# RPC INC (RES) FY 2022 MD&A

Verbatim Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis from RPC INC's 10-K for fiscal year 2022.

SEC filing source: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/742278/000155837023002171/res-20221231x10k.htm
Accession: 0001558370-23-002171
Filing date: 2023-02-27
Report date: 2022-12-31
Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary.
Confidence: high

Company profile: /company/RES/
All MD&A years: /company/RES/mda/
Previous year: /company/RES/mda/fy2021/ (FY 2021)
Next year: /company/RES/mda/fy2023/ (FY 2023)

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Overview

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with “Selected Financial Data” and the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this document. See also “Forward-Looking Statements” on page 2. Discussions of year-to-year comparisons of 2021 and 2020 items that are not included in this Form 10-K can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 on our Annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which Item is incorporated herein by reference.

RPC, Inc. (“RPC”) provides a broad range of specialized oilfield services primarily to independent and major oilfield companies engaged in exploration, production and development of oil and gas properties throughout the United States, including the southwest, mid-continent, Gulf of Mexico, Rocky Mountain and Appalachian regions, and in selected international markets. The Company’s revenues and profits are generated by providing equipment and services to customers who operate oil and gas properties and invest capital to drill new wells and enhance production or perform maintenance on existing wells.

Our key business and financial strategies are:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","-","To focus our management resources on and invest our capital in equipment and geographic markets that we believe will earn high returns on capital."]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","-","To maintain a flexible cost structure that can respond quickly to volatile industry conditions and business activity levels."]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","-","To maintain capital strength sufficient to allow us to remain a going concern and maintain our operational strength during protracted industry downturns."]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","-","To maintain an efficient, low-cost capital structure which includes an appropriate use of debt financing."]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","-","To optimize asset utilization with the goal of increasing revenues and generating leverage of direct and overhead costs, balanced against increasingly high maintenance requirements and low financial returns experienced during times of low customer pricing for our services."]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","-","To deliver product and services to our customers safely."]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","-","To secure adequate sources of supplies of raw materials used in our operations."]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","-","To maintain and selectively increase market share."]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","-","To maximize stockholder return by optimizing the balance between cash invested in the Company's productive assets, the payment of dividends to stockholders, and the repurchase of our common stock on the open market."]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","-","To align the interests of our management and stockholders."]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

In assessing the outcomes of these strategies and RPC’s financial condition and operating performance, management generally reviews periodic forecast data, monthly actual results, and other similar information. We also consider trends related to certain key financial data, including revenues, utilization of our equipment and personnel, maintenance and repair expenses, pricing for our services and equipment, profit margins, selling, general and administrative expenses, cash flows and the return on our invested capital. Additionally, we compare our trends to those of our peers. We continuously monitor factors that impact current and expected customer activity levels, such as the price of oil and natural gas, changes in pricing for our services and equipment and utilization of our equipment and personnel. Our financial results are affected by geopolitical factors such as political instability in the petroleum-producing regions of the world, overall economic conditions and weather in the United States, the prices of oil and natural gas, and our customers’ drilling and production activities.

The oil and gas industry experienced an unprecedented disruption during 2020 due to the substantial decline in global oil demand caused partly by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although global demand began to rebound in 2021, and has remained strong throughout 2022, the pandemic could continue to impact the economic conditions in the United States, as federal, state and local governments react to the public health crisis, creating uncertainties in the United States, as well as the global economy. RPC instituted strict

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procedures to assess employee health and safety in its facilities and operational locations and attempted to hire redundant crews in order to continue to provide services to its customers.

Current industry conditions are characterized by oil prices which have risen from less than $20 per barrel in the second quarter of 2020 to approximately $80 per barrel early in the first quarter of 2023. While there are many factors influencing the price of oil, we believe that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the first quarter of 2022 destabilized global oil markets, causing prices to rise, while also increasing the attractiveness of the U.S. domestic oilfield due to its oil and natural gas reserves, political stability and downstream energy infrastructure. In response to these conditions, the U.S. domestic rig count has risen from a low of 244 in the third quarter of 2020 to 771 early in the first quarter of 2023. In addition, well completions have increased from 1,110 in the third quarter of 2020 to 2,959 in the fourth quarter of 2022.

