BBC NEWS

Shell pays no UK windfall tax despite profits jump

By Michael Race: Business reporter, BBC News: 27 Oct 2022

Shell has reported its second highest quarterly profit on record but it has not paid the UK’s windfall tax on energy firms.

The energy giant said global profits reached $9.5bn (£8.2bn) between July and September, compared to $4.2bn during the same period last year.

However, Shell said that because it had made large investments in the UK, it meant it had made no profit here.

It also does not expect to start paying windfall taxes until early next year.

The Energy Price Levy – or windfall tax – on the profits of energy firms was announced by Rishi Sunak in May, when he was chancellor. At the time he said it would raise £5bn in its first year. read more

The Telegraph

Shell in talks with Government as ministers consider new windfall tax

Oil and gas giant did not pay any tax in Britain, despite an existing windfall scheme

By Rachel Millard: 27 October 2022 • 5:48pm

Shell is in talks with the Government as ministers consider a fresh windfall tax on oil and gas companies to help fill a £35bn black hole in the public finances.

Ben van Buerden, chief executive of the oil and gas giant, said he accepted the case for higher taxes after the industry was boosted by surging fossil fuel prices following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. read more

Shell to give staff 8% bonus after record profits

WED, 03 AUG, 2022 – 15:58

Shell employees will get a one-off 8% bonus after the energy company reported record profits from massive energy price hikes.

Most staff at the oil giant – which employs around 82,000 people worldwide – will be eligible for the pay boost.

Just those at executive vice president level or higher will be excluded from the taxable payout.

Shell said the award reflects the company’s current financial success but has no link to the rising cost of living challenges.

A Shell spokesperson said: “In recognition of the contribution our people have made to Shell’s strong operational performance against a recent challenging backdrop, our executive committee has decided to make a Special Recognition Award of 8% of salary to all eligible staff across the world. read more

The Telegraph

Shell and British Gas owner post record profits as energy bills surge 

James Warrington: 28 JULY 2022 • 12:28PM

Shell and the owner of British Gas are handing billions of pounds back to shareholders as Russia’s war in Ukraine drives record-breaking profits.

Shell will repurchase a further $6bn (£4.9bn) of shares in the third quarter, having already bought back $8.5bn of stock in the first half of the year.

It came after the FTSE 100 company’s profit jumped to $11.5bn in the three months to the end of June – its second consecutive quarter of record profits – as it cashed in on high oil and gas prices. read more

BBC News

Shell consultant quits and accuses firm of ‘extreme harms’

By Annabelle Liang: Business reporter: 25 May 2022

A safety consultant at oil and gas giant Shell has stopped working for the firm, as she accused its top executives of failing to protect the environment.

In a post on the professional networking platform LinkedIn, Caroline Dennett said the company is “causing extreme harms to our climate, environment, nature and to people”.

It has drawn over 10,000 likes and has been shared more than 1,200 times. read more

The Guardian

Shell profits soar to $9.1bn amid calls for windfall tax

Alex Lawson: Thu 5 May 2022 02.55 EDT

Shell has reported a record quarterly profit of $9.1bn (£7.3bn) for the first three months of the year, piling more pressure on the government to implement a windfall tax to fund measures to tackle soaring household energy bills.

The first-quarter profit was boosted by a sharp rise in oil and gas prices, and compared with $6.3bn of profits in the final three months of 2021 and $3.2bn during the first quarter of last year. It was above analysts’ expectations of first-quarter adjusted earnings of $8.7bn.

Campaigners have called for a one-off levy on companies benefiting from soaring oil and gas prices to fund government initiatives to reduce the burden of rising bills.

Shell’s update comes after BP reported its highest quarterly profit in more than a decade on Tuesday. Its profits more than doubled to $6.2bn, and sparked a clamour for a windfall tax.

The government has resisted calls for such a levy. Boris Johnson has said it would discourage oil and gas producers from making investments into domestic energy.

But BP’s chief executive, Bernard Looney, has admitted none of the £18bn UK investments the company is planning would be dropped if a windfall tax were imposed. read more

Shell first quarter 2022 update note

April 07, 2022 02:00 ET | Source: Shell plc

The following is an update to the first quarter 2022 outlook. Impacts presented may vary from the actual results and are subject to finalisation of the first quarter 2022 results, published on May 5, 2022. Unless otherwise indicated, all outlook statements exclude identified items.

