DWSN
Dawson Geophysical CompanyDawson Geophysical Company provides onshore seismic data acquisition and processing services in the United States and Canada. The company acquires and processes 2-D, 3-D, and multi-component seismic data for its clients, including oil and gas companies, and independent oil and gas operators, as well as providers of multi-client data libraries. Its seismic crews supply seismic data primarily to companies engaged in the exploration and development of oil and natural gas on land and in land-to-wate
2-Year Price History
Quarterly Financials & Projections
| Period | Rev | EBITDA | OpIn | NI | OCF | FCF | CapEx | Cash | Debt | Shares | ROIC | IntCov | EV/EBITDA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Est | 2027-Q4 | 30.0 | 4.2 | -- | 1.8 | -- | 3.3 | -0.5 | 9.3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Est | 2027-Q3 | 20.0 | 1.4 | -- | 0.1 | -- | 0.8 | -0.4 | 6.0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Est | 2027-Q2 | 14.0 | -0.7 | -- | -2.0 | -- | -1.4 | -0.4 | 5.2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Est | 2027-Q1 | 22.0 | 3.1 | -- | 1.3 | -- | 2.2 | -0.4 | 6.6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Est | 2026-Q4 | 28.0 | 3.4 | -- | 1.3 | -- | 2.5 | -0.4 | 4.4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Est | 2026-Q3 | 18.0 | 0.9 | -- | -0.4 | -- | 0.4 | -0.5 | 1.8 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Est | 2026-Q2 | 12.5 | -1.0 | -- | -2.3 | -- | -1.9 | -0.4 | 1.5 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Est | 2026-Q1 | 20.0 | 2.4 | -- | 0.8 | -- | 1.6 | -0.4 | 3.3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Act | 2026-Q1 | 36.7 | 10.8 | 8.8 | 7.7 | -0.5 | -1.9 | -1.4 | 1.7 | 22.0 | 31.1 | 117.2% | 21.6x | 9.8x |
| Act | 2025-Q4 | 27.0 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 1.4 | -0.7 | 5.3 | 20.7 | 31.0 | 15.9% | 8.4x | 15.8x |
| Act | 2025-Q3 | 22.8 | 0.6 | -1.2 | -1.2 | -4.7 | -10.2 | -5.4 | 5.1 | 13.5 | 31.0 | -34.7% | 1.6x | 22.4x |
| Act | 2025-Q2 | 9.9 | -1.1 | -2.4 | -2.4 | 14.9 | 14.2 | -0.7 | 16.2 | 5.6 | 31.0 | -168.5% | -19.4x | -- |
| Act | 2025-Q1 | 16.1 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 1.8 | -0.0 | 2.7 | 6.6 | 31.0 | 54.1% | 30.8x | -- |
| Act | 2024-Q4 | 15.6 | 0.6 | -0.7 | -0.8 | -5.4 | -5.7 | -0.3 | 1.4 | 5.8 | 31.0 | -44.0% | 14.4x | 30.2x |
| Act | 2024-Q3 | 14.4 | -4.2 | -5.8 | -5.6 | -4.2 | -4.3 | -0.1 | 7.0 | 4.9 | 30.9 | -473.6% | -120.8x | 20.0x |
| Act | 2024-Q2 | 12.5 | -2.2 | -3.8 | -3.6 | 5.9 | 5.1 | -0.8 | 11.4 | 5.1 | 30.8 | -286.8% | -57.2x | 11.2x |
| Act | 2024-Q1 | 31.6 | 7.7 | 5.8 | 5.9 | 1.9 | 1.2 | -0.7 | 16.7 | 5.9 | 30.8 | 380.1% | 167.0x | 10.7x |
| Act | 2023-Q4 | 24.3 | 1.8 | -2.0 | -2.1 | -1.7 | -2.8 | -1.1 | 16.0 | 6.2 | 30.8 | -93.7% | -- | -- |
