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Profits Warning

Shell puts Arctic drilling plans on ice as it posts first profit warning in a decade

 Screen Shot 2013-01-11 at 20.09.51…van Beurden warned that the pain may not be over, saying it was possible that Shell would make new writedowns on its North American operations.

The US was among the factors that dented this year’s performance, as Shell continued to feel the effects of a shale gas glut that has sent prices tumbling.

Its North American arm is likely to be restructured, with some of its assets there to be put up for sale.

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By Rob Davies

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Shell’s new boss has put controversial Arctic drilling plans on hold and vowed to slash spending after the oil giant was rocked by its first profit warning in a decade.

Ben van Beurden said Europe’s largest company by revenue would be ‘changing emphasis’ after a tough year that saw pre-tax profits slump 23 per cent to £15.3billion.

‘None of us at Shell are comfortable with these results,’ he said, admitting that ‘we’ve lost momentum and can sharpen our performance in a number of areas’.

Van Beurden’s plan will see spending hacked back from the £28billion of last year to £22.5billion in 2014 – largely by making fewer acquisitions and launching a £9billion two-year asset sale programme. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

SHELL FRAUD AND SCAM ALERT

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CLICK ON FRAUD AND SCAM ALERT IMAGE TO ENLARGE

By John Donovan

Screen Shot 2014-01-31 at 00.40.27SHELL FRAUD AND SCAM ALERT: This is not about the way Royal Dutch Shell Plc executive directors, including Ben van Beurden and Simon Henry (right), have held back information from Shell shareholders until eventually being advised by lawyers that Shell must issue a profits warning, but about scam artists using Shell’s name to front bogus job recruitment schemes, fake lotteries, sham business propositions etc. Some might say there is little difference – ask OSSL in Ireland who accuse Shell directors of deceiving them. I receive enquiries almost every day from people trying to fathom whether purported communications from Shell are genuine. I am not going to publish them because it might give legitimacy to names and contact information used by the fraudsters. Instead, I am continuing to refer people to the Shell Fraud and Scam alert on the Shell.com website. Wonder when certain Shell executive director names will be posted? read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shareholders have grounds to bring lawsuits against Royal Dutch Shell Plc?

Screen Shot 2013-10-01 at 07.56.54According to an informed source, there is significant potential for shareholder lawsuits against the directors of Shell on the basis of their failure to control spending, possibly in breach of both their fiduciary obligations and internal corporate procedures. The expenditure of $26 billion on “unconventionals” suggests that in North America spending was completely out of control. Message to the mainstream media. Check with your lawyers. I believe they will confirm the likelihood of a flood of class actions lawsuits. 

By John Donovan

According to an informed source, there is significant potential for shareholder lawsuits against the directors of Shell on the basis of their failure to control spending, possibly in breach of both their fiduciary obligations and internal corporate procedures. The expenditure of $26 billion on “unconventionals” suggests that in North America spending was completely out of control. Comments on this site and in the press suggest that little of this expenditure is likely to be recovered, with multi-billion dollar write-downs of US assets expected to be a feature of Shell’s accounts for years to come.
 
The Brent price fixing investigations have been largely stalled by Shell’s actions in attempting to block the sharing of discovery information between the various government agencies investigating the allegations. The sharing was authorised by a federal court, but this ruling has been appealed by Shell, effectively stalling the process.
 
A cynical view is that the major projects in Alaska, Pennsylvania and Louisiana (and possibly unconventionals) were primarily about buying political influence. In states where employment is a major issue much of the business of congress is taken up with bringing home “pork” to their home states and landing these projects would have been major achievements for the congressmen concerned.
 
The cancellation of the Louisiana GTL plant, the doubts surrounding the viability of the Pennsylvania petrochemical facility, and the indefinite postponement of the Alaska exploration programme should be seen as both a means of reducing capital expenditure by Shell and as a means of putting pressure on the US government. The reality is that Shell can ill-afford any of these projects. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell keeps Woodside sale in play

Screen Shot 2013-12-22 at 19.09.52OIL giant Royal Dutch Shell has confirmed it is considering the sale of its Australian fuel retailing and marketing assets, along with its Geelong refinery, as part of an accelerated campaign to raise $US15 billion ($17.1bn) from sales of its portfolio across the globe.