The prevailing volatility in commodity prices has led to larger ranges in the financial guidance for the quarter. Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA updates are provided at a segment level while the CFFO update is provided at a Shell Group level. read more

The Guardian

New calls for windfall tax as Shell unveils highest quarterly profit in eight years

Jillian Ambrose and agency: Thu 3 Feb 2022 12.13 GMT

Shell has cashed in on rocketing oil and gas markets by quadrupling its profits to historic highs, fuelling fresh calls for a windfall tax on fossil fuel giants to help hard-pressed households cope with record energy bills.

The UK’s Labour party has called for the government to fund measures to help British households weather the cost of living crisis by imposing a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers. read more

London Evening Standard

Shell to hand £6bn to shareholders as oil and gas prices soar

The business said profits have risen dramatically in the last few months.

By August Graham: 3 Feb 2022

It has been a bumper three months for energy giant Shell, which managed to increase its profits nearly fourteen-fold amid soaring oil and gas prices.

As prices surged, the company’s upstream unit was able to collect 8.88 dollars for every thousand cubic feet of gas it sold to customers over the last quarter of 2021.

Just six months earlier gas had been selling for 4.31 dollars, less than half of its most recent level. read more

Mirror

UK oil and gas giants raked in £10BILLION in just THREE months as energy bills soar

By Ben Glaze Deputy Political Editor: Pippa Crerar Daily Mirror Political Editor: 7 Jan 2022

Shell and BP reported the combined profits, dividends and buybacks just as wholesale gas prices began to soar. The two firms have had £660 million in tax credits in the last five years

The UK’s biggest oil and gas companies raked in £10.2billion in just three months last year, figures reveal.

Shell and BP reported the combined profits, dividends and buybacks just as wholesale gas prices began to soar. read more

“Royal Dutch Shell has rejected calls to break itself up”

The Times

Shell sets new goal to cut emissions

Emily Gosden, Energy Editor: Friday October 29 2021, 12.01am, The Times

Royal Dutch Shell has rejected calls to break itself up as it set a new emissions reduction goal in an attempt to please environmental critics.

Ben van Beurden, chief executive of the Anglo-Dutch oil major, insisted that it was better able to serve the energy transition as an integrated company using its oil and gas profits to fund low-carbon investments. read more

Shell Green Plans Under Scrutiny as Holders Seek More Action

Laura Hurst: Tue, May 18, 2021, 4:21 PM

(Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc has been under increasing pressure from investors to slash emissions and pivot toward cleaner energy, and the tension was on show at its shareholder meeting on Tuesday.

The company’s long-term energy transition plan, laid out to investors for the first time, received overwhelming support, but a competing resolution asking for stricter targets also garnered more votes than ever. Adding to the tension, shareholders were meeting as the International Energy Agency warned that all new oil and gas developments need to stop immediately for climate targets to be met. read more

REUTERS

Shell in talks with Nigeria to divest onshore oil stakes

May 18, 2021: Shell, the operator of the West African country’s onshore oil and gas joint venture SPDC, has struggled for years with spills in the Niger Delta as a result of pipeline theft and sabotage as well as operational issues. The spills have led to costly repair operations and high-profile lawsuits. Speaking at the company’s annual general meeting, CEO Ben van Beurden said that Shell can no longer be exposed to the risk of theft and sabotage.  read more

Shell raises dividend for second time in six months after first-quarter earnings beat forecasts

Sam Meredith: PUBLISHED THU, APR 29 20212:09 AM EDT

• The Anglo-Dutch company reported adjusted earnings of $3.2 billion for the three months through to the end of March. Analysts had expected $3.1 billion, according to Refinitiv.
• Shell also raised its dividend by around 4%, its second increase in six months.
• It comes as energy majors seek to reassure investors that they have gained a more stable footing in recent months.

LONDON — Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell on Thursday reported slightly better-than-expected first-quarter earnings, amid stronger commodity prices and growing expectations of a fuel demand recovery.

Shell also raised its dividend by around 4%, its second increase in six months, as the oil major seeks to reassure investors it has gained a more stable footing. It comes after Shell slashed its payout for the first time since World War II in April last year. read more

Shell’s oil trading earnings double in 2020 to $2.6 bln

By Reuters Staff: 1 MIN READ: MARCH 12, 2021: 10:58 AM

LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell’s 2020 earnings from crude oil and refined products trading nearly doubled from the previous year to $2.6 billion, according to the company’s annual report.

