CALGARY, AB, Jan. 6, 2026 /CNW/ - ACT Energy Technologies Ltd. (TSX: ACX) ("ACT", the "Company") is pleased to announce that on January 5, 2026 (the "Closing Date") it acquired all the assets of Stryker Energy Directional Services, LLC ("Stryker") for total consideration of USD$24.2 million (approximately CAD$34 million) (the "Transaction"). The purchase price consisted of USD$12.5 million in cash, a USD$6.7 million promissory note, and USD$5.0 million in ACT common shares.
Stryker, founded in 2010 and based in Conroe, Texas, is a well-established directional drilling services provider with a highly experienced management team and a strong operating history across the Southern United States. In 2025, Stryker averaged approximately 17 active jobs per operating day, including work utilizing RSS technology. Stryker's existing management team will lead the business, ensuring continued strong customer service and long-term alignment with ACT shareholders.
"Stryker has built a strong brand and a proven reputation for delivering high-performance directional drilling services to customers across the Southern U.S.," said Tom Connors, President and CEO of ACT. "We are excited to welcome Stryker's management team and employees to ACT. Their expertise and operational track record will strengthen our U.S. platform and enhance our ability to serve customers with high-value drilling technologies. The acquisition of Stryker, which relies on rented third-party mud motors for approximately one half of its active jobs, presents a meaningful opportunity for ACT to supply motors from our existing inventory, immediately reducing rental expenses and expanding margins. Their RSS fleet and deep experience in deploying and servicing MWD tools further complement our technology-focused strategy. We expect the cash flow generated by Stryker to pay back in less than two and a half years, with additional upside as synergies are realized."
TRANSACTION HIGHLIGHTS
-- Expands ACT's scale and presence in key U.S. basins: Stryker's strong
position in the Southern U.S. enhances ACT's existing operations and
increases U.S. job count in the southern U.S.
-- Strengthens ACT's technology portfolio: Stryker's fleet of 10 RSS tools
adds to ACT's U.S. RSS fleet of 30 tools. RSS technology represents the
highest-value segment of the directional drilling market, generating
superior revenue and margins.
-- Significant synergy potential: ACT expects more than CAD$5.0 million in
annual synergies, primarily from replacing Stryker's rented mud motors
with ACT-owned assets.
-- Balanced and strategic funding structure: The combination of cash, debt,
and equity supports management retention and preserves ACT's financial
flexibility.
-- Accretive financial impact: Including expected synergies and minimal
follow-on capital requirements, ACT anticipates a payback period in less
than two and a half years. The Transaction is expected to be accretive to
net income, Adjusted EBITDAS, and Free Cash Flow (see Non-GAAP and
Supplementary Financial Measures).
KEY TERMS OF THE TRANSACTION
Under the definitive agreements between ACT and Stryker, ACT paid the following consideration:
-- USD$12.5 million in cash;
-- USD$5.0 million in equity, via the issuance of 1,299,394 common shares of
ACT (the "Acquisition Shares"); and
-- A USD$6.7 million promissory note issued by a wholly-owned subsidiary of
ACT to Stryker, structured as a three-year, 6% subordinated note, with
USD$2.5 million repayable on the 12 and 24 month anniversaries of the
Closing Date, and the balance of USD$1.7 million repayable on the 36
month anniversary of the Closing Date.
The Acquisition Shares were issued at a deemed price of $5.29 per Acquisition Share for a value of approximately USD$5.0 million. The Acquisition Shares are subject to a four-month statutory hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws, in addition to such other restrictions as may apply under applicable securities laws of jurisdictions outside of Canada. Additionally, the Acquisition Shares are subject to contractual resale restrictions, with 30% of the Acquisition Shares released on the dates that are 12 and 24 months following the Closing Date, and 40% on the date that 36 months following the Closing Date.
In connection with the Transaction, the Company also issued 727,660 common shares of the Company (the "Stryker Shares") to Stryker at a price of $5.29 per Share, for aggregate gross proceeds of $3.85 million (USD$2.8 million) as a concurrent private placement. The Stryker Shares are subject to a four-month statutory hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws, in addition to such other restrictions as may apply under applicable securities laws of jurisdictions outside of Canada. Additionally, the Stryker Shares are subject to contractual resale restrictions, with 25% of the Stryker Shares released on each of the dates that are 12, 24, 36 and 48 months following the Closing Date (see Non-GAAP Measures and Supplementary Financial Information below, for foreign exchange conversion assumptions).
SELECT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (CAD)
Pre-Acquisition (1) Post-Acquisition (1)
Common Shares Outstanding (Basic) $33.14 million $35.17 million
Cash $34 million $20 million
Loans and borrowings $62 million $62 million
Exchangeable promissory notes $27.4 million $27.4 million
Promissory note $nil $9.2 million
(1) Estimated pre- and post-closing amounts as at immediately
before and after the Closing Date.
ADVISORS
Peters & Co. Limited acted as financial advisor to ACT. DS Lawyers Canada LLP served as Canadian legal counsel, and Porter Hedges LLP acted as U.S. legal counsel to ACT and its subsidiaries.
LEGAL
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States. The securities referenced herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
NON-GAAP MEASURES AND SUPPLEMENTARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ACT uses certain performance measures throughout this news release that are not defined under IFRS Accounting Standards or Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"). These non-GAAP measures do not have a standardized meaning and may differ from that of other organizations, and accordingly, may not be comparable. Investors should be cautioned that these measures should not be construed as alternatives to IFRS Accounting Standards measures as an indicator of ACT's performance.
These measures include Adjusted EBITDAS and Free Cash Flow. Management believes these measures provide supplemental financial information that is useful in the evaluation of ACT's operations.
These non-GAAP and supplemental financial measures are defined as follows:
"Adjusted EBITDAS" is calculated as net income before finance costs, unrealized foreign exchange on intercompany balances, income tax expense, depreciation, amortization, non-recurring costs (including acquisition and restructuring costs), write-down of inventory and share-based compensation; and is considered an indicator of the Company's ability to generate funds flow from operations prior to consideration of how activities are financed, how the results are taxed and non-cash expenses. Further information regarding how ACT calculates and uses Adjusted EBITDAS is contained in ACT's Q3 2025 Management Discussion & Analysis under the heading "Non-GAAP Measurements" and is available on SEDAR+ under ACT's profile at www.sedarplus.com.
"Free Cash Flow" is calculated as cash flow from operating activities prior to: i) changes in non-cash working capital, ii) and income tax (refund) payment less: i) cash flow from investing activities (updated from property, plant and equipment ("PP&E") and intangible asset additions, excluding assets acquired in business combinations), ii) required repayments on loans and borrowings, in accordance with the Company's credit facility agreement, and iii) repayments of lease liabilities, net of finance costs, offset by proceeds on disposal of PP&E. Free Cash Flow is a useful supplemental measure of the Company's ability to generate funds from operations available for future capital expenditures, discretionary debt repayments, or other strategic initiatives.
Exchange rates calculated based on an exchange rate of 1.37437 Canadian dollars per 1.00 US dollar. All figures shown in press release are given in Canadian dollars (CAD) except where noted as US dollars $(USD)$.
ABOUT ACT ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES
ACT Energy Technologies Ltd., headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, operates in Canada and the United States under the brands Altitude Energy Partners, Discovery Downhole Services, and Rime Downhole Technologies. ACT's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "ACX". ACT provides high-performance directional drilling services and downhole technologies to North American energy companies, delivering tailored solutions that improve drilling efficiency and reduce project costs. For more information, visit www.actenergy.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
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January 06, 2026 06:30 ET (11:30 GMT)
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