RPC believes that oil production in the United States has also become an increasingly important determinant of global oil prices, because the United States has grown to be the world’s largest producer of oil and is more flexible in its ability to increase or decrease drilling and production activities more rapidly than the state-owned oil companies which comprise OPEC membership. During the past several years, improving drilling and completion activity have caused U.S. domestic oil production to rise to record production levels. Oil production fell during 2020 and 2021 during the downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but by the fourth quarter of 2022 had increased to within five percent of record oil production recorded during the fourth quarter of 2019 (source: U.S. Energy Information Administration). Customer activities directed towards natural gas drilling and production have been weak for many years because of the high production of shale-directed natural gas wells, the high amount of natural gas production associated with oil-directed shale wells in the U.S. domestic market, and relatively constant consumption of natural gas in the United States. One result of high natural gas production and steady demand has been a decline in the price of natural gas. The price of natural gas briefly rose to $9.56 per Mcf during the third quarter of 2022 as the market assessed the impact of European sanctions against Russian natural gas imports and the potential of a cold winter. However, the price of natural gas fell during the fourth quarter of 2022 and early 2023. The price of natural gas early in the first quarter of 2023 was $3.46 per Mcf, which was approximately 17.4 percent lower than at the same time in 2022. The Company believes that the recent decline in the price of natural gas discourages our customers from conducting natural gas-directed drilling and completion activities during the near term. However, the Company also believes that the long-term outlook for natural gas-directed drilling and completion activities in the United States is favorable due to global political instability and projected increases in U.S. natural gas export capabilities.

The Company’s strategy of utilizing equipment in unconventional basins continued. During 2022, we made capital expenditures, excluding the equipment acquired under a finance lease, totaling $139.6 million, an increase of $72.0 million compared to the prior year. Capital expenditures during 2022 were primarily directed towards capitalized maintenance and selected growth opportunities.

Revenues during 2022 totaled $1.6 billion, an increase of 85.2 percent compared to 2021. This increase was primarily due to improved pricing, higher customer activity levels and a larger active fleet of revenue-producing equipment. Cost of revenues increased $424.9 million in 2022 compared to the prior year primarily due to increases in expenses consistent with higher activity levels, such as materials and supplies expenses, employment costs and fuel costs. In addition, these costs increased due to higher market prices for materials and supplies, fuel and other raw materials. As a percentage of revenues, cost of revenues decreased to 67.9 percent in 2022 compared to 76.7 percent in 2021 due to improved pricing for our services and leverage of employment costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased to 9.3 percent in 2022 compared to 14.3 percent in 2021, primarily due to leverage of costs that are relatively fixed during the short term over higher revenues.

Income before income taxes was $289.6 million for 2022 compared to $16.4 million in 2021. Net income for 2022 was $218.4 million, or $1.01 earnings per share compared to net income of $7.2 million, or $0.03 earnings per share in 2021.

Cash flows from operating activities increased to $201.3 million in 2022 compared to $47.7 million in 2021 primarily due to a significant increase in net income, partially offset by increased working capital requirements in 2022 compared to 2021. As of December 31, 2022, there were no outstanding borrowings under our credit facility.

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Outlook

Drilling activity in the U.S. domestic oilfields, as measured by the rotary drilling rig count, reached a cyclical peak of 1,083 during the fourth quarter of 2018 (Source: Baker Hughes, Inc.). Between the fourth quarter of 2018 and the third quarter of 2020, the drilling rig count fell by 77 percent. During the third quarter of 2020, the U.S. domestic drilling rig count reached the lowest level recorded up to that time. The principal catalyst for this steep rig count decline was the decrease in the price of oil in the world markets resulting from the decline in global oil demand associated with the COVID-19 pandemic which began in the first quarter of 2020. Rig count during 2022 increased 51.3 percent compared to 2021.

The current and projected prices of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids are important catalysts for U.S. domestic drilling activity. Following the trough of the most recent oilfield downturn in the second quarter of 2020, the price of oil has risen by more than 100 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the average price of oil in the second quarter of 2020. The price of natural gas has risen by over 225 percent during the same time period. Following a low price of $0.23 per gallon in the first quarter of 2020, the price of benchmark natural gas liquids has risen to $0.80 per gallon in the fourth quarter of 2022 (Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration). In addition, oil and gas prices experienced increases beginning in February 2022 due to concerns about potential world-wide supply constraints resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Although the price increases in these commodities have recently moderated from their highs, RPC believes that they remain above levels sufficient to motivate our customers to increase drilling and completion activities.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine during the first quarter of 2022 prompted Western European countries to curtail or eliminate their purchases of natural gas from Russia. As a result, the demand for liquified natural gas from the United States increased significantly, which increased the price for natural gas in the United States to its highest level since 2008 and has encouraged additional investment in liquified natural gas production facilities in the United States. These higher prices and additional investments in natural gas infrastructure should encourage RPC’s customers to increase their natural gas-directed exploration and production activities.