Reporting by Ron Bousso; Editing by Edmund Blair

SOURCE

Big Oil Clashes Over Fossil Fuel Future

By Charles Kennedy – Mar 02, 2021, 9:00 AM CST

Executives from major oil companies clashed over the prospects of oil and gas for the future at the first virtual edition of the CERAWeek conference in Houston.

While BP’s Bernard Looney and Shell’s Ben van Beurden boasted about their shift away from their core business and into renewable energy, Baker Hughes, Hess Corp., and Spain’s Repsol were among those believing that fossil fuels have yet to leave the scene for good, the Houston Chronicle’s Paul Takahashi reports. read more

Hedge funds bet on oil’s ‘big comeback’ after pandemic hobbles producers

FILE PHOTO: A combination of file photos shows the logos of five of the largest publicly traded oil companies; BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, and Total. REUTERS/File Photo

By Maiya Keidan, Rod Nickel: 5 MIN READ: FEBRUARY 7, 20212:20 PM

TORONTO (Reuters) – Hedge funds are turning bullish on oil once again, betting the pandemic and investors’ environmental focus has severely damaged companies’ ability to ramp up production. read more

Oil giant Shell follows rivals into huge loss

“2020 was an extraordinary year,” said Chief Executive Ben van Beurden. “We have taken tough but decisive actions,” he said, with Shell having already announced plans to axe up to 9,000 jobs, or more than 10 percent of its global workforce.

Published on: Friday, February 05, 2021: By AFP

LONDON: Royal Dutch Shell on Thursday became the latest oil major to reveal huge annual losses as the coronavirus pandemic slashed energy demand and prices in 2020.

Shell dived into a net loss of $21.7 billion (18.1 billion euros) last year as factories shut and planes were grounded. read more

Shell makes record loss in 2020 after more write-offs

Published date: 04 February 2021

Shell posted a record loss in 2020 after it booked more hefty write-offs in the fourth quarter.

Excluding inventory effects, Shell made a loss of $4.48bn in the October-December period, compared with a profit of $871mn a year earlier. The quarterly loss was largely driven by pre-announced, non-cash post-tax impairment charges of $2.7bn and charges of $1.1bn mainly for “onerous contract provisions”. read more

Oil major Shell reports sharp drop in full-year profit, raises dividend

• Shell reported adjusted earnings of $4.85 billion for the full-year 2020. That compared with a profit of $16.5 billion for the full-year 2019.
• The company said it would raise its first-quarter dividend to $0.1735 per share, reflecting an increase of 4% from the previous quarter.
• The results come as energy giants seek to reassure investors about their future profitability, following a dreadful year for the global oil and gas industry by virtually every measure.

LONDON — Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell on Thursday reported a sharp drop in full-year profit as the coronavirus pandemic took a heavy toll on the global oil and gas industry.

Shell reported adjusted earnings of $4.85 billion for the full-year 2020. That compared with a profit of $16.5 billion for the full-year 2019, reflecting a drop of 71%. Analysts polled by Refinitiv had expected full-year 2020 net profit to come in $5.15 billion. read more

2020 Was One of the Worst-Ever Years for Oil Write-Downs

Royal Dutch Shell’s Prelude floating facility has struggled to deliver income. PHOTO: ROYAL DUTCH SHELL AUSTRALIA/REUTERS

By Collin Eaton and Sarah McFarlane: Dec. 27, 2020 9:00 am ET

The pandemic has triggered the largest revision to the value of the oil industry’s assets in at least a decade, as companies sour on costly projects amid the prospect of low prices for years.

Oil-and-gas companies in North America and Europe wrote down roughly $145 billion combined in the first three quarters of 2020, the most for that nine-month period since at least 2010, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. That total significantly surpassed write-downs taken over the same periods in 2015 and 2016, during the last oil bust, and is equivalent to roughly 10% of the companies’ collective market value. read more

Shell fourth quarter 2020 update note

The Hague, December 21, 2020 − This is an update to the fourth quarter 2020 outlook provided in the third quarter results announcement on October 29, 2020. The impacts presented here may vary from the actual results and are subject to finalisation of the fourth quarter 2020 results.

This update note is presented based on prevailing commodity prices and forward curves, further movements and volatility till the end of the year are likely to impact earnings and CFFO. read more

Oil majors wipe $80 billion off books as epidemic, energy transition bite

By Ron Bousso: Tue, 1 December 2020, 12:43 pm GMT

By Ron Bousso

LONDON (Reuters) – The world’s top energy companies have slashed the value of their oil and gas assets by around $80 billion (60.05 billion pounds) in recent months after revising lower the long-term outlook for fuel prices in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic and the energy transition.

