Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. RISK FACTORS
An investment in our common stock is subject to a number of risks, including those discussed below. You should carefully consider these discussions of risk and the other information included in this Form 10-K. These risk factors could affect our actual results and should be considered carefully when evaluating us and an investment in our common stock. Although the risks described below are the risks that we believe are material, they are not the only risks relating to our business, our industry and our common stock. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those that are not yet identified or that we currently believe are immaterial, may also adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. If any of the events described below occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Current macroeconomic conditions, including inflationary pressures in the broader U.S. economy and military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East have had, and are expected to continue to have, an impact on oil and gas commodity prices and, therefore, demand for our services and, depending on the duration and severity, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Worldwide political, economic, and military events have contributed to oil and natural gas price volatility and are likely to continue to do so in the future. We are monitoring the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine as well as the related export controls and financial and economic sanctions imposed on certain industry sectors and parties in Russia by the U.S., the U.K., the European Union and others. We are also monitoring the U.S. and Iran conflict and the impact on shipping in the Middle East, including the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, as a result of ongoing unrest in the Middle East. The broader consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the U.S. and Iran conflict, and the unrest in the Middle East, which may include further sanctions, embargoes, supply chain disruptions, regional instability and geopolitical shifts, may have adverse effects on global macroeconomic conditions, increase volatility in the price and demand for oil and natural gas, increase exposure to cyberattacks, cause disruptions in global supply chains, increase foreign currency fluctuations, cause constraints or disruption in the capital markets and limit sources of liquidity. We cannot predict the extent of the conflict’s effect on our business and results of operations as well as on the global economy and energy markets.
Additional factors which may affect oil and natural gas prices include, but are not limited to, the effect of U.S. energy, monetary and trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs; U.S. and global economic and political conditions and developments; U.S. and international energy and environmental policies; and any operating curtailment of the U.S. oil and gas industry. Together, these factors have created uncertainty for the demand and pricing for services, equipment, and raw materials in the petroleum industry, and may continue to do so in the future.
We derive substantially all of our revenues from providers of multi-client data libraries and companies in the oil and natural gas exploration and development industry. The oil and natural gas industry is a historically cyclical industry with levels of activity that are significantly affected by the levels and volatility of oil and natural gas prices.
Demand for our services depends upon the level of expenditures by oil and natural gas companies for exploration, production, development and field management activities, which depend primarily on oil and natural gas prices, as well as capital allocation by our clients. Significant fluctuations in domestic oil and natural gas exploration activities and commodity prices have affected, and will continue to affect, demand for our services and our results of operations. We could be adversely impacted if the level of such exploration activities and the prices for oil and natural gas were to significantly decline in the future. In addition to the market prices of oil and natural gas, the willingness of our clients to explore, develop and produce depends largely upon prevailing industry conditions that are influenced by numerous factors over which our management has no control, including general economic conditions and the availability of credit. Any prolonged reduction in the overall level of exploration and development activities, whether resulting from changes in oil and natural gas prices or otherwise, could adversely impact us in many ways by negatively affecting:
● our revenues, cash flows, and profitability;
● our ability to maintain or increase our borrowing capacity;
● our ability to obtain additional capital to finance our business and the cost of that capital; and
● our ability to attract and retain skilled personnel whom we would need in the event of an upturn in the demand for our services.
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Depending on the market prices of oil and natural gas, oil and natural gas exploration and development companies may cancel or curtail their capital expenditure and drilling programs, thereby reducing demand for our services, or may become unable to pay, or have to delay payment of, amounts owed to us for our services. Oil and natural gas prices have been highly volatile historically and, we believe, will continue to be so in the future. Many factors beyond our control affect oil and natural gas prices, including:
● the cost of exploring for, producing, and delivering oil and natural gas;
● the discovery rate of new oil and natural gas reserves;
● the rate of decline of existing and new oil and natural gas reserves;
● available pipeline and other oil and natural gas transportation capacity;
● the ability of oil and natural gas companies to raise capital and debt financing;
● actions by OPEC+;
● political instability in the Middle East and other major oil and natural gas producing regions;
● economic conditions in the U.S. and elsewhere;
● domestic and foreign trade policy;
● domestic and foreign energy policy including increased emphasis on alternative sources of energy;
● increased attention to environmental, social and governance matters, including climate change;
● weather conditions in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere;
● the pace adopted by foreign governments for the exploration, development, and production of their national reserves;
● the price of foreign imports of oil and natural gas; and
● the overall supply and demand for oil and natural gas.
We are a "controlled company", which exempts us from certain corporate governance requirements that are designed to provide protection to stockholders of companies that are not controlled companies.