The majority of the U.S. domestic rig count remains directed towards oil. In the fourth quarter of 2022, approximately 79 percent of the U.S. domestic rig count was directed towards oil, compared to 82 percent in the prior year. We believe that oil-directed drilling will remain the majority of domestic drilling, and that natural gas-directed drilling will remain a low percentage of U.S. domestic drilling in the near term. However, we believe that natural gas-directed drilling will increase because of favorable long-term market dynamics. This projected higher demand should drive increased activity in most of the basins in which RPC operates.

We continue to monitor the market for our services and the competitive environment, including the current trends and expectations with regard to environmental concerns and related impact on our equipment fleets. The growing efficiency with which oilfield completion crews are providing services is a catalyst for the oversupplied nature of the oilfield services market. We believe that most of the feasible efficiency gains have been realized, and a number of our smaller competitors have ceased operations. These factors, combined with the increase in drilling and completion activities and the improvement in commodity prices, leads us to believe that the competitive market for our services has improved during 2022 and we expect demand will continue to improve during the near term.

During 2022, RPC made payments under a finance lease arrangement, with a final payment in the third quarter of 2022, for a new Tier 4 dual-fuel pressure pumping fleet that went to work during the fourth quarter of 2021. In addition, the Company refurbished an existing fleet that was placed into service during 2022 and is currently refurbishing another existing fleet that will be placed in service in early 2023. Additionally, the Company has ordered a pressure pumping fleet that is projected to be delivered in the first half of 2023. We have selectively upgraded our existing equipment to operate using multiple fuel sources and to take advantage of advances in technology and data collection. RPC’s response to our industry’s current higher activity levels and improved service pricing is primarily to maintain and upgrade our current fleet capacity of revenue-producing equipment. We will remain highly disciplined about adding new revenue-producing equipment capacity and will only expand when we believe the projected financial returns of such capital expenditures meet our financial return criteria. The Company is allocating capital in the coming year to maintain the capacity of its pressure pumping fleet to offset anticipated future fleet retirements.

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Results of Operations

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[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["(1)","Amount in 2022 relates to pension settlement loss. See note 13 of the consolidated financial statements."]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["(2)","Amount in 2020 includes $212,292 related to technical services, $4,660 related to pension settlement loss and the remainder related to corporate expenses."]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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Year Ended December 31, 2022 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2021

Revenues. Revenues in 2022 increased $736.8 million or 85.2 percent compared to 2021 primarily due to higher customer activity levels, pricing improvements and a larger fleet of pressure pumping equipment in service. The Technical Services segment revenues in 2022 increased $701.3 million or 86.0 percent compared to the prior year. The increase is primarily due to higher activity levels and improved pricing as compared to the prior year. The Support Services segment revenues in 2022 increased $35.5 million or 71.2 percent compared to 2021 due to higher activity levels for rental tools. Technical Services reported operating income of $281.6 million during 2022 compared to an operating income of $24.4 million in the prior year, while Support Services reported an operating income of $18.1 million in 2022 compared to an operating loss of $5.7 million in the prior year. The average price of oil increased 39.3 percent and the average price of natural gas increased 64.1 percent during 2022 compared to the prior year. The average domestic rig count during 2022 was 51.3 percent higher than 2021. International revenues, which increased slightly from $31.2 million in 2021 to $32.6 million in 2022, were two percent of consolidated revenues in 2022 compared to four percent in 2021. International revenues decreased in 2022 primarily due to lower activity levels in Canada compared to the prior year. Our international revenues are impacted by the timing of project initiation and their ultimate duration.

Cost of revenues. Cost of revenues in 2022 increased $424.9 million or 64.1 percent compared to 2021 primarily due to increases in expenses consistent with higher activity levels, such as materials and supplies expenses, maintenance and repairs expenses, employment costs and fuel costs. In addition, these costs increased due to higher market prices for materials and supplies, fuel and other raw materials. As a percentage of revenues, cost of revenues decreased to 67.9 percent in 2022 compared to 76.7 percent in 2021 due to the leverage of direct employment costs over higher revenues, improved pricing and a favorable job mix within pressure pumping.

