BP profit slides on weaker refining, oil-production loss

BP reported a 49% decline in third-quarter earnings after crude prices fell, refining margins shrank and its exploration and production division posted a loss. Shares fell.

Profit adjusted for one-time items and inventory changes dropped to $933m from $1.8bn a year earlier, the London-based company said on Tuesday in a statement. That beat the $719.2m average estimate of 14 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

The company’s exploration and production division lost $224m compared with a profit of $823m a year earlier.

BP’s earnings have fallen year-on-year for nine consecutive quarters, piling pressure on chief executive officer Bob Dudley to rein in spending and sell assets without jeopardisng future growth.

Oil’s rally following the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) September decision to cut output is fading and BP and its peers will need to continue cutting spending so they can maintain dividend pay outs.

The company will trim capital expenditure to about $16bn this year, compared with a previous estimate of less than $17bn.

"We continue to make good progress in adapting to the challenging price and margin environment,” chief financial officer Brian Gilvary said in the statement.

"At the same time we are investing in the projects, businesses and options to deliver growth in the years ahead."

Cash flow

Brent averaged $46.99 a barrel in the quarter, down from $51.30 a year earlier and $47.03 in the prior three months. The decline that began in mid-2014 has forced explorers to delay projects, cancel billions of dollars of investments and eliminate thousands of jobs.

Prices have increased about 7% since OPEC’s surprise U-turn in Algiers on Sept. 28. BP reiterated its aim of covering capital expenditure and dividends from cash flow at a price of $50 to $55 next year.

Oil and gas production fell 5.9% to 2.11 million barrels of oil equivalent a day in the period, the company said. Fourth-quarter output will be lower than the preceding three months, mainly due to planned maintenance.

The loss in BP’s exploration and production unit could weigh on investor sentiment, despite earnings being modestly ahead of expectations, Banco Santander analyst Jason Kenney said in a note.

The performance in Russia was weak, while refining did better than anticipated, he said.

Shares of the company fell as much as 2.2% to 473.25 pence at traded at 477.9 pence at 8:11 in London. Royal Dutch Shell, Europe’s largest energy company, gained as much as 3.9% after earnings smashed analysts’ estimates.

Cutting spending

BP is renegotiating contracts and reducing the size of projects to lower costs, and plans to maintain 75% of all cost cuts even when prices rise in the future. Organic capital expenditure for 2017 will be in the range of $15bn to $17bn.

Exxon Mobil, the world’s biggest oil company by market value, said October 28 its production sank to a seven-year low. The company warned it may be facing the biggest reserves revision in its history as it extended a run of profit declines.

Chevron posted its first profit in a year though production fell short of expectations. While cost cuts helped Total beat estimates, Eni reported wider-than-expected losses and Statoil posted a surprise loss.

Weaker refining

BP’s downstream earnings fell to $1.4bn in the quarter from $2.3bn a year earlier. Global refining margins averaged $11.60 a barrel in the period, 42% lower than a year earlier, according to the company’s website.

Margins will remain under pressure this quarter, the company said.

While BP’s exploration and production business has struggled during the oil slump, the refining and marketing division helped buoy earnings over much of last year.

Refineries benefited from the falling cost of crude while fuel demand rose, but that led to over-production and huge stockpiles that now can’t be absorbed.

BP and competitors including Royal Dutch Shell will be hoping OPEC members reach a consensus on production cuts when they meet at the end of this month, to push up prices. Though cost cuts have helped large oil companies survive the market rout, many have amassed substantial debts to maintain dividend payments.

At the end of the third quarter, BP’s net borrowings totalled $32.4bn, up from $25.6bn a year earlier. Net debt to capital, also called gearing, was at 26%, compared with 20% previously, according to the statement.

The company announced a quarterly dividend of 10 cents a share.