Halliburton Company announced a net loss of $17 million, or $0.02 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2020. This compares to a net loss for the second quarter of 2020 of $1.7 billion, or $1.91 per diluted share. Adjusted net income for the third quarter of 2020, excluding severance and other charges, was $100 million, or $0.11 per diluted share. This compares to adjusted net income for the second quarter of 2020, excluding impairments and other charges, of $46 million, or $0.05 per diluted share. Halliburton's total revenue in the third quarter of 2020 was $3.0 billion, a 7% decrease from revenue of $3.2 billion in the second quarter of 2020. Reported operating income was $142 million in the third quarter of 2020 compared to reported operating loss of $1.9 billion in the second quarter of 2020. Excluding impairments, severance and other charges, adjusted operating income was $275 million in the third quarter of 2020, a 17% increase from adjusted operating income of $236 million in the second quarter of 2020.

“The fundamentally different course we are charting is having a positive impact on our performance. Halliburton’s strong third quarter results demonstrate that we are effectively executing on our strategic priorities,” commented Jeff Miller, Chairman, President and CEO.

“Total company revenue was about $3.0 billion and adjusted operating income was $275 million. We improved our margin performance both internationally and in North America and are on track to generate over $1.0 billion in free cash flow for the year.

“The pace of activity declines in the international markets is slowing, while the North America industry structure continues to improve, and activity is stabilizing.

“We have a strong international business, a lean North America operation, and an efficient capital deployment strategy, all enabled by continued adoption of leading digital technologies that benefit our customers and Halliburton.

“We believe executing on our strategic priorities will boost our earnings power reset and free cash flow generation today and as we power into and win the eventual recovery,” concluded Miller.

Operating Segments

Completion and Production

Completion and Production revenue in the third quarter of 2020 was $1.6 billion, a decrease of $98 million, or 6%, when compared to the second quarter of 2020, while operating income was $212 million, an increase of $53 million, or 33%. The decline in revenue was driven by reduced completion tool sales across Europe/Africa/CIS, the Gulf of Mexico, and Latin America, coupled with lower cementing activity in Middle East/Asia and North America land. It was partially offset by higher stimulation activity and artificial lift sales in North America land, higher activity across multiple product service lines in Argentina, as well as increased pipeline services in Europe/Africa/CIS. Additionally, service delivery improvements and cost reductions related to stimulation activity in North America land contributed to increased overall margins.

Drilling and Evaluation

Drilling and Evaluation revenue in the third quarter of 2020 was $1.4 billion, a decrease of $123 million, or 8%, when compared to the second quarter of 2020, while operating income was $105 million, a decrease of $22 million, or 17%. These declines were primarily due to reduced drilling-related and wireline services in North America and the Eastern Hemisphere, coupled with lower project management activity in Middle East/Asia, partially offset by improved drilling activity in Latin America.

Selective Technology & Highlights

• Halliburton introduced SmartFleet™, the first intelligent automated fracturing system. SmartFleet, unlike any current fracturing fleet, gives operators real-time fracture control while pumping by integrating subsurface fracture measurements, live 3D visualization, and real-time fracture commands. With SmartFleet, operators can control fracture outcomes in ways not previously possible, through real-time fracture decision making and commands. This includes automated actions while pumping to improve near-wellbore and far-field fracture placement, as well as directly manage frac hits.

• Halliburton introduced Cerebro Force™ in-bit sensors, a first-of-its-kind technology that captures weight, torque and bending measurements directly from the bit to improve understanding of downhole environments, optimize bit design and increase drilling efficiency. Built on Halliburton’s successful in-bit vibration sensing platform, Cerebro Force utilizes downhole data to reduce or eliminate surface measurement uncertainty and inefficiencies caused by bit design, bottomhole assembly and drilling parameter selection.

• PTTEP, a national petroleum exploration and production company in Thailand, awarded Halliburton a contract to design and implement a series of digital transformation projects as part of PTTEP’s Advanced Production Excellence (APEX) Initiative. APEX will improve operational efficiency and production in four offshore fields: Arthit, Greater Bongkot South, Greater Bongkot North and the Myanmar Zawtika Field. Halliburton will deploy its DecisionSpace® Production Suite of cloud applications to improve production operations from the subsurface to processing facilities.

• Halliburton received a scope expansion from Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) to support their upstream digitalization initiatives and reduce exploration time by increasing collaboration and efficiency. PETRONAS is the custodian of Malaysia’s oil and gas resources and a Fortune Global 500 energy company with a presence in more than 50 countries. Halliburton will deliver its DecisionSpace 365 cloud software that provides an integrated platform to help operators like PETRONAS achieve their business objectives. The cloud solution will connect all international and domestic operations across the PETRONAS global portfolio.

• Halliburton and Honeywell announced a collaboration to maximize asset potential, reduce execution risk and lower the total cost of ownership for oil and gas operators. The collaboration will leverage Halliburton’s DecisionSpace 365 cloud applications and Honeywell Forge, a powerful industrial analytics software solution, to deliver unparalleled insights about oil and gas assets.

• Neptune Energy announced that it will adopt Halliburton’s DecisionSpace 365 well construction suite of cloud applications powered by iEnergy® Hybrid Cloud to consolidate all global drilling and wells activities for its geographically diverse and gas-weighted portfolio, improve efficiency, and significantly reduce non-productive time. The three-year agreement will reduce the duration for planning wells from weeks to days, automate engineering calculations, and consolidate data currently held across multiple global locations into one. DecisionSpace 365 cloud applications will enable Neptune to incorporate artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics to solve upstream challenges and support the company’s overall digital transformation.

• Halliburton announced the creation of Halliburton Labs – a collaborative environment where entrepreneurs, academics, investors, and industrial labs come together to advance cleaner, affordable energy. Located at Halliburton’s Houston headquarters, Halliburton Labs adds unique support to the flourishing innovation community and fosters an open environment where participating companies can collaborate to solve current and future clean-energy challenges. Halliburton Labs announced that its first advisory board members will be Reginald DesRoches, John Grotzinger, and Walter Isaacson. Advisory board members will help guide Halliburton Labs’ vision, strategy, evaluation of applicants, cohort selection and other matters.