| Act | 2023-Q3 | 23.0 | -3.2 | -5.7 | -5.2 | -3.3 | -3.9 | -0.6 | 14.2 | 5.5 | 26.1 | -228.6% | -143.6x | -- |
| Act | 2023-Q2 | 20.2 | -2.4 | -4.8 | -4.4 | 7.6 | 7.2 | -0.4 | 23.4 | 15.4 | 25.0 | -122.0% | -170.4x | -- |
| Act | 2023-Q1 | 29.4 | 2.5 | -0.6 | -0.4 | -1.8 | -3.4 | -1.6 | 11.2 | 15.2 | 25.0 | -14.6% | 149.5x | -- |
| Act | 2022-Q4 | 14.7 | -0.1 | -5.9 | -2.8 | 1.3 | 0.3 | -1.0 | 23.9 | 4.9 | 23.8 | -185.9% | -11.1x | -- |
| Act | 2022-Q3 | 7.4 | -4.1 | -7.1 | -6.9 | -3.3 | -3.8 | -0.5 | 23.9 | 4.8 | 23.8 | -378.1% | -1015.8x | -- |
| Act | 2022-Q2 | 0.9 | -4.9 | -8.0 | -7.7 | 10.9 | 10.8 | -0.1 | 29.9 | 5.5 | 23.8 | -190.9% | -540.0x | -- |
| Act | 2022-Q1 | 21.9 | 1.7 | -1.4 | -1.4 | -9.2 | -9.2 | -0.0 | 14.7 | 6.1 | 23.7 | -22.4% | 157.1x | -- |
Multiples vs the company's own history — cheap or rich relative to itself? Historical fiscal years, then TTM, then forward projections (E). Forward rows hold today's price against projected earnings, so the multiple compresses if the company grows into it.
| Year | Price | Rev Gr | EBITDA % | EBITDA | EV/EBITDA | EV/FCF | P/E | P/S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1.67 | — | -16.2% | -7 | n/m | n/m | n/m | 0.8× |
| 2023 | 1.56 | +115.5% | -1.2% | -1 | n/m | n/m | n/m | 0.8× |
| 2024 | 1.34 | -23.4% | 2.4% | 2 | 30.2× | n/m | n/m | 0.7× |
| 2025 | 1.56 | +2.0% | 6.0% | 5 | 15.8× | 10.0× | n/m | 0.7× |
| TTM | 3.89 | +64.1% | 13.5% | 13 | 0.0× | 0.0× | 0.0× | 0.0× |
| 2026E | 3.89 | -18.4% | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0× | 0.0× | n/m | 0.0× |
| 2027E | 3.89 | +9.6% | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0× | 0.0× | 0.0× | 0.0× |
EBITDA in reporting-currency $M. Historical multiples use year-end market cap (split-adjusted price history); TTM & forward years use today's.
AI Analysis
LLM Evaluations
Dawson Geophysical is a controlled-company seismic services provider with deeply problematic governance. The 80% owner (Wilks Brothers) extracts value through a 13% related-party credit facility after engineering a $9.9M special dividend that depleted liquidity. While the node technology investment is operationally sound, the business remains highly cyclical, customer-concentrated, and unprofitable on a full-year basis. The material weakness in internal controls, negative working capital, and controlled-company structure severely limit upside for minority shareholders. The 12.4% dividend yield is unsustainable given recurring losses and was likely structured to benefit the controlling shareholder. At ~$2.60/share, the stock trades at 1x TTM revenue for a money-losing, capital-intensive services business with governance red flags — this is not cheap enough to compensate for the risks.
