity and the entry of new regional players alongside National Oil Companies' (NOC) strong focus on increased safety and efficiency will create further opportunities for our new products. McCoy is well positioned to capitalize on these trends with market leading technologies and product enhancements that provide superior safety, efficiency and simplified operating procedures, as well as expert technical support with local presence and the broadest portfolio of TRS equipment on the market.
Turning to the North America land market, despite flat rig count and drilling activity, McCoy anticipates continued robust order intake for our new FMS technology in 2024 due to the performance and safety advantages inherent in its unique design, along with the ongoing labour challenges faced by many of our customers.
As we progress through the commercialization stage of our 'Digital Technology Roadmap' initiative, we expect future revenues to become less dependent on the cyclicality of drilling activity, and more driven by technology adoption, demand from new local and regional market entrants, and market share gains in new geographies.
From January 1 to March 13, 2024 , order intake amounted to $15.6 million , on pace with Q4 2023 order intake. With $22.5 million ( US$17.0 million ) of backlog reported at December 31, 2023 , we are confident in delivering strong revenue and earnings performance for 2024. However, timing delays experienced on certain customer purchase commitments, shifts in product mix, and greater than anticipated book-and-ship revenues that positively impacted Q4, 2023, may result in quarter-to-quarter fluctuations in revenues and gross margins, particularity in the first quarter, with revenues and earnings more heavily weighted toward the second half of 2024. McCoy remains confident in the continued strong adoption of its new technologies in 2024, and with its proven track record of operational efficiency and cashflow generation, McCoy has since doubled its quarterly dividend to $0.02 per share. For 2024 and beyond, we continue to focus on our key strategic initiatives to deliver value to all our stakeholders:
From
January 1 to March 13, 2024 , order intake amounted to
$15.6 million , on pace with Q4 2023 order intake. With
$22.5 million (
US$17.0 million ) of backlog reported at
December 31, 2023 , we are confident in delivering strong revenue and earnings performance for 2024.
However, timing delays experienced on certain customer purchase commitments, shifts in product mix, and greater than anticipated book-and-ship revenues that positively impacted Q4, 2023, may result in quarter-to-quarter fluctuations in revenues and gross margins, particularity in the first quarter, with revenues and earnings more heavily weighted toward the second half of 2024. McCoy remains confident in the continued strong adoption of its new technologies in 2024, and with its proven track record of operational efficiency and cashflow generation,
McCoy has since doubled its quarterly dividend to $0.02 per share. For 2024 and beyond, we continue to focus on our key strategic initiatives to deliver value to all our stakeholders:
- Accelerating market adoption of new and recently developed 'smart' portfolio products;
- Taking advantage of the current market trajectory by focusing on revenue generation from new and existing customers;
- Focusing on capital allocation priorities; a) investment in growth through both organic and strategic M&A opportunities where returns are favourable and b) return excess cash to our shareholders in the form of share buybacks and quarterly dividends.
We believe this strategy, together with our committed and agile team, McCoy's global brand recognition, application expertise, strong balance sheet, and global footprint will further advance McCoy's competitive position and generate strong returns on invested capital.
Company seems to be building in some caution on the expectations of continually rising sales ; the situation does seem stable ( in a cyclical industry) enough that the dividend can be doubled ( and you don't do that unless you know you can continue it ( fear of looking like an idiot if you have to undo the rise)
The fact that it's not just Cannell Capital and that Ewing Morris is the second investor to be selling does make me take notice ( Alexandre Ryzhikov is their representative on the board of directors) but it could be they have an opportunity they like more in another company.