Selling, general and administrative expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased to $148.6 million in 2022 compared to $123.6 million in 2021 primarily due to increases in employment related costs including variable incentive compensation costs consistent with improved operating results. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased to 9.3 percent of revenues in 2022 compared to 14.3 percent of revenues in 2021 due to leverage of costs that are relatively fixed during the short term over higher revenues.

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Depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization were $83.0 million in 2022, an increase of $10.3 million, compared to $72.7 million in 2021. Depreciation and amortization increased due to capital expenditures in the past year.

Gain on disposition of assets, net. Gain on disposition of assets, net was $8.8 million in 2022 compared to $10.9 million in 2021. The gain on disposition of assets, net is generally comprised of gains and losses related to various property and equipment dispositions or sales to customers of lost or damaged rental equipment.

Other income, net. Other income, net was $1.1 million in 2022 compared to other income, net of $2.0 million in 2021.

Interest expense and interest income. Interest expense was $0.6 million in 2022 compared to interest expense of $1.9 million in 2021. Interest expense for 2021 was unusually high, primarily due to interest expense related to the settlement of a legal dispute with a supplier coupled with interest charged in connection with resolution of a state well servicing audit. Interest expense includes facility fees on the unused portion of the credit facility and the amortization of loan costs. Interest income increased to $1.2 million in 2022 compared to $0.1 million in 2021 due to a higher average cash balance coupled with an increase in investment yields consistent with higher interest rates.

Income tax provision. Income tax provision was $71.3 million in 2022, compared to $9.2 million income tax provision for the same period in 2021. The effective tax rate was 24.6 percent for 2022 compared to 56.1 percent for 2021. The increase in the income tax provision in 2022 is primarily related to an increase in pretax income. The decrease in the effective tax rate resulted from higher pre tax income which diluted the impact of the unfavorable permanent and discrete adjustments.

Net income and diluted earnings per share. Net income was $218.4 million in 2022, or $1.01 diluted earnings per share, compared to net income of $7.2 million in 2021, or $0.03 diluted earnings per share. This improvement in earnings per share was primarily due to higher profitability, as average shares outstanding was essentially unchanged.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash and Cash Flows

The Company’s cash and cash equivalents were $126.4 million as of December 31, 2022, $82.4 million as of December 31, 2021 and $84.5 million as of December 31, 2020.

The following table sets forth the historical cash flows for the years ended December 31:

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Cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $153.6 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 includes net income of $218.4 million, less an unfavorable change in accounts receivable of $157.9 million, partially offset by favorable changes in other components of our working capital (accounts payable, accrued payroll and taxes receivable) totaling $69.8 million. The net unfavorable changes in working capital were the result of increased business activity levels.

Cash used for investing activities for 2022 increased by $76.1 million compared to 2021, primarily due to an increase in capital expenditures consistent with higher business activity levels and an improved operating environment.

Cash used for financing activities for 2022 increased by $31.4 million primarily due to cash paid for a finance lease beginning in the third quarter of 2021, coupled with the reinstatement of cash dividends paid to common stockholders in the third quarter of 2022.

Financial Condition and Liquidity

The Company’s financial condition remains strong. We believe the liquidity provided by our existing cash and cash equivalents and our overall strong capitalization will provide sufficient liquidity to meet our requirements for at least the next twelve months. The Company’s decisions about the amount of cash to be used for investing and financing activities are influenced by our capital position,

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and the expected amount of cash to be provided by operations. RPC does not expect to utilize our revolving credit facility to meet these liquidity requirements in the near term.

The Company currently has a $100.0 million revolving credit facility that matures in June 2027 as recently amended. The facility contains customary terms and conditions, including restrictions on indebtedness, dividend payments, business combinations and other related items. In the second quarter of 2022, the Company further amended the revolving credit facility. Among other matters, the amendment (1) extends the termination date for revolving loans from July 26, 2023 to June 22, 2027, (2) replaces LIBOR with Term SOFR as an interest rate option in connection with revolving loan borrowings and reduces the applicable rate margins by approximately 25.0 basis points at each pricing level, (3) introduces a 1.00% per annum floor for base rate borrowings, (4) permits the issuance of letters of credit in currencies other than U.S. dollars. As of December 31, 2022, RPC had no outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility, and letters of credit outstanding relating to self-insurance programs and contract bids totaled $17.5 million; therefore, a total of $82.5 million of the facility was available. The Company was in compliance with the credit facility financial covenants as of December 31, 2022. For additional information with respect to RPC’s facility, see Note 9 of the consolidated financial statements.

