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Auchincloss, a 53-year-old Canadian who was BP’s chief financial officer for more than three years, took on the top job in September after Looney's surprise resignation. Auchincloss joined BP when it took over oil firm Amoco in 1998. “Since September, BP’s board has undertaken a thorough and highly competitive process to identify BP’s next CEO, considering a number of high-caliber candidates in detail,” BP chairman Helge Lund said. He was denied 32.4 million-pound ($41 million) worth of salary, pension, bonus payments and shares, after BP said he had committed “serious misconduct” by misleading the board. BP has had four different bosses over the past 15 years.

Persons: Murray Auchincloss, Bernard Looney, Looney's, Auchincloss, BP’s, ”, Helge Lund, Lund, ” Auchincloss, Charlie Kronick, ” Kronick, ” Looney, Bob Dudley Organizations: BP, Amoco, RBC Capital Markets, Greenpeace Locations: “, Gulf of Mexico

☆ Oil major BP misses estimates for third quarter as profits plummet
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON — Oil major BP on Tuesday reported a steep year-on-year fall in profits, missing analyst estimates. The British energy giant logged underlying replacement cost profit, used as a proxy for net profit, of $3.293 billion in the third quarter. Analysts had expected profit to come in at $4.059 billion in the third quarter, according to a collection of estimates by LSEG. Quarterly growth came from a rise in oil and gas production and higher realized refining margins, along with a "very strong oil trading result," BP said. The year-on-year profits of BP and other energy majors plunged in the second quarter, following weaker fossil fuel prices that have since risen sharply.

Persons: Borkhataria, Bernard Looney, Murray Auchincloss, Auchincloss, Dave Lawler, Looney Organizations: Oil, BP, LSEG, RBC Capital Markets, Organization of, Petroleum Locations: Warmister, Wiltshire, England, BP's London, U.S

"BP reported weak numbers this morning...However, notably, BP has reported exceptional gas trading results on several occasions in the last couple of years, including last quarter," said RBC analyst Biraj Borkhataria. In the downstream, customers & products reported $2.1 bln vs consensus $2.4 bln, despite being supported by very strong oil trading results, suggesting weaker refining margin capture in the third quarter." That was up from the $2.6 billion profit the company reported in the prior three months due to higher oil and gas production, strong refining margins, lower refinery maintenance and "a very strong oil trading result", but natural gas marketing and trading were weak. BP expects capital expenditure of $16 billion this year, the lower end of its indicated range of $16-$18 billion. Rivals Chevron (CVX.N) and Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) last week posted sharp year-on-year drops in third quarter profit as energy prices cooled.

Persons: Norway's, Biraj Borkhataria, Murray Auchincloss, Bernard Looney, Ron Bousso, Louise Heavens, Jason Neely Organizations: windfarm, BP, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Rivals Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Thomson, & $ Locations: U.S, British, New York

☆ Chevron's third-quarter profit slumps, shares fall on earnings miss
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Results come after Chevron agreed to buy U.S. Hess for $53 billion to expand its shale and deepwater oil production. The earnings miss came after the company warned that maintenance in its oil and gas production and refining businesses would hurt results. It also suffered a setback in a Kazakhstan project with an about six-month delay in expanding oil and gas production at its Tengizchevroil operation. Profit from pumping oil and gas fell about 38% to $5.76 billion in the quarter from $9.3 billion a year ago. Oil prices recently rebounded from a mid-year slump as tighter supplies drove up crude prices.

Persons: Hess, Biraj Borkhataria Organizations: Chevron, Oil, PDC Energy, ACES, RBC, ACES Delta Locations: ACES Delta, Kazakhstan

☆ What's behind Exxon's mega-merger and the stocks that could be next
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Here's a look at what Exxon is getting in Pioneer and how Wall Street is reacting to the deal. Piper Sandler analyst Ryan Todd also pointed to Chevron as a company that could feel added pressure from Exxon's acquisition of Pioneer. Exxon's Denbury deal, for example, seeks to capitalize on a carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) company on the Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain regions. What it means for Exxon's stock Piper Sandler's Todd maintained his overweight rating on Exxon on Wednesday and praised the Pioneer deal. However, Exxon's stock was down 3% in early trading Wednesday, while Pioneer rose just 1%, suggesting others are less sure.

Persons: Warren Buffett, Darren Woods, John Silverstein, Woods, We're, Biraj Borkhataria, Piper Sandler, Ryan Todd, Exxon's, Piper Sandler's Todd, RBC's, Borkhataria, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Exxon Mobil, Natural Resources, Exxon, Mobil, Denbury, Occidental Petroleum, UBS, Pioneer, EOG, APA Corp, RBC Capital Markets, Chevron, CVX, RBC Locations: United States, West Texas, New Mexico, Midland, Gulf

☆ What Wall St, policymakers have to say on potential Exxon-Pioneer deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The logo of Exxon Mobil Corporation is shown on a monitor above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, December 30, 2015. A deal would be Exxon's biggest acquisition since its $81 billion deal for Mobil in 1998 and could deepen the oil major's position in the country's most lucrative oil patch. Following are the comments on the likely deal. BILL SMEAD, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER OF SMEAD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT"I can't imagine any deal is going to go for less than $65 billion, considering Pioneer is currently trading around $50 billion . I mean there's no question the position of that magnitude or size would give them considerable leverage in negotiating or contracts with the service providers."

