Share

BP net profit back to $2bn

London - BP returned to net profit in the second quarter, lifted by the absence of major writedowns, the British energy giant said Tuesday.

Earnings after taxation stood at $2.042bn (€1.541bn) in the three months to the end of June, BP revealed in a results statement.

That compared with a loss of $1.519bn in the same part of last year, when it was hit by lower oil prices and vast writedowns on the value of assets.

The company also raised the total amount of money it has set aside to pay costs related to the devastating 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster to $42.4bn, from $42.2bn previously.

BP added that its so-called replacement cost profit - which excludes gains or losses in the value of inventories - jumped to $2.4bn in the quarter, compared with $104m last time around.

However, stripping out writedowns on the value of oil fields and refineries in the United States last year, underlying replacement cost profit sank 24% to $2.71bn.

That dashed market expectations of $3.40bn, according to analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires, and sent BP's share price falling in morning deals.

BP said it faced a higher tax rate, lower oil prices, higher costs and lower post-tax income from Russia due to currency effects.

In addition, total oil and gas production fell 1.5% to 2.241 million  barrels of oil equivalent per day in the reporting period, mostly because of asset sales.

"The results show strong underlying pre-tax performance from BP's businesses," said Chief Executive Bob Dudley in the earnings release.

"We are seeing growth in production from new high-margin projects and are making good progress in exploration and project delivery.

"Completion of our operational milestones confirms our confidence in delivering our commitment to materially increase operating cash flow in 2014."

In morning deals, however, BP's share price slid 2.08% to 457.7 pence on London's FTSE 100 index of leading companies, which was 0.30% higher at 6 580.03 points.


"The oil giant has unfortunately missed analyst estimates, with increased government taxes, currency movements and a lower oil price all contributing," said equity analyst Keith Bowman at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers.

"Actual production has again fallen, impacted by ongoing business sales, whilst legal settlements in relation to the Gulf Of Mexico accident continue to cast a long shadow."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.43
+0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.08
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
19.85
+0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.17
+0.4%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.4%
Platinum
997.50
+1.3%
Palladium
980.75
+1.0%
Gold
2,364.92
+0.9%
Silver
28.20
-0.4%
Brent Crude
83.88
+0.4%
Top 40
72,181
+1.2%
All Share
78,464
+1.2%
Resource 10
63,450
+2.5%
Industrial 25
108,579
+0.4%
Financial 15
16,955
+1.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders