Jefferies Co News

Rig contractor Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc said it expected a significant number of ultra-deepwater rigs to be idled across the industry by year-end as oil producers' capital budget is likely to be lowered by a fifth this year. The company also said it would not pay a special dividend as it had been doing since 2006 to save cash to take advantage of opportunities in a distressed market. "...This action saves the company about $415 million over the next year, potentially equivalent to the cost of an ultra-deepwater asset," Evercore ISI analyst James West wrote in a note.

Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc, one of the world's top five offshore rig contractors, reported a 17 percent drop in quarterly profit as demand fell for rigs used in deep water drilling. Contract drillers face a tough year as vessels ordered during boom times are delivered just as energy companies are tightening spending on offshore exploration. Diamond Offshore, whose competitors include Ensco Plc , Transocean Ltd and Helmerich & Payne Inc , has two rigs due for delivery in 2014 but has yet to land contracts for them. While the fall in rig demand and utilization is likely to affect the entire sector, analysts expect Diamond Offshore to fare worse than rivals, given the age of its fleet.

According to an analyst speaking with the Associated Press for a Feb. 9 report, a flood of new crude oil tankers being delivered this year will bring down vessel rates in the spot market and he has cut his ratings on two companies. Jefferies & Co. analyst Douglas Mavrinac downgraded Overseas Shipholding Group to "Underperform" from "Hold" and lowered Teekay Corp. to "Hold" from "Buy," noting both companies have a large portion of their fleet operating in the spot market, where rates are expected to slip. (Source: Associated Press)

Greek shipping company Stelmar Shipping Ltd. has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to sell 7 million common shares at $12 to $14 per share. The Athens-based company, which owns and operates oil and products tankers, said it plans to use the proceeds of the offering to partly fund its purchase of 10 Handymax tankers from Osprey Maritime Ltd. The lead manager for the offering is Jefferies & Co, Stelmar said.

A senior Navy official is warning that rising costs in key programs such as Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics' next-generation surface combat ships could derail efforts by the department to modernize its fleet and aircraft. The Navy has awarded contracts for four ships that initially were estimated to cost $270 million each under the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, two to Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin Corp. and two to Falls Church, Va.-based General Dynamics Corp. But the cost of Lockheed's first ship - which is roughly 73 percent completed - has already soared to roughly $350 million, according to the Navy. The Navy ordered a halt to work on the Lockheed's second ship in January while it conducted a program review.

General Maritime Corp., a crude oil shipping company, raised $144 million by selling 8 million shares in an initial public offering, the latest in a spate of energy companies to go public. New York-based General Maritime priced shares on Tuesday at $18 each, the middle of its expected range of $17 to $19 a share. Shares are expected to begin trading on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol GMR. The company, which operates a fleet of oil tankers in the Atlantic basin, intends to use the proceeds to reduce debt and fund operations. he IPO, which was underwritten by joint bookrunners Lehman Brothers and ABN Amro Rotschild, was co-managed by Jefferies & Co.