As of December 31, 2025, Wilks Brothers, LLC (“Wilks”) and its affiliates control approximately 80% of our combined voting power, can elect all of the members of our board of directors and can generally control matters requiring stockholder approval. As a result, we are considered a “controlled company” for the purposes of the Nasdaq listing requirements. As a “controlled company,” we are permitted to opt out of the Nasdaq listing requirements that require (i) a majority of the members of our board of directors to be independent, as defined by Nasdaq rules, (ii) our nominating committee be composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and (iii) our compensation committee be composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities. The Nasdaq listing requirements are intended to ensure that directors who meet the independence standards are free of any conflicting interest that could influence their actions as directors. To date, we have availed ourselves of the exemptions regarding the independence of our nominating committee members, and we may avail ourselves of the other permitted exemptions in the future. As a result, our shareholders may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the applicable Nasdaq listing requirements.
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Conflicts of interest could arise between us, on the one hand, and Wilks and entities owned by or affiliated with them, on the other hand, concerning among other things, business transactions, competitive business activities or business opportunities.
Conflicts of interest could arise between us, on the one hand, and Wilks and entities owned by or affiliated with them, on the other hand, concerning among other things, business transactions, competitive business activities or business opportunities. Wilks and these affiliated parties operate in the energy and oilfield services industries. In the normal course of business, we have engaged in transactions with some of these companies. Furthermore, Wilks and such parties may, directly or indirectly, compete with us for investment or business opportunities.
Wilks and such parties may also become aware, from time to time, of certain business opportunities (such as acquisition opportunities) and may direct such opportunities to other businesses in which they have invested, in which case we may not become aware of or otherwise have the ability to pursue such opportunities. In addition, Wilks and such parties may dispose of their interests in energy or other oilfield services companies or other assets in the future, without any obligation to offer us the opportunity to purchase any of those interests or assets.
We have entered into a revolving credit note with Equify Financial, as lender. Affiliates of Wilks collectively hold controlling interests in both us and Equify. For more information, see “-- We have indebtedness from time to time under a credit facility with Equify Financial, a related party, and certain of our accounts receivable and seismic equipment are pledged as collateral for these obligations. Our ability to borrow may be limited if our accounts receivable decreases or if Equify Financial is unable or unwilling to extend us credit .”
In any of these matters, the interests of Wilks and their affiliates and other businesses owned by or affiliated with them may differ or conflict with the interests of our other shareholders. Any actual or perceived conflicts of interest with respect to the foregoing could have an adverse impact on the market price of our common stock.
We are in discussion with Wilks regarding one or more transactions involving assets owned by Wilks and/or certain of its affiliates, which may include, among other things, asset contributions or sales, a business combination transaction or other similar transactions. Such discussions may or may not result in a completed transaction. The uncertainty surrounding the outcome of any such transaction process could materially and adversely impact our business operations, interfere with our ability to attract and retain personnel, result in the incurrence of significant expenses and cause our stock price to be subject to significant fluctuation or otherwise be adversely impacted.
We have been in discussion with Wilks and certain of its affiliates with respect to one or more transactions involving assets owned by Wilks and/or certain of its affiliates, which may include, among other things, asset contributions or sales, a business combination transaction or other similar transactions. There is no guarantee that we will enter into a definitive agreement with any such parties regarding any such transaction. The terms of any potential agreement between us and Wilks, and/or any of its affiliates, would be contingent on certain conditions, including completion of due diligence and the negotiation of definitive transaction documents.
Our Board of Directors has formed a special committee of independent directors (the “Special Committee”) to evaluate, negotiate and make recommendation to the Board regarding any such transaction with Wilks and/or its affiliates, including whether to pursue or decline to pursue any proposed transaction. The Special Committee has the authority to retain its own independent legal and financial advisors in connection with its evaluation of any such transaction. The Special Committee is not obligated to recommend any transaction and may determine that no transaction is in the best interests of the Company and its unaffiliated stockholders.
There can be no assurance that that such discussions will eventually lead to a binding offer, that the Special Committee or the Company will pursue a definitive transaction with respect to such discussions or any other potential transaction, or that any transaction will eventually be consummated. Even if definitive transaction documents are executed, a transaction may not be completed if pre-closing matters such as regulatory approvals, due diligence and other conditions are not completed satisfactorily or within specified time frames.
To the extent the trading price of the Company’s common stock reflects a market assumption that a transaction will be completed, the Company’s stock price could be adversely impacted if definitive transaction documents are not executed or a transaction does not take place. Uncertainty surrounding the outcome associated with such discussions subjects us to a number of other risks during this time. The Board’s and management’s attention could be diverted from
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normal business operations to focus on the potential transaction, or other potential transactions. Further, we have and may continue to incur significant expenses, including advisory and legal costs, related to such discussions. Such costs have and may continue to adversely impact our financial results. The potential for a transaction may also interfere with our ability to attract and retain key personnel, who may be uncertain about their future roles. The commencement of litigation regarding such discussions, or any other potential transaction, also would likely have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares of common stock.