Latest Earnings Call
Transcript Summary
Dawson Geophysical reported a strong fourth quarter in 2025, marked by a 67% revenue increase to $22.9 million and a return to quarterly profitability with $0.6 million in net income. The company's primary focus throughout the year was a $24.2 million investment in single-node channel technology. These new 1-pound nodes replace legacy 10-pound equipment, significantly enhancing field efficiency and reducing logistical costs. Full-year 2025 results showed revenue of $61.9 million and a narrowed net loss of $1.9 million compared to 2024. Management highlighted a surge in utilization, with six crews active in late 2025 and an expansion of services into carbon capture, geothermal, and rare earth mineral exploration. CFO Ian Shaw noted a strengthened balance sheet, with $14 million in operating cash flow and no debt on their revolving credit facility. Looking toward 2026, the company expects continued improvement in profitability metrics as they capitalize on a larger channel count and diversified bid opportunities. Management remains conservative regarding the direct impact of geopolitical conflicts on demand, citing that current activity levels are largely driven by pre-set exploration budgets, though bid inquiries remain on an upward trajectory.
Valuation & Metrics
Market Stats
TTM Financial Snapshot
DCF Fair Value Estimate
Forward Outlook & Risk
Short Interest
Forward Projections & Estimates
Employees
Institutional Ownership
Headline & net flow
In Q1 2026 so far (quarter still filing), institutions are roughly balanced — bought 0.9% of float, sold 1.4%.
Ownership composition
Top holders
| Fund | $ value | Cost basis | Δ QoQ | Δ YoY | α life | Fund AUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRACE & WHITE INC /NY | $2.7M | $1.34 | −$441K | −$730K | -1.1% | $566M |
| RBF Capital, LLC | $1.5M | $1.99 | −$97K | −$97K | +0.1% | $2.03B |
| GABELLI FUNDS LLC | $502K | $1.67 | +$0 | −$14K | -0.2% | $14.68B |
| VANGUARD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLCPassive | $392K | $3.46 | +$392K | +$392K | — | $4.04T |
| GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLCPassive | $281K | $3.04 | +$96K | +$105K | +2.3% | $1.61T |
| US BANCORP \DE\ | $185K | $1.99 | −$204K | −$204K | -0.1% | $82.36B |
| MARSHALL WACE, LLP | $142K | $3.46 | +$142K | +$142K | +0.6% | $92.71B |
| PINNACLE ASSOCIATES LTD | $140K | $1.39 | −$42K | −$35K | -0.0% | $7.78B |
| TWO SIGMA INVESTMENTS, LP | $120K | $1.70 | −$10K | +$120K | -0.9% | $117.03B |
| Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. | $119K | $3.46 | +$119K | +$119K | +0.3% | $3.68B |
| VANGUARD FIDUCIARY TRUST COPassive | $115K | $3.46 | +$115K | +$115K | — | $395.83B |
| Point72 Asset Management, L.P. | $105K | $3.46 | +$105K | +$105K | +0.9% | $54.88B |
| GSA CAPITAL PARTNERS LLP | $101K | $3.46 | +$60K | +$101K | — | $1.61B |
| STATE STREET CORPPassive | $100K | $3.46 | +$35K | +$35K | -0.2% | $2.89T |
| SALEM INVESTMENT COUNSELORS INC | $91K | $1.99 | −$178K | −$313K | +0.9% | $3.41B |
| BRIDGEWAY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC | $75K | $1.56 | +$0 | +$75K | -2.3% | $4.93B |
| Teton Advisors, LLC | $69K | $1.76 | +$0 | +$69K | +4.6% | $142M |
| NORTHERN TRUST CORPPassive | $61K | $3.28 | +$20K | +$18K | -0.2% | $755.34B |
| BlackRock, Inc.Passive | $58K | $1.56 | −$3K | +$12K | -0.2% | $5.69T |
| SUSQUEHANNA INTERNATIONAL GROUP, LLPMM | $53K | $1.39 | −$4K | +$13K | -0.6% | $77.14B |
Trading behavior
▸ Compare to holder-profile behavior (across all their stocks)