The admission, made in the company’s fourth-quarter profit report released last night, comes as new chief executive Ben van Beurden looks to quickly turn around what he sees as unacceptable capital efficiency operational performance and project delivery. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Oil drilling on US Arctic coast put on ice

Screen Shot 2013-01-11 at 20.09.51 Oil companies’ rush to find reserves off Alaska’s Arctic shores suffered a setback on Thursday after Shell said it would suspend its operations in the region — and possibly withdraw for good. “We will not drill in Alaska in 2014, and we are reviewing our options there,” Shell CEO Ben van Beurden told reporters in London. “The group’s exploration near the North Pole cost billions of dollars and generated reams of negative press – yet not a single drop of oil has been pumped” said Garry White, Chief Investment Correspondent at British brokerage Charles Stanley.

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By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, January 30, 2:57 PM

AMSTERDAM — Oil companies’ rush to find reserves off Alaska’s Arctic shores suffered a setback on Thursday after Shell said it would suspend its operations in the region — and possibly withdraw for good.Royal Dutch Shell PLC is the main company to have purchased leases for oilfields off Alaska’s Arctic shores, but its attempts to drill have been halting due to technical and legal hurdles.While other companies are still seeking to exploit deep-water Arctic fields nearby in Canada, Shell’s troubles may indicate that the difficulties outweigh the potential economic benefits.“We will not drill in Alaska in 2014, and we are reviewing our options there,” Shell CEO Ben van Beurden told reporters in London.Shell received a negative Federal court decision last week. Environmentalists are still challenging whether the government’s 2008 decision to open the area to exploration was correctly granted in the first place: it is covered by sea ice for much of the year.

Asked whether Thursday’s retreat means the project is finished, Van Beurden said that depends in part on how the ongoing lawsuit proceeds.

Environmental activists cried victory.

“Shell’s Arctic failure is being watched closely by other oil companies, who must now conclude that this region is too remote, too hostile and too iconic to be worth exploring,” Greenpeace International Arctic oil campaigner Charlie Kronick said in a reaction.

Jacqueline Savitz, the U.S. chief of the Oceana conservationist group, said Shell’s retreat shows that offshore drilling in the Arctic is “simply not a good bet from a business perspective.” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Puts Its Arctic Plans on Ice

Screen Shot 2014-01-30 at 15.20.51SHELL GETS COLD FEET

Royal Dutch Shell won’t drill in the U.S. Arctic this year.

A combination of a federal appeals court ruling and a need to get a handle on booming costs appear to have been the straws that broke the camel’s back.

FULL ARTICLE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell profit warning – the shock that wasn’t

Screen Shot 2013-10-01 at 07.56.54In a mix and mingle of rational and strange explanations, while distancing himself as the ‘New Man’ from what happened under previous CEO Peter Voser, the new CEO firstly blamed lower oil and gas prices, which for oil is a strange claim. Shell’s supposedly ‘shocking’ admission its profits will be low for several years – many analysts cite 2017 as the year when the ‘annus horribilis’ will end – cannot be treated as surprising. This was above all a disaster waiting to happen, and it happened.

New CEO Admits

Shell’s new CEO Ben van Beurden has admitted corporate performance in 2013 was not what he expected from the group. Just two weeks after taking over the helm at end-December, he gave what journalists and commentators called ‘a shock profit warning’, saying that full-year profits excluding ‘special items’ could be about 25% below 2012’s performance. For the 4th Quarter of 2013 Shell’s earnings before special items fell by about 50%.

In a mix and mingle of rational and strange explanations, while distancing himself as the ‘New Man’ from what happened under previous CEO Peter Voser, the new CEO firstly blamed lower oil and gas prices, which for oil is a strange claim. He went on to widen his claims by saying that Shell is exposed to “weak industry conditions” in downstream oil, unexpected costs in its drive to become the most natural gas-oriented of the oil majors, higher exploration and infrastructure expenses, higher corporate risks, especially in Iraq, and lower upstream production volumes. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Profit Drops 48% as Oil and Gas Production Declines

Shell will need to slash investments and boost cash flow to meet its $130 billion net capital-expenditure target for 2012-2015.

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Jan 30, 2014 7:14 AM GMT

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Europe’s largest oil company, said profit plunged 48 percent on exploration expenses and lower production.