We may pursue acquisitions or other strategic relationships that involve inherent risks, any of which may cause us to not realize anticipated benefits.
We may pursue acquisitions of businesses and other business combinations that we expect will complement and expand our business and also pursue other strategic relationships or opportunities. We may not be able to successfully identify suitable acquisition or other strategic opportunities or complete any particular acquisition, combination, or other transaction on acceptable terms. Our identification of suitable acquisition candidates and strategic opportunities involves risks inherent in assessing the values, strengths, weaknesses, risks, and profitability of these opportunities including their effects on our business, diversion of our management’s attention and risks associated with unanticipated problems or unforeseen liabilities. If we are successful in pursuing future acquisitions or strategic opportunities, we may be required to expend significant funds, incur additional debt, or issue additional securities, which may materially and adversely affect our results of operations and be dilutive to our stockholders. If we spend significant funds or incur additional debt, our ability to obtain financing for working capital or other purposes could decline and we may be more vulnerable to economic downturns and competitive pressures. In addition, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to finance additional acquisitions or that we will realize any anticipated benefits from acquisitions or other strategic opportunities that we complete. When and if we successfully acquire another business, the process of successfully integrating the acquired operations into our existing operations may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and may require significant financial resources that would otherwise be available for the ongoing development or expansion of our existing business. Decreases in customer loyalty, failure to retain and develop the acquired workforce, failure to integrate financial reporting systems, failure to establish and maintain appropriate controls or unknown or contingent liabilities could adversely affect our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of an acquisition. The integration of an acquired business, whether or not successful, requires significant efforts which may result in additional expenses and divert the attention of our management and technical personnel from other projects. These transactions are inherently risky, and there can be no assurance that any past or future transaction will be successful.
A limited number of clients operating in a single industry account for a significant portion of our revenues, and the loss of one of these clients could adversely affect our results of operations.
We derive a significant amount of our revenues from a relatively small number of oil and gas exploration and development companies and providers of multi-client data libraries. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, our largest client accounted for approximately 51% of our revenues, and during the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, sales to two clients represented approximately 43% of our revenues. If any of our significant clients were to terminate their contracts or fail to contract for our services in the future because they are acquired, alter their exploration or development strategy, experience financial difficulties or for any other reason, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Our clients could delay, reduce or cancel their service contracts with us on short notice, which may lead to lower than expected demand and revenues.
Our order book reflects client commitments at levels we believe are sufficient to maintain operations on our existing crews for the indicated periods. However, our clients can delay, reduce or cancel their service contracts with us on short notice. If the oil and natural gas industry experiences a downturn, it may result in an increase in delays, reductions or cancellations by our clients. In addition, the timing of the origination and completion of projects and when projects are awarded and contracted for is also uncertain. As a result, our order book as of any particular date may not be indicative of actual demand and revenues for any succeeding period.
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Our revenues, operating results and cash flows may fluctuate from period to period, which may make it difficult to forecast our future performance and may result in volatility in our stock price.
Our revenues, operating results and cash flows may fluctuate from period to period, making forecasting future performance difficult and resulting in volatility in our stock price. These fluctuations are attributable to a variety of factors, including, without limitation, the level of new business in a particular period, the timing of the initiation, progress or cancellation of significant projects, higher revenues and expenses on our dynamite contracts, and costs we incur to train new crews we may add in the future to meet increased client demand. Fluctuations in our operating results may also be affected by other factors that are outside of our control such as permit delays, weather delays and crew productivity. Oil and natural gas prices have continued to be volatile and have resulted in significant demand fluctuations for our services. There can be no assurance of future oil and gas price levels or stability. Our operations in Canada are also seasonal as a result of the thawing season, and we have historically experienced limited Canadian activity during the second and third quarters of each year. The demand for our services would be adversely affected by a significant reduction in oil and natural gas prices and by climate change legislation or material changes to U.S. energy policy. Because our business has high fixed costs, the negative effect of one or more of these factors could trigger wide variations in our operating revenues, cash flows, EBITDA, margin, and profitability from quarter to quarter, rendering quarter to quarter comparisons unreliable as an indicator of performance. Due to the factors discussed above, you should not expect sequential growth in our quarterly revenues and profitability.
We extend credit to our clients without requiring collateral, and a default by a client could have a material adverse effect on our operating revenues.
