Is RPC, Inc. (NYSE:RES) a buy in 2026?
Hold. RPC, Inc. is a wait-and-watch at today's price, not a fresh buy.
Decent pressure pumper levered to a US frac cycle that hasn't shown up yet, with 27% short interest waiting for the spark.
Where RES is headed
RPC is a pressure pumping business pretending to be a diversified oilfield services company. Roughly two-thirds of revenue still comes from pumping fluid and sand into the ground at high pressure, which means the stock lives and dies by US land completion activity, frac fleet utilization, and how much Permian operators want to spend next quarter. The 36.6% revenue growth on the trailing twelve months looks heroic until you remember the comparison base, and the 1.8% operating margin tells you the pricing environment for pumping services is still ugly. Tier 4 dual-fuel and electric fleet conversions are eating capex with FCF running negative $15M, and the payoff comes when day rates firm up, which depends on something RPC does not control: the WTI strip.
Read the full Compass Direction on RES
The complete destination call, the overlooked angle, milestones, and bull, base, and bear price scenarios (around $7.06).
See the full RES analysisGet calls like this, free
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Frequently asked questions
Is RPC, Inc. (NYSE:RES) a buy in 2026?
Hold. RPC, Inc. is a wait-and-watch at today's price, not a fresh buy. Decent pressure pumper levered to a US frac cycle that hasn't shown up yet, with 27% short interest waiting for the spark.
What is RES's Compass Score?
RPC, Inc. scores 75/100 on Alexandria's Compass, placing it in the "Favorable" tier. Scores blend eight factors and update weekly.
What is the price target for RES?
Alexandria's full Compass Direction includes bull, base, and bear price scenarios with the valuation math behind each. Read the full breakdown on the RES page.
Compass verdicts are AI-generated, forward-looking editorial research from publicly available data, not investment advice or a recommendation regarding any security. Scores and verdicts update as the data changes.