Profit excluding one-time items and inventory changes was $2.9 billion in the fourth quarter, down from $5.6 billion a year earlier. That matches the drop Shell forecast on Jan. 17 because of losses in the Americas, lower refining margins and production disruptions in Nigeria and elsewhere.

“Its Americas growth strategy –- the home for 50 percent of past investment –- woefully underdelivering under the weight of dead capital,” Lucas Herrmann, a London-based analyst at Deutsche Bank AG, said before the earnings report. “Corporate change could release huge value.” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell scraps controversial exploration programme in Alaska

Capital spending will fall to $37 billion this year from $46 billion in 2013, Shell said, adding that for the time being it was also scrapping a controversial exploration programme in Alaska.

Shell to cut spending and step up disposals in 2014

Jan 30 (Reuters) – Anglo-Dutch oil company Royal Dutch Shell on Thursday said it would step-up disposals and cut spending as it seeks to win back investors with a new focus on returns, less than two weeks after a shock profit warning.

Shell, the world’s no. 3 investor owned oil company, earlier this month issued a “significant” profit warning for the quarter to the end of December, detailing across-the-board problems just weeks into the tenure of new boss Ben van Beurden. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell 4Q earnings fall 74 percent

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Shell’s earnings have dropped by 74 percent in the fourth quarter from the same period a year ago, on a mix of higher exploration costs, lower production, and worse refining margins.

The company, which warned on Jan. 17 weaker figures were coming, also had more one-time gains in 2013. Net profit for the quarter was $1.78 billion (130 billion euros), versus $6.73 billion a year earlier.

The earnings report, the first featuring new Chief Executive Ben van Beurden, noted that production was down 5 percent to 3.25 million barrels per day. Shell said 2 percentage points were due to wells shut in Nigeria for security reasons, Shell said, and the rest due to other maintenance and “asset replacement activities” — old fields fading faster than new projects came online. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Why I’ve Sold Royal Dutch Shell plc

Okay, I know this will be controversial, but I really have just sold my shares in Shell.

A company’s recent share price is based on its past profitability.

But its current profits are falling. Full-year profits are expected to be 23% down on last year, and the trend in profitability is clearly downward.

The sudden, sharp fall in profitability has taken me, and many other investors, by surprise.

Shell has invested substantially in gas, particularly liquefied natural gas (LNG). Yet, as more and more shale gas has been produced, the gas market has been over-supplied far more quickly than anyone expected, and gas prices have tumbled. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Oil Profits Slump as Higher Spending Fails to Lift Output

Screen Shot 2013-10-01 at 07.56.54Investors are shunning the world’s biggest oil companies as drilling costs surge, major projects are delayed and energy prices stagnate. Shell, the second-largest oil company by market value, will report its lowest fourth-quarter profit since 2009 after The Hague-based explorer was socked with cost overruns on some of its most important new fields. Ben van Beurden, who took the helm at Shell at the start of the year, said Jan. 17, in Shell’s first profit-warning in a decade, that disruptions in Nigeria, weak refining margins and lower U.S. natural gas production brought down earnings.

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Jan 29, 2014 12:00 AM GMT

Investors are shunning the world’s biggest oil companies as drilling costs surge, major projects are delayed and energy prices stagnate.

Crude and natural gas producers from Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) to ConocoPhillips began issuing profit warnings three weeks ago as they tallied the extent of fourth-quarter disappointments. Shareholders have punished the stocks, making the energy sector the worst performer in the MSCI World Index this year, in anticipation of bleak earnings disclosures later this week. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s lavish spending on quixotic drilling adventures

Screen Shot 2013-10-16 at 15.38.09Shell’s quest for new reserves has seen it pump billions into money-devouring plays such as its Athabasca Oil Sands Project in northern Alberta and the Kashagan oilfield, a deeply troubled project in Kazakhstan. It’s even tried deep water drilling in the high Arctic. That attempt ended when the stormy waters of the Chukchi Sea crippled its Kulluk drilling platform, forcing the company to pull up stakes. Investors can’t simply count on ever rising oil prices to justify Shell’s lavish spending on quixotic drilling adventures around the world.

