Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

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Steve Taylor: We’ve had consultants like I mentioned on the accounting side. We’ve had some — I don’t know if the search expenses fell into any one of those. I have to check on that. That may be Q1 expense. And just some — it’s latest contract settlements and expenses we terminated.

Justin Jacobs: That’s one of my follow-up questions is where are the search expenses? I know the Company has got multiple search expenses that was I was hoping at least that that’s in Q4, but it sounds like that actually may be in Q1, so we’ve got incremental SG&A coming.

Steve Taylor: Yes. The — it doesn’t look like the search expenses are — and I don’t think the search expand. I had don’t check for sure, but I don’t think the search expenses are in — up to Q4, I think they will show up in Q1. And so, that’s why I mentioned we’re still going to have some tailing off of some transition expenses over the rest of the year getting that the SG&A more in shape and down as we get other people in and other people out.

Justin Jacobs: Yes. Well, it sounds like it’s actually going to go up a little bit because you’re going to — if you have your retirement agree of expenses that we’re hitting in both Q3 and Q4, they’re going to be there in Q1 still I assume.

Steve Taylor: Yes. That will — but John Chisholm’s expenses are all totally in Q or last year. And I think a fair amount of those consulting expenses are there too. And really, the RSU expenses all come down. So, there’s going to be — the search ones would kick in, but there are going to be some offsetting savings there, too.

Justin Jacobs: Yes. I mean it’s kind of just big picture as I look at Q3 to Q4, your company adjusted EBITDA went up $20,000 on what were rental cost?

Steve Taylor: Yes.

Justin Jacobs: I’m sorry, the yes — can you hear me again?

Steve Taylor: Yes.

Justin Jacobs: Okay. Yes, the Company adjusted EBITDA in Q3 to Q4, I mean, went up $20,000. So your rental profit increase, which is material, is getting completely eaten up by SG&A, and I’m trying to figure out what are the new units are coming in, when is that EBITDA rolling in? I’ve got SG&A volatility. Very difficult to see kind of what EBITDA looks like for the year?

Steve Taylor: Yes — and no, you’re right. That was disappointment in these results that the very good operating results got chewed up by some other transition severance retirement expenses. And it’s — I know we don’t break those out publicly on the SG&A, but that’s just looking forward and seeing what’s coming off and what may be coming on, what’s the only thing coming on would be that we see would be search expenses. Yes, we think we’ll still be able to get down into that 13% to 15% historical range. We’ll be approaching it towards the end of the year, but certainly into next year, I think we’ll have that in a lot better shape because there are some trailing ones admittedly.

Justin Jacobs: Okay. Let me go just last question briefly. And this is kind of audit function questions around the Company. I know there’s a material weakness in the K. Can you describe the issue a little bit?

Steve Taylor: Yes. It’s primarily a balance sheet issue. There was some WIP that should have been classified as long-term assets versus inventory. And that was the biggest — and there’s some — primarily, it was engine compressor build parts, stepping built that was classified wrong. There’s also some vehicle and software expenses that round it out, but the majority were compressor components and costs that or just misclassified on the balance sheet.

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