Exxon Mobil, the largest U.S. oil company, announced on Monday it would write down the value of natural gas properties by $17 billion to $20 billion, its biggest ever impairment following the sharp drop in energy prices this year. read more

Shell: Regaining Dividend Respectability And Shifting Toward Green Hydrogen

The Daily Drilling Report: 10 November 2020

• Shell is taking a healthy approach toward energy transition and balancing capital projects in terms of energy source.
• It’s also forging a leadership position in two key fuels that have been identified as being crucial to meeting Paris Climate goals – natural gas and hydrogen.
• Shell is back in our good grades with its recent dividend raise and strong earnings prospects going forward.
• At its recent price in the mid-$20s it represents a nice risk reward profile.

The question is, is the dividend safe? The answer here is yes, as it has just been raised. It seems Uncle Ben has heard the hue and cry of outraged shareholders, and is restoring some of what he took away just last quarter.

Ben Van Beurden, CEO Shell:

So we are announcing an increase of 4% in our dividends this quarter. But we’re also announcing a target milestone for our net debt of $65 billion for the near term. And once we have achieved this milestone, we target to further increase shareholder distribution. So we are not offering the promise of future growth, but also increasing shareholder distributions for the near term. read more

Shell to axe refining plants and focus on dividends and debt reduction

Philip Whiterow: 07:31 Thu 29 Oct 2020

Royal Dutch Shell PLC (LON:RDSB) has unveiled a huge restructuring of its refining and chemical operations as part of a strategic overhaul that places dividends at its centre.

The Anglo-Dutch giant said its fourteen refining sites will be reduced to six integrated chemical parks, with a switch in focus to performance chemicals and recycled feedstocks.

Shell’s marketing arm will also be strengthened with the development of the integrated power business and hydrogen and biofuels. read more

U.S. and European Oil Giants Go Different Ways on Climate Change

While BP and other European companies invest billions in renewable energy, Exxon and Chevron are committed to fossil fuels and betting on moonshots.

HOUSTON — As oil prices plunge and concerns about climate change grow, BP, Royal Dutch Shell and other European energy companies are selling off oil fields, planning a sharp reduction in emissions and investing billions in renewable energy.

The American oil giants Chevron and Exxon Mobil are going in a far different direction. They are doubling down on oil and natural gas and investing what amounts to pocket change in innovative climate-oriented efforts like small nuclear power plants and devices that suck carbon out of the air. read more

Shell avoids loss with strong trading, wipes $17 billion off assets

LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) avoided its first quarterly loss in recent history, helped by a booming trading business, but announced nearly $17 billion in impairment charges reflecting a pessimistic outlook for oil and gas prices.

Shell had warned last month it was set to slash the value of its oil and gas assets by up to $22 billion as the coronavirus crisis hollowed out energy demand.

“Shell has delivered resilient cash flow in a remarkably challenging environment,” CEO Ben van Beurden said in a statement on Thursday. read more

Coronavirus Takes a Toll on Shell Imposing $15-$22B Write-Offs

What Does the Record Write-Down Imply?

The energy industry, grappling with the twin demerits of oversupply and low pricing, expects the weak macro environment to persist. Companies like Shell and BP are carrying assets on their balance sheets that were purchased/developed at a time when commodity prices were materially higher than the current figures. As the market deteriorates, the operators are ultimately forced to take write-offs. read more

BBC NEWS: 30 JUNE 2020

Shell, one of the world’s largest oil companies, has warned that the low price of oil could reduce the value of its assets by up to $22bn (£17.9bn).

It said it expects oil to change hands at $60 per barrel in the long term and to be priced at $35 this year and $40 next year.

Shell follows rival BP in telling investors that oil hardware is not worth as much as it used to be.

BP told investors this month its assets could be worth $17.5bn less.

Countries across the globe have ordered people to stay indoors and not travel as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused a slump in demand for oil. read more

Bloomberg News: Jacqueline Poh: May 29, 2020: 10:51 AM EDT

Bloomberg) — Oil and gas companies worldwide have raised $171 billion of debt from the loan and bond markets since March after the coronavirus pandemic hit demand for fuel.