Cash Requirements

Capital expenditures were $139.6 million in 2022, and we currently expect capital expenditures to be between $250 million to $300 million in 2023, which will be directed towards both capitalized maintenance of our existing equipment and selected growth opportunities. The Company is allocating capital to maintain the capacity of its pressure pumping fleet to offset anticipated future fleet retirements. RPC refurbished an existing fleet that was placed into service during 2022 and is currently refurbishing another existing fleet that will be placed in service in early 2023. In addition, the Company ordered a pressure pumping fleet that is expected to be delivered and paid for in the first half of 2023. During 2022, RPC made payments totaling $24.0 million for a pressure pumping fleet under a finance lease which was initiated in 2021. The actual amount of capital expenditures will depend primarily on equipment maintenance requirements, expansion opportunities, and equipment delivery schedules.

The Company has ongoing sales and use tax audits in various jurisdictions subject to varying interpretations of statutes. The Company has recorded the exposure from these audits to the extent issues are resolved or can be reasonably estimated. There are issues that could result in unfavorable outcomes that cannot be currently estimated. See Note 12 of the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

During the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company initiated actions to terminate the defined benefit pension plan which are expected to be completed in early 2023. The Company currently expects to make a final cash contribution of approximately $6.0 million to $10.0 million as part of the termination. The Company did not make any cash contributions to this plan during 2022 or 2021.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company’s stock buyback program has authorized the aggregate repurchase of up to 41,578,125 shares, including an additional 10,000,000 shares authorized for repurchase by the Board of Directors on February 12, 2018. No shares were purchased on the open market during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, and 8,248,184 shares remain available to be repurchased under the current authorization. The Company may repurchase outstanding common shares periodically based on market conditions and our capital allocation strategies considering restrictions under our credit facility. The stock buyback program does not have a predetermined expiration date.

On January 24, 2023, the Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.04 per share payable March 10, 2023 to common stockholders of record at the close of business on February 10, 2023. The Company expects to continue to pay cash dividends to common stockholders, subject to industry conditions and RPC’s earnings, financial condition, and other relevant factors.

Contractual Obligations

The Company’s obligations and commitments that require future payments include our credit facility, certain non-cancelable leases, purchase obligations, amounts related to the usage of corporate aircraft and other long-term liabilities. See note 16 of the consolidated financial statements for details regarding RPC’s lease obligations.

Fair Value Measurements

The Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value are classified in the fair value hierarchy (Level 1, 2 or 3) based on the inputs used for valuation. Assets and liabilities that are traded on an exchange with a quoted price are classified as Level 1. Assets and liabilities that are valued using significant observable inputs in addition to quoted market prices are classified as Level 2. The Company currently has no assets or liabilities measured on a recurring basis that are valued using unobservable inputs and therefore no assets or liabilities measured on a recurring basis are classified as Level 3. For defined benefit plan and Supplemental Executive

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Retirement Plan (“SERP”) investments measured at net asset value, the values are computed using inputs such as cost, discounted future cash flows, independent appraisals and market based comparable data or on net asset values calculated by the fund when not publicly available.

Inflation

The Company purchases its equipment and materials from suppliers who provide competitive prices, and employs skilled workers from competitive labor markets. If inflation in the general economy increases, the Company’s costs for equipment, materials and labor could increase as well. In addition, increases in activity in the domestic oilfield can cause upward wage pressures in the labor markets from which it hires employees, especially if employment in the general economy increases. Also, activity increases can cause supply disruptions and higher costs of certain materials and key equipment components used to provide services to the Company’s customers. During 2021 and continuing through 2022, the price of labor and raw materials have been increasing due to improving oilfield activity and labor shortages caused by the departure of skilled labor from the domestic oilfield industry in prior years.

During 2022, market prices of some raw materials and key equipment components increased significantly and availability has been challenged. We have successfully increased the pricing for our equipment and services to cover much of these cost increases, but due to the competitive nature of the oilfield services business, there is no assurance that we will be able to continue to do this successfully in the future.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company does not have any material off balance sheet arrangements.

