As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 3, 2021

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC  20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc.

10713 W. Sam Houston Pkwy N, Suite 800

Houston, Texas 77064

(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Zip Code)

Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan
(Full title of the plan)

Seth D. Wexler

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc.

10713 W. Sam Houston Pkwy N, Suite 800

Houston, Texas 77064

(281) 765-7100

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copy to:

Krista P. Hanvey

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP

2001 Ross Avenue, Suite 2100

Dallas, Texas 75201

(214) 698-3100

______________________________________________

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

PART I
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

Item 1.Plan Information.

The documents containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8 will be delivered to employees as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act.  In accordance with the instructions of Part I of Form S-8, such documents are not being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) either as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act.  Such documents and the documents incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II of Form S-8, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

PART II
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.

The following documents, which have heretofore been filed by the Registrant with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act and pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are incorporated by reference herein and shall be deemed to be a part hereof:

In addition, all documents subsequently filed by the Registrant with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement which indicate that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregister all securities remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless specifically stated to the contrary, none of the information that the Registrant discloses under Items 2.02 or 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K that it may from time to time furnish to the Commission will be incorporated by reference into, or otherwise included in, this Registration Statement.

Any statement, including financial statements, contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or therein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement.  Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 4.Description of Securities.

 Not applicable.

Item 5.Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

 Not applicable.

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Item 6.Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

The Registrant is a Delaware corporation subject to the applicable indemnification provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, which is referred to herein as the “Delaware General Corporation Law.” Under Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, each director and officer of the Registrant may be indemnified by the Registrant against all expenses and liabilities (including attorney’s fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement) actually or reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of any threatened, pending or completed legal proceedings (other than a proceeding by or in the right of the Registrant) in which he or she is involved by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or officer of the Registrant if such director or officer acted in good faith and in a manner that he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Registrant and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, if he or she had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful. If the legal proceeding, however, is by or in the right of the Registrant, the director or officer (i) may be indemnified by the Registrant only for expenses (including attorneys’ fees) but not for judgments, fines or amounts paid in settlements and (ii) may not be indemnified for expenses in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which he or she shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Registrant unless a court determines otherwise.

The Registrant’s amended and restated bylaws and restated certificate of incorporation both provide for the indemnification of the Registrant’s directors and officers, to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, for all liability and loss (including attorney’s fees) incurred in defending actions brought against them arising out of the performance of their duties. The Registrant’s restated certificate of incorporation also contains a provision that eliminates, subject to certain exceptions, to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, the personal liability of each director of the Registrant to the Registrant and its stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of fiduciary duty as a director.

The foregoing is only a general summary of certain aspects of Delaware law and the Registrant’s restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws dealing with indemnification of directors and officers and does not purport to be complete. It is qualified in its entirety by reference to the detailed provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law and the Registrant’s restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws.

The Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and executive officers, and intends to enter into indemnification agreements with any new directors and executive officers in the future. Pursuant to such agreements, the Registrant will, to the extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify such persons against all expenses, judgments, fines and penalties incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of any actions brought against them by reason of the fact that they were directors or officers of the Registrant or assumed certain responsibilities at the direction of the Registrant. The preceding discussion of the Registrant’s indemnification agreements is not intended to be exhaustive and is qualified in its entirety by reference to such indemnification agreements.

Under the 2021 Plan, each person who is or shall have been a member of the Registrant’s board of directors, or a committee appointed by the Registrant’s board of directors, or an officer of the Registrant to whom authority was delegated in accordance with the 2021 Plan shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Registrant against and from any loss, cost, liability, or expense that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with or resulting from any claim, action, suit, or proceeding to which he or she may be a party or in which he or she may be involved by reason of any action taken or failure to act under the 2021 Plan and against and from any and all amounts paid by him or her in settlement thereof, with the Registrant’s approval, or paid by him or her in satisfaction of any judgment in any such action, suit, or proceeding against him or her, provided he or she shall give the Registrant an opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and defend the same before he or she undertakes to handle and defend it on his or her own behalf, unless such loss, cost, liability, or expense is a result of his or her own willful misconduct or except as expressly provided by statute.

Item 7.Exemption from Registration Claimed.

 Not applicable.

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Item 8.Exhibits.

____________

*Filed herewith.

Item 9.Undertakings.

(a)The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

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provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Houston, Texas, on the 3rd day of June, 2021.  

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints William Andrew Hendricks, Jr. and C. Andrew Smith, or either of them, severally, the individual’s true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments, including post-effective amendments, to this Registration Statement, and any registration statement relating to the offering covered by this Registration Statement and filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents or their substitute or substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on June 3, 2021.

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