We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our clients’ financial conditions and, generally, require no collateral from our clients. It is possible that one or more of our clients will become financially distressed, which could cause them to default on their obligations to us and could reduce the client’s future need for seismic services provided by us. Our concentration of clients may also increase our overall exposure to these credit risks. A default in payment from one of our large clients could have a material adverse effect on our operating results for the period involved.
We have historically incurred net losses.
We incurred net losses of $1.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, and $4.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Our ability to be profitable in the future will depend on many factors beyond our control, but primarily on the level of demand for land-based seismic data acquisition services by oil and natural gas exploration and development companies. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis.
We identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to remediate the material weakness, or if we identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, this may result in material misstatements or restatements of our consolidated financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations.
As a public company, we are required to provide management’s assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. In connection with the preparation and audit of our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025, a material weakness was identified in our internal control over financial reporting relating to the year ended December 31, 2025, which remains unremediated as of March 31, 2026. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
Specifically, we did not design and maintain effective controls to ensure the accurate classification of revenue between Fee Revenue and Reimbursable Revenue, and classification of expenses between Fee Operating Expenses and Reimbursable Operating Expenses within the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. Specifically, a material error in classification was identified that our internal control over financial reporting failed to prevent or detect. While the total amount of operating revenues and operating expenses recognized for the periods presented were not materially misstated, the misclassification resulted in a material error in fee revenue, reimbursable revenue, fee
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operating expenses, and reimbursable operating expenses in our consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. No other financial statement line items were affected by this error. The misstatements were corrected in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss presented herein.
We have begun implementation of a plan to remediate this material weakness, which is discussed in Item 9A of this report. Specifically, management is designing and implementing a review control to perform a look back analysis related to uncompleted customer contracts at the end of the reporting period to ensure the correct classification of revenue earned and expenses incurred in satisfying performance obligations under contracts with customers. These remediation measures are ongoing and include implementing additional policies, procedures and controls. In order to maintain and improve the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, we have expended, and anticipate that we will continue to expend, significant resources, including accounting-related costs and significant management oversight.
Our independent registered public accounting firm is not currently required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Once such attestation is required, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse . Any failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could adversely affect our business and operating results and could cause a decline in the price of our securities.
The high fixed costs of our operations could result in continuing or increasing operating losses.
Companies within our industry are typically subject to high fixed costs, consisting primarily of depreciation (a non-cash expense) and maintenance expenses associated with seismic data acquisition and equipment and crew costs. In addition, ongoing maintenance capital expenditures, as well as new equipment investment, can be significant. As a result, any extended periods of significant downtime or low productivity caused by reduced demand, weather interruptions, equipment failures, permit delays, or other causes could result in continuing or increasing operating losses.
We have indebtedness from time to time under a credit facility with Equify Financial, a related party, and certain of our accounts receivable and seismic equipment are pledged as collateral for these obligations. Our ability to borrow may be limited if our accounts receivable decreases or if Equify Financial is unable or unwilling to extend us credit.
From time to time, we may have indebtedness under a credit facility with Equify Financial, a related party under common control. Our ability to borrow funds under our revolving line of credit is tied to the value of our collateral as determined by our lender, with our borrowing base reducing $139,862 on a monthly basis. As of December 31, 2025, we had no balance outstanding on the credit facility, and a borrowing base of $4.9 million. Our ability to borrow to fund operations or other obligations may be limited by the borrowing base under the credit facility.
In addition, if Equify Financial is unable or unwilling to extend us credit when requested by us, our access to capital could be materially adversely impacted. In such event, we may need to refinance our indebtedness or obtain alternative financing. We cannot assure that we will be able to refinance any of our indebtedness or obtain new financing in a timely manner, on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. As a result, we may need to implement one or more alternatives, such as reducing or delaying planned business activities, expenses and capital expenditures, selling assets, restructuring debt, or obtaining additional equity or debt financing. If we issue equity to raise funds, it is likely to have a dilutive impact on our stockholders. These strategies may not be executed on satisfactory terms, if at all or on terms that would be advantageous to our stockholders. Our efforts to refinance our indebtedness or obtain additional financing, and to do so on commercially reasonable terms, will depend on, among other things, our financial condition at the time, restrictions in agreements governing our indebtedness, and other factors, including the condition of the financial markets and the markets in which we will compete.
Our financial results could be adversely affected by asset impairments.
We periodically review our portfolio of equipment and our intangible assets for impairment. Future events, including our financial performance, sustained decreases in oil and natural gas prices, reduced demand for our services, our market valuation or the market valuation of comparable companies, loss of a significant client’s business, or strategic decisions, could cause us to conclude that impairment indicators exist and ultimately that the values associated with our equipment or intangible assets should be impaired. If we impair our equipment or intangible assets, these non-cash asset impairments could have a material adverse effect on our financial results in the period in which the impairments are recorded.