The $171 billion tally is equivalent to the volume of bonds sold for the industry in the whole year of 2019. The debt pile is set to grow further with almost $120 billion of borrowings due by the end of the year that will need to be either repaid or refinanced. Of that amount, $43 billion is in bonds and $76 billion in loans. read more

Big Oil Earnings Battered By Virus, But Worst is Yet to Come

Laura Hurst: May 11 2020, 4:31 AM

EXTRACTS

(Bloomberg) — Big Oil emerged from first-quarter earnings battered and bruised, but things are only going to get uglier.

Major oil and gas producers from Norway to the U.S. saw profit plunge in the opening three months of the year. Exxon Mobil Corp. reported its first loss in over 30 years, Royal Dutch Shell Plc cut its dividend for the first time since the Second World War.

Big Oil’s generous dividends have long been its main attraction to investors. But thanks to Shell Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden they are no longer sacrosanct, after he slashed his company’s payout by two thirds. read more

By Nick Cunningham – May 04, 2020, 5:00 PM CDT

Exxon posted its first quarterly loss in more than 30 years. But even as debt mounts and questions arise about peak oil demand, the oil supermajor nevertheless vowed to protect its dividend while also aiming to grow indefinitely into the future. Exxon lost $610 million in the first quarter, down from a profit of $2.4 billion a year earlier. Worse, the period only included a few weeks of oil prices at catastrophically low levels. As a result, the second quarter is bound to lead dramatically worse numbers. read more

30 APRIL 2020

The energy giant also suspended the next tranche of its share buyback programme.

The move came as it announced a 46% fall in first-quarter net income to $2.9bn (£2.3bn).

Chief executive Ben van Beurden warned of “continued deterioration in the macroeconomic outlook”.

He said Shell was taking “further prudent steps to bolster our resilience” and “underpin the strength of our balance sheet”.

Global demand for oil has all but dried up as lockdowns across the world have kept people inside. read more

Bloomberg News: Javier Blas: April 26, 2020

(Bloomberg) — Negative oil prices, ships dawdling at sea with unwanted cargoes, and traders getting creative about where to stash oil. The next chapter in the oil crisis is now inevitable: great swathes of the petroleum industry are about to start shutting down.

The economic impact of the coronavirus has ripped through the oil industry in dramatic phases. First it destroyed demand as lockdowns shut factories and kept drivers at home. Then storage started filling up and traders resorted to ocean-going tankers to store crude in the hope of better prices ahead. read more

8 April 2020

ROYAL Dutch Shell received around $110 million (£87m) more back from the UK Government in respect of its oil and gas exploration and production activity than it paid in taxes last year, the company has revealed.

In a report on the payments it made to governments in 2019 the oil giant disclosed that it received tax rebates in respect of its UK North Sea business totalling $116 million. These dwarfed the $6.5m that the company paid in fees.

The report highlights the value of the tax relief provided to firms in respect of the costs of decommissioning North Sea facilities. read more

Bloomberg News: Laura Hurst: April 7, 2020(Bloomberg)

— Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s greenhouse gas emissions edged lower last year due to asset sales, while the amount of natural gas burned off wastefully from its facilities — known as flaring — increased.

Shell’s direct emissions fell to 70 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019 from 71 million a year earlier, it said Tuesday in a report. That’s the lowest since 2016.

“The main reasons for the decrease were divestments (for example, in Argentina, Canada, Iraq, Malaysia, Norway and the U.K.),” the report said. “These decreases were partly offset by the startup of the Prelude floating liquefied natural gas facility in Australia.” read more

12-Mar-2020

Royal Dutch Shell plc published its Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended December 31, 2019. The 2019 Annual Report and Accounts can be downloaded from www.shell.com/annualreport.

In compliance with 9.6.1 of the Listing Rules, on March 12, 2020, a copy of the 2019 Annual Report and Accounts was submitted to the National Storage Mechanism. This document will shortly be available for inspection at http://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/NSM.

Printed copies of the 2019 Annual Report and Accounts will be available from April 16, 2020, and can be requested, free of charge, at www.shell.com/annualreport. read more

• Net income attributable to shareholders on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis and excluding identified items,  used as a proxy for net profit, came in at $16.462 billion for full-year 2019.
• That compared with a profit of $21.404 billion for full-year 2018, reflecting a year-on-year drop of 23%.
• The Anglo-Dutch energy giant warned last month that it would book additional charges against its income in the fourth quarter.

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shellreported a sharp fall in full-year net profit on Thursday, citing challenging macroeconomic conditions and lower oil and gas prices.