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Why Turning a Buck Isn’t Easy Anymore for Oil’s Biggest Players

Former Chief Economist, CIBC World Markets

27 Jan 2014

Judging by pump prices, Canadian drivers might think oil companies were rolling in profits that only move higher. Lately, though, the big boys in the global oil industry are finding that earning a buck isn’t as easy as it used to be.

Royal Dutch Shell, for instance, just announced that fourth quarter earnings would fall woefully short of expectations. The Anglo-Dutch energy giant warned its quarterly profits will be down 70 percent from a year earlier. Full-year earnings, meanwhile, are expected to be a little more than half of what they were the previous year. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Said to Seek Buyers for $1 Billion Stake in Ho-Ho Pipeline

Screen Shot 2013-11-13 at 07.38.22Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) is seeking to sell a stake in its Houston-to-Houma crude oil pipeline, which Europe’s largest oil company recently reversed and renamed, people familiar with the matter said. Shell is working with Barclays Plc (BARC) to solicit offers for a stake of as much as $1 billion…  Shell on Jan. 17 warned fourth-quarter earnings fell to the lowest level since 2009 due to rising losses in the Americas and deteriorating refining markets.

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By Matthew Monks January 27, 2014

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) is seeking to sell a stake in its Houston-to-Houma crude oil pipeline, which Europe’s largest oil company recently reversed and renamed, people familiar with the matter said.

Shell is working with Barclays Plc (BARC) to solicit offers for a stake of as much as $1 billion in the conduit, which is known as the Ho-Ho system and valued at about $3 billion in its entirety, said one of the people, asking not to identified because the matter is not public. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

BP back in favour despite spill legacy, Russia doubts

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COMMENT RECEIVED:  In this article there is a comment from Peter Voser about a possible need for a rescue of BP by Shell following the Macondo disaster in 2010. Knowing that merger negotiations between Shell and BP also occurred more recently, one possible interpretation of the article is that BP’s own strategy might help Shell put its house in order, while Shell’s access to US licences might help BP. Both companies are currently targeted by investigations of manipulation of the price of Brent.

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* BP shares still down from day before U.S. oil spill

* But shares up two thirds from post-spill low

* BP reshaped, competitive on return on capital, delaying spill costs

* Still beset with litigation, and its Russian investment unproven

* Q4 results due Feb 4 against backdrop of rivals’ weak statements

By Andrew Callus

LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) – If you had spent 10 pounds on BP shares on April 19, 2010, you would have just nine pounds now, including dividends. A poor investment, however you cut it, but also a remarkable recovery. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

City awaits details after Shell shock

Screen Shot 2013-10-01 at 07.56.54After the shock update effectively publicised the firm’s headline figures for the final quarter of last year, this week the City will be looking for clues as to whether Shell’s shrinking bottom line is temporary or structural.; …the new boss appears keen to make changes at the notoriously bureaucratic company.

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by DOMINIC JEFF: 26 Jan 2014

OIL major Royal Dutch Shell is expected to reveal huge write-offs this week which investors hope will account for its recent profits warning.

After the shock update effectively publicised the firm’s headline figures for the final quarter of last year, this week the City will be looking for clues as to whether Shell’s shrinking bottom line is temporary or structural.

In its warning, Shell said that profits will almost halve to around $2.9 billion (£1.8bn). With previous market expectations of a $4bn haul, it will be the latest disappointment for shareholders after the firm’s earnings declined dramatically throughout 2013. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell set to round off bad year with disappointing fourth quarter profits

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By Daily Mail Reporter

Monday 27 January 2014

Shell is this week expected to round off a disappointing year with lacklustre fourth-quarter profits.

The Anglo-Dutch oil giant issued a profit warning earlier this month, saying it was likely to record a lower-than-expected £1.8billion profit for the final three months of the year.

That sets the company up for an annual underlying profit of £11.8billion, a long way below the £16.3billion it recorded in 2012.

New boss Ben van Beurden blamed a string of factors including maintenance shutdowns in particularly high margin businesses such as liquid natural gas and a general decline in oil prices. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell profit warning merely a warm-up for what is coming

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Shell is fat, slow, and unresponsive to shareholders.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BUSINESS SECTION 26 JANUARY 2014

INSIDE THE CITY: BY DANNY FORTSON

Royal Dutch Shell

BEN VAN BEURDEN, the new boss of Royal Dutch Shell, issued a profit warning nine days ago.