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Our profitability is determined, in part, by the utilization level and productivity of our crews and is affected by numerous external factors that are beyond our control.
Our revenues are determined, in part, by the contract price we receive for our services, the level of utilization of our data acquisition crews and the productivity of these crews. Crew utilization and productivity is partly a function of external factors, such as client cancellation or delay of projects, operating delays from inclement weather, obtaining land access rights, and other factors over which we have no control. If our crews encounter operational difficulties or delays on any data acquisition survey, our results of operations may vary, and in some cases, may be adversely affected.
In recent years, most of our projects have been performed on a turnkey basis for which we were paid a fixed price for a defined scope of work or unit of data acquired. The revenue, cost and gross profit realized under our turnkey contracts can vary from our estimates because of changes in job conditions, variations in labor and equipment productivity or because of the performance of our subcontractors. Turnkey contracts may also cause us to bear substantially all of the risks of business interruption caused by external factors over which we may have no control, such as weather, obtaining land access rights, crew downtime or operational delays. These variations, delays and risks inherent in turnkey contracts may result in reducing our profitability.
We face competition in our business, which could result in downward pricing pressure and the loss of market share.
The seismic data acquisition services industry is a competitive business in the continental U.S. and Canada. Additionally, the seismic data acquisition business is extremely price competitive and has a history of periods in which seismic contractors bid jobs below cost and, therefore, adversely affected industry pricing. Many contracts are awarded on a bid basis, which may further increase competition based primarily on price. Further, the barriers to entry in the seismic industry are substantial but not prohibitive. The recent increase in channel count and number of energy source units required for larger projects increases the cost and time commitment required for new seismic companies or those outside of the U.S. to enter the domestic market and compete with us.
Inclement weather may adversely affect our ability to complete projects and could, therefore, adversely affect our results of operations.
Our seismic data acquisition operations could be adversely affected by inclement weather conditions. Delays associated with weather conditions could adversely affect our results of operations. For example, weather delays could affect our operations on a particular project or an entire region and could lengthen the time to complete projects. In addition, even if we negotiate weather protection provisions in our contracts, we may not be fully compensated by our clients for delays caused by inclement weather.
Our operations are subject to delays related to obtaining land access rights of way from third parties, which could affect our results of operations.
Our seismic data acquisition operations could be adversely affected by our inability to obtain timely right of way usage from both public and private land and/or mineral owners. We cannot begin surveys on property without obtaining permits from governmental entities as well as the permission of the private landowners who own the land being surveyed. In recent years, it has become more difficult, costly and time-consuming to obtain access rights of way as drilling activities have expanded into more populated areas. Additionally, some landowners have become more resistant to seismic and drilling activities occurring on their property. Increased costs and delays associated with obtaining such rights of way could negatively affect our results of operations.
Capital requirements for our operations are large. If we are unable to finance these requirements, we may not be able to maintain our competitive advantage.
Seismic data acquisition and data processing technologies historically have progressed steadily, and we expect this trend to continue. In order to remain competitive, we must continue to invest additional capital to maintain, upgrade and expand our seismic data acquisition capabilities. Our working capital requirements remain high, primarily due to the expansion of our infrastructure in response to client demand for cableless recording systems and more recording channels, which has increased as the industry strives for improved data quality with greater subsurface resolution images. Our sources of working capital are limited. We have historically funded our working capital requirements primarily with cash generated from operations, cash reserves and, from time to time, borrowings from commercial banks. In recent years, we
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have funded some of our capital expenditures through equipment term loans and finance leases. In the past, we have also funded our capital expenditures and other financing needs through public equity offerings. If we expand our operations at a rate exceeding operating cash flow, if current demand or pricing of geophysical services decrease substantially, or if technical advances or competitive pressures require us to acquire new equipment faster than our cash flow could sustain, additional financing could be required. If we are not able to obtain such financing or renew our existing revolving line of credit when needed, it could have a negative impact on our ability to pursue expansion and maintain our competitive advantage.
Consistent technological change in our business creates obsolescence risks and requires capital expenditures to maintain market share. If we are unable to keep up with these technological advances, we may not be able to compete effectively.
Seismic data acquisition technologies historically have steadily improved and progressed, and we expect this progression to continue. We are in a capital-intensive industry and, in order to remain competitive, we must continue to invest additional capital to maintain, upgrade and expand our seismic data acquisition capabilities. However, we may have limitations on our ability to obtain the financing necessary to enable us to purchase state-of-the-art equipment, and certain of our competitors may be able to purchase newer equipment when we may not be able to do so, thus affecting our ability to compete.
We have incorporated and may further incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into our internal operations to enhance employee productivity. Implementation of artificial intelligence technologies may result in legal and regulatory risks, reputational harm, or other adverse consequences to our business.