Related Party Transactions

See Note 14 of the consolidated financial statements, which is incorporated herein by reference, for a description of related party transactions.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, which require significant judgment by management in selecting the appropriate assumptions for calculating accounting estimates. These judgments are based on our historical experience, terms of existing contracts, trends in the industry, and information available from other outside sources, as appropriate. Senior management has discussed the development, selection and disclosure of its critical accounting policies requiring significant judgements and estimates with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors. The Company believes the following critical accounting policies involve estimates that require a higher degree of judgment and complexity:

Credit loss allowance for accounts receivable — Substantially all of the Company’s receivables are due from oil and gas exploration and production companies in the United States, selected international locations and foreign, nationally owned oil companies. Our credit loss allowance is determined using a combination of factors to ensure that our receivables are not overstated due to uncollectibility. Our established credit evaluation procedures seek to minimize the amount of business we conduct with higher risk customers. Our customers’ ability to pay is directly related to their ability to generate cash flow on their projects and is significantly affected by the volatility in the price of oil and natural gas. Credit loss allowance for accounts receivable are recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses. Accounts are written off against the allowance when the Company determines that amounts are uncollectible and recoveries of amounts previously written off are recorded when collected. Significant recoveries will generally reduce the required provision in the period of recovery, thereby causing credit loss allowance to fluctuate significantly from period to period. Recoveries were insignificant in 2022, 2021 and 2020. We record specific provisions when we become aware of a customer's inability to meet its financial obligations, such as in the case of bankruptcy filings or deterioration in the customer's operating results or financial position. If circumstances related to a customer changes, our estimate of the realizability of the receivable would be further adjusted, either upward or downward.

The estimated credit loss allowance is based on our evaluation of the overall trends in the oil and gas industry, financial condition of our customers, our historical write-off experience, current economic conditions, and in the case of international customers, our judgments about the economic and political environment of the related country and region. In addition to reserves established for specific customers, we establish general reserves by using different percentages depending on the age of the receivables which we adjust periodically based on management judgment and the economic strength of our customers. The net credit loss allowance as a percentage of revenues ranged from 0.4 percent to 0.8 percent over the last three years. Increasing or decreasing the estimated general

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reserve percentages by 0.50 percentage points as of December 31, 2022 would have resulted in a change of $1.9 million in the recorded provision for current expected credit losses.

Insurance expenses —The Company self-insures, up to certain policy-specified limits, certain risks related to general liability, workers’ compensation, vehicle and equipment liability. The cost of claims under these self-insurance programs is estimated and accrued using individual case-based valuations and statistical analysis and is based upon judgment and historical experience; however, the ultimate cost of many of these claims may not be known for several years. These claims are monitored and the cost estimates are revised as developments occur relating to such claims. The Company has retained an independent third party actuary to assist in the calculation of a range of exposure for these claims. As of December 31, 2022, the Company estimates the range of exposure to be from $8.4 million to $12.4 million. The Company has recorded liabilities at December 31, 2022 of $10.4 million which represents management’s best estimate of probable loss.

Long-lived assets including goodwill — RPC carries a variety of long-lived assets on its balance sheet including property, plant and equipment and goodwill. Impairment is the condition that exists when the carrying amount of a long-lived asset exceeds its fair value. Goodwill is the excess of the cost of an acquired entity over the net of the amounts assigned to assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The Company conducts impairment tests on goodwill annually, during the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate an impairment may exist. In addition, the Company conducts impairment tests on long-lived assets, other than goodwill, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable.

For the impairment testing on long-lived assets, other than goodwill, a long-lived asset is grouped at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities. Estimated future undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the asset group are compared to its carrying amount. If the undiscounted cash flows are less than the asset group’s carrying amount, then the Company is required to determine the asset group's fair value by using a discounted cash flow analysis. This analysis is based on estimates such as management’s short-term and long-term forecast of operating performance, including revenue growth rates and expected profitability margins, estimates of the remaining useful life and service potential of the assets within the asset group, and a discount rate based on weighted average cost of capital. An impairment loss is measured and recorded as the amount by which the asset group's carrying amount exceeds its fair value. Assessment of goodwill impairment is conducted at the level of each reporting unit, which is the same as our reportable segments, Technical Services and Support Services, comparing the estimated fair value of each reporting unit to the reporting unit’s carrying value, including goodwill. The fair value of each reporting unit is estimated using an income approach and a market approach. The income approach uses discounted cash flow analysis based on management’s short-term and long-term forecast of operating performance. This analysis includes significant assumptions regarding discount rates, revenue growth rates, expected profitability margins, forecasted capital expenditures and the timing of expected future cash flows based on market conditions. If the estimated fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill of the reporting unit is not considered impaired. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, an impairment loss is measured and recorded.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 1 of the consolidated financial statements, which is incorporated herein by reference for a description of recent accounting standards, including the expected dates of adoption and estimated effects on results of operations and financial condition.

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