PTEN vs PDS vs NBR Stock Comparison

Patterson Uti Energy, Precision Drilling and Nabors Industries Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group

Head to Head

9 decided of 12

Precision Drilling leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Precision Drilling 6, Patterson Uti Energy 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionPTENPDSNBRLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $4.67B $1.34B $1.24B PTEN
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -52.0x -57.6x -32.3x –
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS — 19.6x — –
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -6.9% +5.0% — PDS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -1.9% -1.7% — PDS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -0.9% 0.0% — PDS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.2x 0.7x — PDS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +86.1% +65.7% +72.4% PTEN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.1%/yr +17.2%/yr -6.8%/yr PDS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 50.3% 39.0% 51.4% PDS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 53/100 52/100 — PTEN

Percentile Scorecard

PTENPDSNBR

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisPTENPDSNBR
Valuation 61 #19 of 47 96 #3 of 47 74 #13 of 47
Growth 43 #25 of 43 24 #33 of 43 –
Profitability 23 #31 of 40 67 #14 of 40 –
Financial Health 46 #25 of 45 66 #16 of 45 14 #39 of 45
Shareholder Returns 94 #3 of 32 10 #29 of 32 –
Overall 53 52 –
  • PTEN ranked among 48 companies in Oilfield Services and Equipment
  • PDS ranked among 48 companies in Oilfield Services and Equipment
  • NBR ranked among 48 companies in Oilfield Services and Equipment

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodPTENPDSNBRSPY
1 month +11.9%+22.2%+0.1% -0.2%
3 months +33.2%+27.6%+8.0% +3.9%
6 months +3.3%+1.1%-13.0% +8.2%
Year to date +99.8%+39.0%+50.0% +12.9%
1 year +86.1%+65.7%+72.4% +12.3%
3 years -6.1%+72.8%-20.8% +87.4%
3 years, per year -2.1%+20.0%-7.5% +23.3%
5 years +34.3%+120.8%-29.7% +67.9%
5 years, per year +6.1%+17.2%-6.8% +10.9%
10 years -47.7%+4.9%-86.5% +261.1%
10 years, per year -6.3%+0.5%-18.1% +13.7%

Risk

MeasurePTENPDSNBRSPY
Volatility, 1Y 50.3%39.0%51.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 51.3%40.9%47.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.340.140.44 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.711.681.41 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -73.9%-55.5%-87.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -7.1%-2.0%-26.4% -1.2%
52-week high $13.15$101.96$110.63 $779.14
52-week low $5.41$56.91$46.19 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultiplePTENPDSNBR
P/E now vs peer median -51.7xmedian 26.1x -57.1xmedian 26.1x -30.4xmedian 26.1x
P/S now vs peer median 1.0xmedian 1.3x 0.9xmedian 1.3x 0.4xmedian 1.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 6.8xmedian 8.8x 2.9xmedian 8.8x —median 8.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median 26.2xmedian 14.9x 2.5xmedian 14.9x 31.1xmedian 14.9x
P/B now vs peer median 1.5xmedian 1.7x 1.1xmedian 1.7x 1.3xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median 1.79median 0.49 1.89median 0.49 -0.98median 0.49

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsPTENPDSNBR
Revenue $4.67B $1.39B –
Gross profit $1.11B $429.47M –
Operating income -$49.57M $336.65M –
Net income -$89.62M -$22.36M –
Free cash flow $177.73M $508.21M –
R&D – – $54.38M
EPS (diluted) $-0.24 $-1.75 $-2.68
Cash & equivalents $203.17M $46.65M $475.15M
Total debt $1.23B $1.91B –
Shares (diluted) 380.19M 13.34M 14.27M
Enterprise value $3.52B $1.18B $1.24B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricPTENPDSNBR
P/E -51.7x -57.1x -30.4x
P/FCF 26.2x 2.5x 31.1x
P/Operating cash flow 6.4x 4.4x –
P/S 1.0x 0.9x 0.4x
P/B 1.5x 1.1x 1.3x
P/Tangible book 2.0x 1.1x 1.3x
EV/EBITDA 6.8x 2.9x –
EV/EBIT -114.7x 5.0x –
EV/Revenue 1.2x 1.2x –
EV/FCF 32.0x 3.3x –
EV/Operating cash flow 7.8x 5.7x –
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.79 1.89 -0.98