Net income attributable to shareholders on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis and excluding identified items, which is used as a proxy for net profit, came in at $16.462 billion for the full-year 2019. That compared with a profit of $21.404 billion for full-year 2018, reflecting a year-on-year drop of 23%.

Analysts had expected full-year 2019 net income attributable to shareholders on a CCS basis, and excluding identified items, to come in at $17.770 billion, according to data from Refinitiv. read more

Shell pays £0 corporation tax and plans huge hike in fossil output

Michael Johnson, Leeds Socialist Party:

Faced with increasing scrutiny worldwide, oil giant Shell has revealed it paid no UK corporation tax in 2018. This is despite Shell also earning nearly £557 million in pre-tax profits in the UK over that year, with global pre-tax profits being $35.6 billion.

This has come about due to Shell receiving huge tax refunds for decommissioning its North Sea oil platforms. To help balance the expenses of plugging and abandoning their (highly profitable) oil wells and removing their equipment, the government lets energy companies deduct costs from their taxable profits or claim back tax they had previously paid! read more

GlobeNewswire: Shell fourth quarter 2019 update note

December 20, 2019 02:02 ET | Source: Royal Dutch Shell

The Hague, December 20, 2019 – This is an update to the fourth quarter 2019 outlook provided in the third quarter results announcement on October 31, 2019. The impacts presented here may vary from the actual results and are subject to finalisation of the fourth quarter 2019 results which are scheduled to be released on January 30, 2020.

Unless otherwise indicated, presented earnings impacts relate to earnings on a current cost of supplies basis, attributable to shareholders, excluding identified items. read more

Javier Blas and Alaric Nightingale, Bloomberg News: 15 Nov 2019

Royal Dutch Shell Plc has made US$1 billion from trading fuel oil this year, making it one of the standout winners from rules designed to make the shipping industry greener.
Shell said last month that it made substantial money in fuel-oil trading in the third quarter, but the company didn’t disclose the size of the profits. Shell traders celebrated hitting the $1 billion mark so far, likely the biggest by any one company in fuel oil this year, by ringing a bell on the company’s trading floor in London earlier this month, people familiar with the matter said. read more

Sam Meredith: 31 Oct 2019

• Net income attributable to shareholders on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis, used as a proxy for net profit, and excluding identified items, came in at $4.767 billion for the third quarter of 2019.
• That compared with a profit of $5.624 billion in the same quarter a year ago and $3.462 billion in the second quarter.
• Shares of the Anglo-Dutch oil company are down more than 1% when compared to the same period in 2018.

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell reported weaker-than-expected third-quarter net profit on Thursday, citing lower energy prices and chemicals margins.

Net income attributable to shareholders on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis, used as a proxy for net profit, and excluding identified items, came in at $4.767 billion for the third quarter of 2019. That compared with a profit of $5.624 billion in the same quarter a year ago and $3.462 billion in the second quarter. read more

Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) — Slumping energy prices, sluggish global demand and shrinking chemical margins are weighing on the oil industry as its biggest names prepare to announce quarterly results to investors demanding ever-higher payouts.

The so-called supermajors — Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Chevron Corp., Total SA and BP Plc — are expected to disclose a 42% plunge in third-quarter earnings, on average, when they post results this week. That drop-off is too steep to blame on the 18% decline in crude oil prices, which means executives will have some explaining to do. read more

Shell shares plunge after worst results since oil price crash

By Brian Donnelly @BrianDonnellyHT Business Correspondent: 2 Aug 2019

SHARES in Royal Dutch Shell were down five per cent after it posted its worst financial results since the 2016 oil price crash.

The energy giant said the figures were influenced by lower oil and gas prices while analysts said wider global factors including the US and China trade stand-off played a part, and the firm said it would not take any British-flagged tankers to the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions in the region. read more

Bloomberg: Shell Profit Misses as Slowing Economy Hurts Gas, Chemicals

By Kelly Gilblom: 1 August 2019, 07:15 BST Updated on 1 August 2019, 08:14 BST

Cash flow rises, but integrated gas adjusted profit falls 25%

Shell CEO says macroeconomic conditions were challenging

Royal Dutch Shell Plc got caught into the same earnings trap as many of its peers, reporting second-quarter earnings that fell well short of expectations as the slowing global economy hit everything from natural gas to chemicals.