Biggest decreases this quarter
New buyers this quarter
Top-5 holders · 75.4%
Top Holders Over Time
5-year share-count history (top 10 holders by peak, incl. exited) + price
Analyst Coverage
| Quarter | Revenue | EBITDA | Net Inc | EPS | EPS Range | # Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Q4 | 8M | -2M | -5M | $2.09 | $2.09 – $2.09 | 1 |
| 2024 Q1 | 914M | 8M | -0M | $1.58 | $1.58 – $1.58 | 1 |
| 2024 Q4 | 45M | -7M | 2M | $0.06 | $0.06 – $0.06 | 1 |
| 2025 Q1 | 27M | -4M | -9M | $-0.29 | $-0.29 – $-0.29 | 1 |
| 2025 Q2 | 45M | -7M | 2M | $0.06 | $0.06 – $0.06 | 1 |
| 2025 Q3 | 45M | -7M | 2M | $0.06 | $0.06 – $0.06 | 1 |
| 2025 Q4 | 45M | -7M | 2M | $0.06 | $0.06 – $0.06 | 1 |
| 2026 Q1 | 27M | -4M | -9M | $-0.29 | $-0.29 – $-0.29 | 1 |
| 2026 Q2 | 40M | -6M | -4M | $-0.13 | $-0.13 – $-0.13 | 1 |
| 2026 Q3 | 43M | -6M | -4M | $-0.14 | $-0.14 – $-0.14 | 1 |
Corporate
Executive Compensation (2022-2024)
Order Flow (FINRA, ~3w lag)
Revenue Breakdown
Revenue Segments
| Fee Revenue | $32.5M | +113% |
| Reimbursable Revenue | $4.2M | +412% |
| United States | $22.9M | +563% |
| Canada | $0.0M | -82% |
Filing Risk Analysis
Filing Risk Scores
DAWSON GEOPHYSICAL: Routine Administrative Filing Devoid of Material Forensic Data
Counter-Thesis
Counter-Thesis & Recent News
In March 2026, Dawson Geophysical reported a net loss of $1.9 million for the full fiscal year 2025. Despite a small Q4 profit of $0.6 million, the stock suffered a sharp 18.77% decline following the release of preliminary results on March 27, 2026, wiping out roughly $26 million in market capitalization (Source: StockTitan, TipRanks). Analysts have issued recent downgrades as of April 2026, citing the stock's failure to maintain consistent profitability (Source: AAII).
The company suffers from 'lumpy' and unpredictable earnings, with basic EPS swinging wildly between a $0.08 loss and $0.03 profit throughout 2025 (Source: Simply Wall St). The 'turnaround' narrative is challenged by a full-year net loss and modest cash levels ($4.9 million) following heavy equipment spending, leaving the company with a limited liquidity cushion in a capital-intensive industry (Source: TipRanks).
A significant internal red flag is the 'material weakness in internal controls over financial reporting' identified in the 2025 annual report, specifically regarding the misclassification of fee revenue and reimbursable expenses (Source: SEC Filing via Corporate Decoder). Additionally, high ownership by Wilks Brothers, LLC creates a 'controlled company' environment with limited public float and potential conflicts of interest, as the owners also operate in the energy sector (Source: YouTube/SEC Analysis).
Dawson faces significant concentration risk, relying on a few large clients for the bulk of its revenue; losing a single major contract would be catastrophic. Furthermore, the controlling shareholder, Wilks Brothers, represents a competitive threat as they may divert energy sector opportunities away from Dawson or engage in asset sales that favor the parent company over minority shareholders (Source: SEC Filing analysis).
Sentiment is currently fragile due to the company's reliance on the cyclical capital expenditure of a few major oil and gas operators. Project-specific spending (reimbursable revenue) declined significantly in 2025, suggesting that clients may be tightening budgets or shifting away from the high-cost seismic exploration projects that Dawson specializes in (Source: Corporate Decoder/TipRanks).