Growth

14 metrics
MetricPTENPDSNBR
Revenue growth (1Y) -6.9% 5.0% –
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 15.1% -1.1% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) -11.7% -3.6% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 1.9% -6.2% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 95.2% -7.6% –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -28.4% -6.7% –
Net income growth (1Y) 91.7% -129.5% –
Net income CAGR (3Y) -31.2% -29.9% –
EPS growth (1Y) 91.6% -133.2% -119.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -28.9% -30.1% 31.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -23.6% -8.8% –
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -5.8% -0.7% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -46.6% 2.8% –
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -22.6% 3.7% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricPTENPDSNBR
Gross margin 23.8% 30.9% –
EBITDA margin 17.8% 41.7% –
Operating margin -1.1% 24.2% –
Pretax margin -2.4% 0.7% –
Net margin -1.9% -1.7% –
FCF margin 3.8% 36.6% –
Operating cash flow margin 15.7% 21.4% –
Return on equity -2.9% -1.9% 3.7%
Return on assets -1.7% -1.1% 0.8%
Return on invested capital -0.9% 0.0% –
Return on capital employed -1.1% 19.6% –
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.7x –
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -8.2x -13.3x –
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% – –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricPTENPDSNBR
Debt / assets 23.0% 23.0% –
Debt / equity 0.4x 0.4x –
Net debt / EBITDA 1.2x 0.7x –
Debt / FCF 6.9x 0.9x –
Liabilities / assets 42.2% 41.1% 66.3%
Equity / assets 57.8% 58.9% 22.3%
Interest coverage -0.7x 9.1x –
Current ratio 1.7x 1.5x 1.8x
Quick ratio 1.4x 1.3x –
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.2x –
Altman Z-score 1.84 1.90 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricPTENPDSNBR
Dividend yield 3.1% – –
Net buyback yield 0.9% -2.6% –
Shareholder yield 4.0% -2.6% 0.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusPTENPDSNBR
Forward P/E – 19.6xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $0.00FY2026 $5.11FY2026 $-2.20FY2026
EPS growth, next FY – +5,010.0%FY2026 -112.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after – +69.3% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.72BFY2026 $1.57BFY2026 $3.26BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -2.4%FY2026 +17.1%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +5.1% +2.1% +6.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersPTENPDSNBR
Held by institutions 100.0% – 76.0%
Institutions holding 435 – 242
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.0% – +8.5%
Institutions buying 258 – 146
Institutions selling 111 – 64
Buyers to sellers 2.32 – 2.28

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

PTENPDSNBR
PTEN 1.00 0.70 0.72
PDS 0.70 1.00 0.65
NBR 0.72 0.65 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, PTEN, PDS and NBR?

Patterson Uti Energy (PTEN) is the largest by market capitalisation: Patterson Uti Energy (PTEN) $4.67B, Precision Drilling (PDS) $1.34B, Nabors Industries (NBR) $1.24B.

Which company is growing faster?

Precision Drilling (PDS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Patterson Uti Energy (PTEN) -6.9%, Precision Drilling (PDS) +5.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Precision Drilling (PDS) has the highest net margin (Patterson Uti Energy (PTEN) -1.9%, Precision Drilling (PDS) -1.7%). On return on invested capital, Precision Drilling (PDS) leads (Patterson Uti Energy (PTEN) -0.9%, Precision Drilling (PDS) 0.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Patterson Uti Energy (PTEN) returned the most: Patterson Uti Energy (PTEN) +86.1%, Precision Drilling (PDS) +65.7%, Nabors Industries (NBR) +72.4%. Over five years, Precision Drilling (PDS) compounded fastest (Patterson Uti Energy (PTEN) +6.1%/yr, Precision Drilling (PDS) +17.2%/yr, Nabors Industries (NBR) -6.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Precision Drilling (PDS) has been the steadiest (Patterson Uti Energy (PTEN) 50.3%, Precision Drilling (PDS) 39.0%, Nabors Industries (NBR) 51.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, PTEN, PDS and NBR?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Precision Drilling (PDS) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.