It was, I expect, merely a warm-up for Thursday, when he will announce his first set of annual results.

Industry sources say Van Beurden has identified billions of dollars of assets to write off – thing like its French Guiana operation where it has drilled a series of dry holes. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Energy giants battle to pump profits

Screen Shot 2013-11-13 at 07.38.22At 55, Van Beurden, who replaced Peter Voser earlier this month, is a 30-year veteran at Shell where his career has mainly been focused on managing downstream businesses such as refining and chemicals. This week, as he announces full-year earnings, City analysts expect him to unveil details of a potential $15bn to $30bn (£9.1bn to £18.1bn) garage sale… Shell has a reputation for gluttony when it comes to tackling giant energy projects, betting billions of dollars on strategic investments aimed at building reserves and capturing future demand decades in advance. Those days may be over.

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By 8:00PM GMT 25 Jan 2014

On the face of it, Royal Dutch Shell’s new chief executive, Ben van Beurden, and Bob Dudley, his counterpart at , are a world apart.

At 55, Van Beurden, who replaced Peter Voser earlier this month, is a 30-year veteran at Shell where his career has mainly been focused on managing downstream businesses such as refining and chemicals.

This week, as he announces full-year earnings, City analysts expect him to unveil details of a potential $15bn to $30bn (£9.1bn to £18.1bn) garage sale, signalling a new era of capital discipline and streamlining at the Anglo-Dutch supermajor. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

CFO Simon Henry: Just how many lives has this Shell fat cat got?

Simon Henry was CFO when the ship was set on its disastrous course of over-promise and under-delivery, beset by project delays and cost overruns, resulting in the recent profits warning and the dramatic advice just issued by Zacks Investment Research that Royal Dutch Shell Plc is “a risky bet that ordinary investors should exit.” He has had a hand on the helm throughout the long voyage, during the Sakhalin2 debacle, the Corrib Gas Corruption scandal and more recently, Shell’s Arctic ambitions hitting the rocks. As I have previously pointed out, he also had a starring role in the reserves scandal and managed to evade the flak on that occasion as well. Just how many lives has this Shell fat cat got?

By John Donovan

The role of RDS Chief Financial Officer, Simon Henry, in the instability that has overtaken Shell, thus far seems to have largely escaped scrutiny and blame?

He is the most senior remaining Royal Dutch Shell executive spanning the tenure of the last three top executives at Shell, Sir Philip Watts (dishonest bullying egomaniac), Jeroen van der Veer (dishonest and out of his depth) and Peter Voser (incompetent and ill-advised).

Simon Henry was CFO when the ship was set on its disastrous course of over-promise and under-delivery, bedeviled by project delays and cost overruns, resulting in the recent profits warning and the dramatic advice just issued by Zacks Investment Research that Royal Dutch Shell Plc is “a risky bet that ordinary investors should exit.” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Royal Dutch Shell a risky bet that ordinary investors should exit

Screen Shot 2013-10-01 at 07.56.54On Jan 20, 2014, we downgraded Europe’s largest oil company Royal Dutch Shell plc to Underperform from Neutral. Our revised investment thesis is supported by a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). Following Shell’s fourth-quarter profit warning, we see the integrated player as a risky bet that ordinary investors should exit.

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Royal Dutch Shell Down to Underperform – Analyst Blog

January 24, 2014

On Jan 20, 2014, we downgraded Europe’s largest oil company Royal Dutch Shell plc ( RDS.A ) to Underperform from Neutral. Our revised investment thesis is supported by a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).Why the Downgrade?Following Shell’s fourth-quarter profit warning, we see the integrated player as a risky bet that ordinary investors should exit.

Detailed Analysis

The Hague-based Shell has cautioned investors that hike in exploration costs, lower oil and gas output, along with weak performance by the company’s refining unit, will adversely impact its fourth quarter results.

We are also concerned about Shell’s relatively heavy downstream exposure, which leaves it less diversified than its integrated peers. As such, the group’s results remain greatly exposed to refining/marketing margins. Shell’s downstream operations have struggled recently due to weak demand for fuel, leading to lower returns in this segment. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Big Oil Is Unloading Billions of Assets in Spring Cleanup

Royal Dutch Shell PLC decided it’s time to clean out its global energy portfolio. The oil giant could unload as much as $30 billion in assets as part of the purge.

by Matt DiLallo, The Motley Fool Jan 22nd 2014

Royal Dutch Shell PLC decided it’s time to clean out its global energy portfolio. The oil giant could unload as much as $30 billion in assets as part of the purge.

