Seeking Alpha: Whither Onshore Drilling Activity Goest, Basic Energy Services Will Follow

If large energy service companies like Weatherford (NYSE:WFT) are right about the second quarter of 2015 marking the trough of land rig activity in North America, investors may have already missed their chance to buy service names like Basic Energy Services (NYSE:BAS), Key Energy Services (NYSE:KEG), Superior Energy Services (NYSE:SPN), and C&J Energy Services (NYSE:CJES) at the point of maximum pain.

On the other hand, Basic Energy's exposure to competitive and largely commoditized services (the name "Basic Energy Services" really is a fair representation) in the oil fields means that this stock is highly sensitive to any changes in sentiment around North American onshore activity. As more than one analyst has described it, Basic Energy is the "tip of the whip" and however sentiment goes, Basic Energy's stock will react strongly.

As things sit today, with the shares up almost 75% over the past three months and having doubled off the low in mid-March, I'm not hugely interested in owning the shares. I think there are better bargains in the offshore services space (which admittedly has a very different set of fundamentals and drivers) and perhaps even on the onshore space. That said, sustained evidence of a bottoming/turnaround in the North American market could lead analysts to boost their estimates almost as quickly as they cut them and Basic Energy's stock would likely react dramatically. This isn't my kind of investment/speculation, but more aggressive or short-term oriented investors may see a better opportunity here.

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Whither Onshore Drilling Activity Goest, Basic Energy Services Will Follow