Full Earnings Call Transcript
Full Earnings Call Transcript — Q4 • 2026-03-31
Operator: Good day, and welcome to the Dawson Geophysical Fourth Quarter 2025 Earnings Conference Call. Statements made by management during this call with respect to forecasts, estimates or other expectations regarding future events or which provide any information other than historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and include known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which the company is unable to predict or control, that may cause the company's actual future results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by those statements. Wherever possible, we will try to identify those forward-looking statements by using words such as believe, expect, anticipate, pursue, forecast and similar expressions. These risks and uncertainties include the risk factors disclosed by the company from time to time in its filings with the SEC, including in the company's annual report on Form 10-K, expected to be filed with the SEC on March 31, 2026. Furthermore, as we start this call, please also refer to the statement regarding forward-looking statements incorporated in the company's press release issued yesterday, and please note that the content of the company's conference call this morning is covered by those statements. During this conference call, management will make references to adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow, which are non-GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures can be found in the company's current earnings release, a copy of which is located on the company's website, www.dawson3d.com. The call is scheduled for 30 minutes, and the company will not provide any guidance. Shareholders who might have questions are encouraged to contact the company directly. I would now like to turn the call over to Tony Clark, President and CEO of Dawson Geophysical Company. Please go ahead, sir. Anthony Clark: Thank you, Olivia. Good morning and welcome to Dawson Geophysical's Fourth Quarter 2025 Earnings and Operations Conference Call. As Olivia said, my name is Tony Clark, President and CEO of the company. Joining me on the call is Ian Shaw, Chief Financial Officer. Before I start the call, I have a few items to cover. If you would like to listen to a replay of today's call, it will be available via webcast by going to the Investor Relations section of the company's website at www.dawson3d.com. Information reported on this call speaks only of today, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. And therefore, you are advised that time-sensitive information may no longer be accurate at the time of any replay listening. Turning to a review of our current operations, outlook and fourth quarter year-end December 31, 2025 results. I am proud of the continued progress the Dawson team made during 2025, generating $14 million in cash from our operations and reinvesting a portion of that into new single-node channels to increase our capacity and strengthen our foundation for profitability and our future. We purchased $24.2 million of new equipment, primarily new single-node channels, and received our first delivery in August 2025. Due to demand from our customers, we accelerated our delivery time line throughout the fourth quarter and received the final delivery in January 2026. This equipment has been highly utilized in our U.S. and Canadian operations. These single-node channels weigh approximately 1 pound, compared to our legacy equipment which weighs approximately 10 pounds. We believe this lighter-weight equipment will provide us with improved efficiency in our operations. Currently, we have over 180,000 channels of legacy and new equipment available to service the industry. And we are increasing our efforts to secure passive seismic monitoring with positive activity. We believe that we have a significant competitive advantage for larger seismic jobs due to our higher channel count and our quality of operated energy source units. While we continue to grow our top line and invest in our future, we are continually monitoring our cost structure and reduced our general and administrative expenses 9% in 2025 compared to 2024. We believe that the Dawson team has shown continuous improvement over the past 2 years, which is evidenced by the continued improvement in our profitability metrics. We expect that improvement to continue into 2026. I will now turn the call over to Ian Shaw, who will review the financial results. Then I will return with some final remarks on our operations and outlook into the first quarter of 2026. Ian? Ian Shaw: Thank you, Tony, and good morning. For the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2025, the company reported fee revenues of $22.9 million, an increase of 67% compared to $13.8 million for the fourth quarter of '24. The company reported net income of $0.6 million or $0.02 per common share, compared to a net loss of $0.8 million or $0.03 per common share for the quarter ended December 31, '24. The company reported adjusted EBITDA of $3.3 million, compared to $0.9 million quarter-over-quarter. Now I'll cover some results