Profit in Shell’s integrated gas division was down by 25%, but earnings were lower across all of its businesses, including upstream oil and gas production, and refining and chemicals.

“We’ve seen some very severe macroeconomic headwinds — probably most pronounced in our downstream business where we saw some weaker refining margins — but especially a much weaker trading environment for petrochemicals,” Chief Executive Officer Ben Van Beurden said in a Bloomberg TV interview on Thursday. “In our upstream, we’ve seen headwinds particularly in North American gas.” read more

FUEL giant Shell came under fire yesterday after unveiling a 36 percent profit leap – while “exploiting hardworking motorists”.

By CYRIL DIXON

15:29, Fri, Feb 1, 2019

Executives at the British-Dutch company were jubilant after reporting a £4.3billion surplus for the final quarter of last year. But critics pointed out that the “strong financial performance” came at the expense of millions of drivers. Campaigners are demanding a new watchdog for pump prices after they rose more than 11 percent year-on-year.

They pointed out that profits made by fuel retailers on every unit of petrol have rocketed by 60 percent to 13p per litre.

Howard Cox, founder of pressure group FairFuelUK, said: “Greedy oil companies continue to ride roughshod over hard-working, low income families and small businesses. read more

Emily Gosden, Energy Editor: February 1, 2019

Resurgent oil and gas prices helped Royal Dutch Shell to double its profit to almost $24 billion last year, the highest since 2012.

Ben van Beurden, chief executive of the Anglo-Dutch energy group, said it was “delivering on pretty big promises” to investors as it embarked on the latest tranche of its $25 billion share buyback.

Mr van Beurden, 60, also became the latest voice in big business to warn against a no-deal Brexit, saying that it would be “a very bad outcome”.

Shell employs about 80,000 people worldwide, primarily in the production and sale of oil and gas. It produced the equivalent of 3.7 million barrels of oil per day last year and benefited from the rise in prices after supply curbs by Opec… read more

Shell sticking with spending discipline as 2018 profits soar

Ron Bousso: January 31, 2019

The Anglo-Dutch oil company also reported a sharp rise in cash generation, in a further sign that cost savings since the 2014 oil market downturn are filtering into its operations.

Its shares were up by more than 4 percent at 1120 GMT.

A strong performance in the fourth quarter was driven by higher oil and gas prices, year-on-year, as well as a stronger contribution from crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading. read more

The oil giant is finally making enough cash to pay its dividends and cut debt. But it’s yet to show that it can boost returns while shifting to renewables.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc appears at first glance to have arrived at its destination. The Anglo-Dutch oil major made enough cash last year to pay its dividends and cut debt, seemingly confounding skeptics who feared the payout would need to be cut. But this isn’t yet a sustainable performance. Shell is still traveling.

The company’s dividend yield hit about 9 percent in 2015 as falling oil prices and the acquisition of BG Group, funded partly by debt, sowed doubts over whether the payout was affordable. Shell has since cut costs and capital expenditure and brought new production on stream. Add an oil price recovery and the group generated $53 billion of operating cash flow last year. That left it able to fund $14 billion of capital spending and other investments, net of disposals, and a $20 billion bill for interest payments and dividends.

Shell has used the surplus cash to cut debt and buy back its own shares. Net borrowings of $51 billion at the end of the fourth quarter are down from nearly $80 billion in the aftermath of the BG takeover and stood at 20 percent of total capital, Shell’s target.

Job done? Not so fast. This is still only a snapshot, rather than sustained proof. The debt reduction was aided by a huge boost from working capital movements in the last three months of 2018. The volatility in Shell’s working capital as inventories jump around is one reason why investors can’t be sure just yet that the company’s leverage will stay at or below the threshold.

The average price for Brent crude in the fourth quarter was about $69 per barrel. It is around $62 currently. While Shell could have afforded its cash dividends for 2018 had the oil price averaged out at that lower level over the whole year, it’s hard to be confident about crude’s buoyancy right now. read more

Shell ‘leading the way’ on climate change

Written by Mark Lammey – 31/01/2019 12:38 pm

Oil super major Shell is “ahead of the curve” on facing up to climate change responsibilities, its boss said today.

Green investor groups have been putting increasing pressure on oil companies to clean up their acts in recent times.

In December, Shell revealed plans to link pay for its top brass to the achievement of emissions targets.

Shell said it would start setting targets for shorter periods in an effort to cut the net carbon footprint of its energy products by around half by 2050, and 20% by 2035. read more