As with many technological innovations, AI presents risks and challenges that could affect its adoption, and therefore our business. By policy, we do not allow the upload of any personal or company confidential information to any AI tools except those from which we have obtained commercially reasonable assurances that such information will not be used other than to provide the services to the company (e.g., no training of models), nor will it be shared with any third party.
Though we have taken steps to be thoughtful in the allowed use of AI, it could pose certain risks to our customers, and it is not guaranteed that regulators will agree with our approach to limiting these risks or to our compliance more generally. Risks can include, but are not limited to, the potential for errors or inaccuracies in the algorithms or models used by AI, the potential for bias or inaccuracies in the data used to train the AI, the potential for improper processing of personal information, and the potential for cybersecurity breaches that could compromise internal operations. Such risks could negatively affect the performance of our business, as well as our reputation and the reputations of our customers, and we could incur liability through the violation of laws or contracts to which we are a party or civil claims.
We rely on a limited number of key suppliers for specific seismic services and equipment.
We depend on a limited number of third parties to supply us with specific seismic services and equipment. From time to time, increased demand for seismic data acquisition services has decreased the available supply of new seismic equipment, resulting in extended delivery dates on orders of new equipment. Any delay in obtaining equipment could delay our deployment of additional crews and restrict the productivity of existing crews, adversely affecting our business and results of operations. In addition, any adverse change in the terms of our suppliers’ arrangements could affect our results of operations.
Some of our suppliers may also be our competitors. If competitive pressures were to become such that our suppliers would no longer sell to us, we would not be able to easily replace the technology with equipment that communicates effectively with our existing technology, thereby impairing our ability to conduct our business.
We are dependent on our management team and key employees, and inability to retain our current team or attract new employees could harm our business.
Our continued success depends upon attracting and retaining highly skilled professionals and other technical personnel. A number of our employees are highly skilled scientists and highly trained technicians. The loss of our senior executives or other key employees or our failure to continue to attract and retain skilled and technically knowledgeable personnel could adversely affect our ability to compete in the seismic services industry. We may experience significant
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competition for such personnel, particularly during periods of increased demand for seismic services. A limited number of our employees are under employment contracts, and we do not maintain key man insurance.
We are subject to Canadian foreign currency exchange rate risk.
We conduct business in Canada which subjects us to foreign currency exchange rate risk. Currently, we do not hold or issue foreign currency forward contracts, option contracts or other derivative financial instruments to mitigate the currency exchange rate risk. Our results of operations and our cash flows could be impacted by changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
Our common stock has experienced, and may continue to experience, price volatility and low trading volume.
Our stock price is subject to volatility. Overall market conditions, including a decline in oil and natural gas prices and other risks and uncertainties described in this “Risk Factors” section and in our other filings with the SEC, could cause the market price of our common stock to fall. Our high and low sales prices of our common stock for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025 were $5.54 and $1.08, respectively. Further, the high and low sales prices of our common stock for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 were $2.22 and $1.27, respectively.
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “DWSN.” However, daily trading volumes for our common stock are, and may continue to be, relatively low compared to other publicly traded securities. In addition, as of December 31, 2025, Wilks and its affiliates own approximately 80% of our common stock, limiting the public market for our common stock, which can lead to increased price volatility and low trading volumes. For example, during 2025 and 2024 our daily trading volume was as low as 0 shares. It may be difficult for you to sell your shares in the public market at any given time at prevailing prices, and the price of our common stock may, therefore, be volatile.
We may be subject to liability claims that are not covered by our insurance.
Our business is subject to the general risks inherent in land-based seismic data acquisition activities. Our activities are often conducted in remote areas under dangerous conditions, including the detonation of dynamite. These operations are subject to risk of injury to personnel and damage to equipment. Our crews are mobile, and equipment and personnel are subject to vehicular accidents. These risks could cause us to experience equipment losses, injuries to our personnel, and interruptions in our business.
In addition, we could be subject to personal injury or real property damage claims in the normal operation of our business. Such claims may not be covered under the indemnification provisions contained in our general service agreements to the extent that the damage is due to our negligence or intentional misconduct.
Our general service agreements require us to have specific amounts of insurance. However, we do not carry insurance against certain risks that could cause losses, including business interruption resulting from equipment maintenance or weather delays. Further, there can be no assurance, however, that any insurance obtained by us will be adequate to cover all losses or liabilities or that this insurance will continue to be available or available on terms which are acceptable to us. Liabilities for which we are not insured, or which exceed the policy limits of our applicable insurance, could have a materially adverse effect on us.
We may be held liable for the actions of our subcontractors.