for the year ended December 2025. The company reported fee revenues of $16.9 million (sic) [ $61.9 million ], an increase of 16% compared to $53.5 million in 2024. In 2025, the company reported a net loss of $1.9 million or $0.06 per common share, compared to a net loss of $4.7 million or $0.13 per common share in 2024. The company reported adjusted EBITDA of $4.7 million for the year in 2025, compared to adjusted EBITDA of $2 million for the year in 2024, which was a 139% increase year-over-year. Regarding our capital budget and liquidity, in 2025, we generated $14 million in operating cash flow and increased our cash balance to $4.9 million as of the end of the year, compared to $1.4 million at the end of 2024. In October '25, we entered into a revolving credit facility with a maximum lender commitment of $5 million, and had a borrowing base of $4.9 million and no balance outstanding on our revolver as of December 31, 2025. The company's Board of Directors approved a capital budget of $3 million for 2026, which included the final payment under the equipment single-node channel purchase of $0.9 million, which was made in January of 2026. And with that, I'll turn the call back to Tony for some comments on our operations and outlook. Anthony Clark: Thank you, Ian. As indicated in our earnings release issued yesterday, activity levels during the fourth quarter increased with 4 crews operating in the Lower 48 and 2 crews operating in Canada. The company was operating 1 large channel crew and 3 smaller channel crews operating in the United States and into the first quarter of 2026. High crude utilization in the fourth quarter resulted in healthy margins and profitability. And we are experiencing an increase in utilization and revenue in the first quarter of 2026. We resumed our Canadian operations in the fourth quarter of '25 with 2 crews and moved to the first quarter of 2026 with 3 large channel count crews. We anticipate our Canadian operations to have a successful first quarter. We've expanded our customer base to include more unconventional exploration, such as carbon capture, geothermal and critical rare earth minerals, as well as other uses of seismic acquisition capabilities. And we are seeing an increase in bid activity for these projects, as well as oil and gas exploration. I wish to thank all of our hardworking employees, valued clients and trusted shareholders. Now we will open up the lines for any questions. Operator: [Operator Instructions] And we have a question coming from the line of John Daniel with Daniel Energy Partners. John Daniel: I've been away from the seismic market for some time so my question might show some ignorance, and for that, I apologize. But how would you characterize sort of the quality of the service technology that you all provide today versus maybe what you would have had 5 to 10 years ago? In other words, just what are some of the key developments that you all have accomplished over the last several years? Ian Shaw: Tony? Anthony Clark: I'm sorry. What was the question again? I'm sorry. You said that what are some of the key developments that we have the last couple of years? John Daniel: Well, I'll dumb it down for me. I haven't been super-close to this part of the space for a while. And so I'm just curious like how has the service, the technology, how has it evolved over the last, say, 5 to 10 years? Just a little bit of history would be hugely helpful. Anthony Clark: Okay. Well, obviously, the big factor is going to these single nodes, which I quoted going from a 1-pound node to -- from a 10-pound node to a 1-pound node, it certainly helps in our acquisition characterizations of mob and de-mob, getting the equipment to the job site, from the job site, reduces our footprint in the field with less personnel, less equipment, decreases the HSE portion of our operations. And it's a higher technology. We went down from a 10-hertz phone to a 5-hertz phone. So that's the main movement of our operations. John Daniel: Okay. And then an unrelated follow-up. I know you don't want to give guidance, and that's fine, but just in light of what's going on in the Middle East, have you seen any early signs or changes in demand for services as a result of the conflict? Anthony Clark: Well, we saw an uptick for the last 3 quarters of increase in bid opportunities and utilization, as shown in our quarterly reviews. We're not sure that the -- there's been a major uptick coming around because of the war or the conflict. These budgets were set last year for exploration this year, with projects identified. So there may be some. But we anticipate if this conflict would resolve soon, that the activity level would remain at its present consistency. Operator: [Operator Instructions] And I am showing no further questions in the queue at this time. I will turn the call back over to Mr. Tony Clark. Anthony Clark: We want to thank everybody for attending and listening this morning. We wish you all well. That concludes our call. Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, that does conclude our conference call for today. Thank you for your participation, and you may now disconnect.