Shell game
Shell needs to make some changes after it warned that its profits would be significantly lower than analysts were expecting. But the company has been hinting for a while that it would be paring back its portfolio. Earlier this year Shell announced it was exiting several U.S. shale basins after returns failed to meet its expectations. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell CEO plays ‘new boss’ card

Screen Shot 2013-10-01 at 07.56.54Royal Dutch Shell’s chief executive Ben van Beurden has, on the face of it, played the classic “new boss” card – using a barely justified profit warning to brighten his own future by making the past look bad. The truth is quite different, the energy company says, and possibly far more worrying for investors.  “After taking legal advice we concluded we had an obligation to disclose the Q4 numbers as soon as possible in order to comply with stock exchange rules on fair disclosure.”

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ANDREW CALLUS:   22 Jan 2014

Royal Dutch Shell’s chief executive Ben van Beurden has, on the face of it, played the classic “new boss” card – using a barely justified profit warning to brighten his own future by making the past look bad.

The truth is quite different, the energy company says, and possibly far more worrying for investors.

Three trading days after van Beurden’s warning last Friday that quarterly net profit will fall far short of expectations, Shell’s shares are barely down 1.5 per cent in a flat market. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Yedlin: Shell’s profit warning a wake-up call

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Several factors conspire to hurt returns

By Deborah Yedlin, Calgary Herald January 21, 2014

What will be next for Royal Dutch Shell? Last Friday, the company issued a profit warning, announcing that fourth-quarter net income was going to be $2.9 billion US, down from $5.6 billion in the same period a year earlier.

It was the first such warning in a decade.

The company blamed a number of factors, including challenges on the refining side of its business, rising exploration costs and other challenges related to operating in countries such as Nigeria, where security continues to be a problem. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Rev Your Engines: Royal Dutch Shell Plc Looks Ready To Motor

2013 was another non-starter for Royal Dutch Shell (LSE: RDSB) (NYSE: RDS-B.US), and days into 2014 it stalled again. On Friday, Shell issued a profits warning, predicting adjusted earnings of $2.9 billion for the three months to the end of December, well below City expectations. It blamed oil and gas prices and difficult industry refining conditions. I was as disappointed by any investor, because I was hoping it would start the year with a clean slate, following the appointment of new chief executive Ben van Beurden. But now I’m over the shock, I am hopeful that Shell is finally going to start motoring again. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s higher risk for lower returns

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Stephen Bartholomeusz: 20 January 2014

Shell had previously flagged a major spring cleaning program under which it plans to sell at least $US15 billion of assets over the next couple of years, with its residual 23 per cent stake expected to be offloaded imminently.

Its Geelong refinery and potentially its retail business are also up for grabs and today, perhaps in keeping with a more cost and capital-conscious approach, the Shell-PetroChina Arrow Energy joint venture cut more than 200 jobs. The prospect of the joint venture proceeding with its proposed coal seam gas-fed LNG plant at Gladstone – where three other $20 billion-plus plants are well underway – is fading fast. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s Arrow Energy to slash hundreds of jobs

Screen Shot 2014-01-16 at 16.48.42Royal Dutch Shell’s Arrow Energy coal seam gas venture in Queensland is set to cut potentially hundreds of jobs as speculation mounts that the proposed LNG project will be a casualty of reined-in spending by the oil major. One source said up to 600 jobs would go, representing half of the workforce.

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Angela Macdonald-Smith: January 20, 2014

Royal Dutch Shell’s Arrow Energy coal seam gas venture in Queensland is set to cut potentially hundreds of jobs as speculation mounts that the proposed LNG project will be a casualty of reined-in spending by the oil major.

One source said up to 600 jobs would go, representing half of the workforce. Another put the figure at 400 jobs out of the 1200 employed at the venture, which is half-owned by PetroChina.

The statement comes amid media reports that managers in Arrow were travelling to regional centres in Moranbah and Dalby to kick off the job reductions. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.