We often work as the general contractor on seismic data acquisition surveys and, consequently, engage a number of subcontractors to perform services and provide products. While we obtain contractual indemnification and insurance covering the acts of these subcontractors and require the subcontractors to obtain insurance for our benefit, we could be held liable for the actions of these subcontractors. In addition, subcontractors may cause injury to our personnel or damage to our property that is not fully covered by insurance.
We operate under hazardous conditions that subject us to risk of damage to property or personnel injuries and may interrupt our business.
Our business is subject to the general risks inherent in land-based seismic data acquisition activities. Our activities are often conducted in remote areas under extreme weather and other dangerous conditions, including the use of dynamite
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as an energy source. These operations are subject to risk of injury to our personnel and third parties and damage to our equipment and improvements in the areas in which we operate. In addition, our crews often operate in areas where the risk of wildfires is present and may be increased by our activities. Since our crews are mobile, equipment and personnel are subject to vehicular accidents. We use diesel fuel which is classified by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a hazardous material. These risks could cause us to experience equipment losses, injuries to our personnel and interruptions in our business. Delays due to operational disruptions such as equipment losses, personnel injuries and business interruptions could adversely affect our profitability and results of operations.
Loss of our information and computer systems could adversely affect our business.
We are heavily dependent on our information systems and computer-based programs, including our seismic information, electronic data processing and accounting data. If any of such programs or systems were to fail or create erroneous information, or if we were subject to cyberspace breaches or attacks, possible consequences include loss of communication links, loss of seismic data and inability to automatically process commercial transactions or engage in similar automated or computerized business activities. Any such consequence could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our business could be negatively impacted by security threats, including cyber-security threats and other disruptions.
We face various security threats, including cyber-security threats to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information or to render data or systems unusable, threats to the safety of our employees, threats to the security of our facilities and infrastructure, and threats from terrorist acts. Cyber-security attacks in particular are evolving and include, but are not limited to, malicious software, attempts to gain unauthorized access to data and other electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in critical systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information and corruption of data. Although we utilize various procedures and controls to monitor and protect against these threats and to mitigate our exposure to such threats, there can be no assurance that these procedures and controls will be sufficient in preventing security threats from materializing. If any of these events were to materialize, they could lead to losses of sensitive information, critical infrastructure, personnel or capabilities essential to our operations and could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Our business is subject to significant government regulation, which may adversely affect our operations.
Our operations are subject to a variety of federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations, including laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment and archeological sites, such as obtaining permits from governmental entities to allow survey and drilling activities, as well as those that may result from climate change legislation or executive orders that could negatively impact the exploration and production of oil and gas. Canadian operations have been historically cyclical due to governmental restrictions on seismic acquisition during certain periods. In addition, governmental entities do not always grant permits within the expected time period. As a result, there is a risk that there will be a significant amount of unused equipment during those periods. We are required to expend financial and managerial resources to comply with such laws and related permit requirements in our operations, and we anticipate that we will continue to be required to do so in the future. Although such expenditures historically have not been material to us, the fact that such laws or regulations change frequently makes it impossible for us to predict the cost or impact of such laws and regulations on our future operations. The adoption of laws and regulations that have the effect of reducing or curtailing exploration and development activities by energy companies could also adversely affect our operations by reducing the demand for our services.
Legislation or regulation relating to greenhouse gas emissions could negatively affect the exploration and production of oil and gas and adversely affect demand for our services.
In response to concerns suggesting that emissions of certain gases, commonly referred to as “greenhouse gases” (“GHG”) (including carbon dioxide and methane), may be contributing to global climate change, legislative and regulatory measures to address the concerns are in various phases of discussion or implementation at the national and state levels. In February 2026, the Trump administration officially revoked the 2009 EPA " endangerment finding ," which declared GHG a threat to public health, stripping federal authority to regulate carbon dioxide and methane emissions from oil and gas wells, tailpipes, smokestacks and other sources that burn fossil fuels under the Clean Air Act. However, environmental groups have filed lawsuits against the EPA in the D.C. Circuit challenging the rescission of the finding that GHG threaten public health.
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The legal proceedings are complex and will likely proceed for several years, with environmentalists arguing that the administration's actions are unlawful and violate the Clean Air Act. It is impossible for us to predict the timeframe, cost, or impact of this evolving federal policy or litigation challenges on our future operations.
Although various climate change legislative measures have periodically been introduced in the U.S. Congress, and there has been a wide-ranging policy debate both in the U.S. and internationally regarding the impact of these gases and possible means for their regulation, it is not possible at this time to predict whether or when Congress may act on climate change legislation. However, future actions that require substantial reductions in carbon emissions could be costly and difficult to implement.
