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The Shell logo is displayed outside a petrol station in Radstock in Somerset, England, on Feb. 17, 2024.

Matt Cardy | Getty Images News | Getty Images

British oil giant Shell on Thursday posted a small year-on-year drop in third-quarter profit as a sharp decline in crude prices and lower refining margins were partially offset by higher gas sales.

The energy company reported adjusted earnings of $6 billion for the July-September period, beating analyst expectations of $5.3 billion, according to estimates compiled by LSEG.

Shell posted adjusted earnings of $6.3 billion in the second quarter and $6.2 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

Shell said it will buy back a further $3.5 billion of its shares over the next three months, while holding its dividend unchanged at 34 cents per share.

It marks the 12th consecutive quarter that Shell has announced at least $3 billion in buybacks, Sinead Gorman, chief financial officer at Shell, said in a video presentation.

“This quarter we have delivered another strong set of results despite a less favorable macro environment,” Gorman said.

“This was driven by solid operational performance across our portfolio, continuing the momentum we’ve built over recent quarters,” she added.

Net debt came in at $35.2 billion at the end of the third quarter, down from $40.5 billion when compared to the same period last year.

Shares of the London-listed firm rose 0.9% on Thursday morning.

‘A strong position’

Shell said third-quarter free cash flow rose to $10.83 billion, up from $7.5 billion in the same period a year earlier.

Cash capital expenditure, meanwhile, came in at $4.95 billion, down from $5.65 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

Maurizio Carulli, energy analyst at wealth manager Quilter Cheviot, said Shell’s third-quarter results were “much better than expectations at virtually every level” and show that the company “is continuing to deliver on its strategy of portfolio rationalisation, cost reductions and operational improvements.”

“Additionally, Shell is number one globally in liquified natural gas (LNG), a business it created from scratch since the seventies, with great foresight,” Carulli said, noting that LNG is the only segment of the oil and gas industry expected to grow substantially over the following decade.

“As such, the business has put itself in a strong position to weather any volatility in commodity prices and take advantage of competitor struggles,” he added.

Earlier this week, British rival BP posted its weakest quarterly earnings in nearly four years, weighed down by lower refining margins.

BP reported underlying replacement cost profit, used as a proxy for net profit, of $2.3 billion for the third quarter. That beat analyst expectations — but reflected a steep drop when compared to the same period a year earlier.

Oil prices tumbled over 17% in the third quarter amid concerns over the outlook for global oil demand.

Clean energy investments

Shell faced criticism on Thursday from activist shareholder group Follow This, which highlighted that the oil major’s third-quarter earnings show investments in the renewables and energy solutions division fell to 8% of the firm’s overall capital expenditure — down from 9% in the second quarter.

The decrease in clean energy investments comes after Shell weakened its 2030 carbon emissions reduction target in March.

Shell said in an energy transition strategy update at the time that it would water down its near-term carbon emissions cuts, while maintaining its pledge to become a net-zero company by the middle of the century.

“By continuing to bet on fossil fuel expansion, the board of Shell jeopardizes the future of the company,” Mark van Baal, founder of Follow This, said in a statement.

“Fossil fuel growth delays the transition and increases the risk of a carbon lock-in, which will make it harder to pivot to renewables each year,” he added.

Shell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Wheel-E Podcast: ’70 MPH e-bikes’, Vietnam bans gasoline bikes, more

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Wheel-E Podcast: '70 MPH e-bikes', Vietnam bans gasoline bikes, more

This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes “70 MPH e-bikes” prompting new law changes, recalled Amazon/Walmart e-bikes, Vietnam banning gasoline-powered motorcycles, and more.

The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.

As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.

After the show ends, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:

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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:

Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 8:00 a.m. ET (or the video after 9:00 a.m. ET):

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Exxon earnings beat estimates as production growth softens impact of lower oil prices

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Exxon earnings beat estimates as production growth softens impact of lower oil prices

Exxon earnings beat estimates as production growth softens impact of lower oil prices

Exxon Mobil reported second-quarter earnings on Friday that declined significantly compared to last year, though the company beat Wall Street estimates as production growth in the Permian Basin and Guyana softened the impact of lower oil prices.

Exxon’s net income fell 23% to $7.1 billion, or $1.64 per share, compared to $9.2 billion, or $2.14 per share, in the same period last year.

Here is what Exxon reported for the second quarter compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

  • Earnings per share: $1.64 vs. $1.54 expected
  • Revenue: $81.5 billion vs. $80.77 billion expected

The oil major pumped 4.6 million barrels per day, the highest output for the second quarter since Exxon and Mobil merged more than 25 years ago. Production in the Permian hit a record 1.6 million bpd.

Exxon’s production business posted a profit of $5.4 billion, down 23% from about $7.1 billion in the same period last year on lower oil prices. Its refining business booked earnings of $1.37 billion globally, up 44% compared to $946 million in the year-ago period due to higher refining margins.

Exxon paid out $9.2 billion to shareholders, including more than $4 billion in dividends and $5 billion in share repurchases. The oil major said it’s on pace to purchase $20 billion of shares this year.

Exxon has slashed its costs by $1.4 billion so far this year and $13.5 billion since 2019. It is aiming to cut another $4.5 billion through the end of 2030.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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Chevron profit hit by low crude oil prices and loss from Hess acquisition

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Chevron profit hit by low crude oil prices and loss from Hess acquisition

Chevron profit hit by low crude oil prices and loss from Hess acquisition

Chevron on Friday reported second-quarter earnings that took a substantial hit due to low oil prices and a loss on its acquisition of Hess Corporation.

The oil major’s net income declined about 44% to $2.49 billion, or $1.45 per share, from $4.43 billion, or $2.43 per share, in the same period last year.

Chevron booked a $215 million loss on the fair value measurement of Hess shares. When adjusted for that charge and other one-time items, Chevron earned $1.77 per share to beat Wall Street estimates.

Here is what Chevron reported for the second quarter compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

  • Earnings per share: $1.77 adjusted vs. $1.70 expected
  • Revenue: $44.82 billion vs. $43.82 billion expected

Chevron completed its acquisition of Hess on July 18, after prevailing against Exxon Mobil in a long-running dispute that threatened to blow up the $53 billion deal. An arbitration court rejected Exxon’s claim to a right of first refusal over lucrative Hess assets in Guyana, clearing the way for Chevron to complete the transaction after a long delay.

Chevron expects the deal to begin adding to earnings in the fourth quarter. It also hopes to reduce annual run-rate costs by $1 billion by the end of 2025.

Chevron pumped a record 3.4 million barrels per day worldwide for the quarter, a 3% increase over the same period last year. U.S. production jumped about 8% to 1.69 million bpd compared to the year-ago period, with production in the Permian Basin hitting 1 million bpd. The Hess acquisition will add assets in the Bakken formation and Gulf of Mexico in addition to Guyana.

Chevron’s production business posted a profit of $2.72 billion, down 38% from $4.47 billion in the same period last year due to lower oil prices. Its refining business booked earnings of $737 million, up 23% from $597 million last year on higher margins for product sales.

Chevron paid out $5.5 billion to shareholders in the quarter, including $2.6 billion in share buybacks and $2.9 billion in dividends.

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