Although the federal government position on GHG is evolving, many states, either individually or through multi state regional initiatives, have already taken legal measures intended to reduce GHG emissions, primarily through the planned development of GHG emission inventories and/or GHG cap and trade programs. States may impose more stringent standards for GHG and the cost of compliance continues to change as the state programs evolve.
New federal or state laws or regulations focused on GHG emissions or that otherwise seek to address climate change may negatively affect us, our suppliers and our clients. This could cause us to incur additional direct costs in complying with any new environmental regulations, as well as increased indirect costs resulting from our clients, suppliers or both incurring additional compliance costs that get passed on to us. Moreover, passage of climate change legislation, other federal or state legislative or regulatory initiatives, or international agreements that regulate or restrict emissions of GHG may curtail production and demand for fossil fuels such as oil and gas in areas where our clients operate and, thus, adversely affect future demand for our services. Reductions in our revenues or increases in our expenses as a result of climate control initiatives could have adverse effects on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
In addition, activists concerned about the potential effects of climate change have directed their attention at sources of funding for fossil-fuel energy companies, which has resulted in certain financial institutions, funds and other sources of capital restricting or eliminating their investment in oil and natural gas activities. Ultimately, this could make it more difficult to secure funding for exploration and production activities, which may have an adverse impact on the demand for our services.
New regulation or legislation that limits or prohibits hydraulic fracturing could negatively affect the exploration and production of oil and gas and adversely affect demand for our services.
Hydraulic fracturing is an important and commonly used process in the completion of oil and gas wells. Hydraulic fracturing involves the injection of water, sand and chemical additives under pressure into rock formations to stimulate gas production. Several political and regulatory authorities and governmental bodies have studied hydraulic fracturing and considered potential regulations, and certain environmental and other groups have devoted resources to campaigns aimed at restricting or eradicating hydraulic fracturing.
Due to public concerns raised regarding potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on groundwater quality, legislative and regulatory efforts at the federal level and in some states have been initiated to require or make more stringent the permitting and compliance requirements for hydraulic fracturing operations. Several states have adopted more stringent permitting, public disclosure or well construction legislation and/or regulations. Four states (New York, Maryland, Washington and Vermont) have banned the use of high-volume hydraulic fracturing. Additionally, the Delaware River Basin Commission adopted a resolution banning high-volume hydraulic fracturing within the Delaware River Basin, which spans parts of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware. In addition to state laws, some local municipalities have adopted or are considering adopting land use restrictions, such as city ordinances, that may restrict or prohibit the performance of well drilling in general or hydraulic fracturing in particular. There have also been certain governmental reviews that focus on deep shale and other formation completion and production practices, including hydraulic fracturing. Governments may continue to study hydraulic fracturing. We cannot predict the outcome of future studies, but based on the results of these studies to date, federal and state legislatures and agencies may seek to further regulate or even ban hydraulic fracturing activities. These regulatory initiatives could each spur further action toward federal and/or state
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legislation and regulation of hydraulic fracturing activities. Additional regulation could materially reduce our business opportunities and revenues if our customers decrease their levels of activity in response to such regulation.
Some parties also believe that there is a correlation between hydraulic fracturing and other oilfield related activities and the increased occurrence of seismic activity. When caused by human activity, such seismic activity is called induced seismicity. The extent of this correlation, if any, is the subject of studies of both state and federal agencies. In addition, a number of lawsuits have been filed against other industry participants alleging damages and regulatory violations in connection with such activity. These and other ongoing or proposed studies could spur initiatives to further regulate hydraulic fracturing and other aspects of the oil and gas industry. In light of concerns about induced seismicity, some state regulatory agencies have already modified their regulations or issued orders to address induced seismicity.
The adoption of any future federal, state, foreign, regional or local laws that impact permitting requirements for, result in reporting obligations on, or otherwise limit or ban, the hydraulic fracturing process could make it more difficult to perform hydraulic fracturing. This could reduce demand for our services. Regulation that significantly restricts or prohibits hydraulic fracturing, or that requires hydraulic fracturing operations to meet permitting and financial assurance requirements, adhere to certain construction specifications, fulfill monitoring, reporting, and recordkeeping obligations, and meet plugging and abandonment requirements, could have a material adverse impact on our business. Additionally, legislation that requires the reporting and public disclosure of chemicals used in the fracturing process could make it easier for third parties opposing the hydraulic fracturing process to initiate legal proceedings based on allegations that specific chemicals used in the fracturing process could adversely affect groundwater.
These legislative and regulatory initiatives imposing additional reporting obligations on, or otherwise limiting, the hydraulic fracturing process could make it more difficult or costly to complete natural gas wells. Shale gas cannot be economically produced without extensive fracturing. In the event such legislation is enacted, demand for our seismic acquisition services may be adversely affected.