Persons: Lucas Jackson, BILL SMEAD, PETER MCNALLY, Scott Sheffield, SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, BEN COOK, HENNESSY, NEAL DINGMANN, Arunima Kumar, Sourasis Bose, Sabrina Valle, Raphael Satter, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Exxon Mobil Corporation, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Exxon Mobil, Natural Resources, Mobil, RBC, RHODE, Exxon, Thomson Locations: New York, United States, Bengaluru, Houston

☆ Exxon-Pioneer deal talks: What Wall St, policymakers have to say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The logo of Exxon Mobil Corporation is shown on a monitor above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, December 30, 2015. It would be Exxon's biggest acquisition since its $81 billion deal for Mobil in 1998 and could deepen the oil major's position in the country's most lucrative oil patch. MATTHEW BERNSTEIN, SENIOR SHALE ANALYST, RYSTAD ENERGY"If Exxon Mobil is crowned the undisputed king of the Permian in the coming days, the shale sector will fundamentally become a more mature consolidated business." "A deal the size of Exxon Mobil's potential acquisition of Pioneer, however, could usher in a new 'Shale 4.0' era ... BILL SMEAD, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER OF SMEAD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT"I can't imagine any deal is going to go for less than $65 billion, considering Pioneer is currently trading around $50 billion .

Persons: Lucas Jackson, MATTHEW BERNSTEIN, MARK VIVIANO, Scott Sheffield, BILL SMEAD, PETER MCNALLY, SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, BEN COOK, HENNESSY, NEAL DINGMANN, Arunima Kumar, Sourasis Bose, Sabrina Valle, Raphael Satter, David French, Sriraj Kalluvila, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Exxon Mobil Corporation, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Exxon Mobil, Natural Resources, Mobil, Exxon, RBC, RHODE, Thomson Locations: New York, United States, Bengaluru, Houston

SummaryCompanies BP hikes dividend by 10%Will repurchase $1.5 billion of sharesWeak refining, oil trading and high maintenance weighLONDON, Aug 1 (Reuters) - BP's (BP.L) second-quarter profit slumped 70% from a year earlier to $2.6 billion, missing forecasts, as refining margins and oil trading income fell, but still allowing the energy giant to boost its dividend by 10%. BP's underlying replacement cost profit, its definition of net income, missed expectations of $3.5 billion in a company-provided survey of analysts. It fell from $8.5 billion a year earlier and from $5 billion in the first quarter. BP's gearing, or debt-to-capital ratio, stood at 21.7% in the second quarter, compared with 19.6% in the first quarter and 21.9% a year earlier. For the third quarter, BP expects oil prices to be supported by OPEC supply cuts alongside above-historical-average refining margins helped by lower inventories and U.S. demand.

Persons: Bernard Looney, Looney, Biraj Borkhataria, Ron Bousso, Jason Neely Organizations: Rivals Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP, Reuters, Reuters Graphics Reuters, RBC, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Germany

☆ Exxon profits slump 56%, joins global peers in energy price hit
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Profits for global oil majors have dropped by about half from a bumper 2022, when Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent oil and gas prices soaring. Excluding last year's record second quarter, however, Exxon posted its strongest result for the April-to-June quarter in more than a decade, the largest U.S. oil company said, helped by cost cuts and the sale of less profitable assets. "You would have to go back to the second quarter of 2011 to find the last time we produced this level of earnings in the second quarter" excluding last year, she said. "Exxon results came in slightly weaker than expected across earnings and cash flow," RBC analyst Biraj Borkhataria wrote in a note. It distributed about $8 billion in cash to shareholders in the second quarter, including about $3.7 billion in dividends.

Persons: Kathryn Mikells, Biraj Borkhataria, Darren Woods, Woods, Mikells, Sabrina Valle, Sonali Paul, Jason Neely, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Exxon, Reuters, RBC, Chevron, Brent, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, U.S, Guyana

☆ Chevron mid to long-term is constructive, says RBC's Biraj Borkhataria
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailChevron mid to long-term is constructive, says RBC's Biraj BorkhatariaBiraj Borkhataria, RBC Capital, joins 'Closing Bell' to discuss Chevron after the CEO announced his retirement.

Persons: RBC's Organizations: Chevron, RBC Capital

☆ Shell warns of big drop in gas trading results
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 7 (Reuters) - Shell (SHEL.L), the world's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) trader, said on Friday second-quarter gas trading results were expected to come in "significantly lower" quarter-on-quarter, though in line with the previous two years' second quarters. Shell cited "seasonality and fewer optimisation opportunities" as reasons for its lower gas trading result. The company does not provide figures for its gas trading results or say what proportion of its business it accounts for. "Shell's trading update included a number of operational indicators which were broadly in line with our forecasts," said RBC equity analyst Biraj Borkhataria in a note. "Weaker trading across oil and gas which should be expected by the market given lower gas prices and the seasonality of Shell's LNG portfolio."

Persons: Shell, Biraj Borkhataria, Eva Mathews, Nora Buli, David Goodman, Mark Potter Organizations: Shell, RBC, Exxon, Thomson Locations: Norway, writedowns, Bengaluru, Shadia, London

The deal fits the Italian group's plan to increase the share of gas in its total hydrocarbon production and is expected to boost its earnings immediately, Eni said in a statement. Eni, which is controlled by the Italian government, owns 63% of Vaar and is the main beneficiary of cash dividends from the Oslo-listed unit. VAAR EXPANDING IN NORWAYUnder the agreement, Eni will acquire Neptune's entire portfolio other than its operations in Germany and Norway. The German operations will be carved out prior to the Eni transaction and the Norwegian operations will be acquired by Vaar directly from Neptune in a separate deal, the two groups said in a statement. The Vaar transaction will close immediately prior to the Eni deal with the proceeds from the Norway sale remaining with the business purchased by the Italian group.

Persons: Italy's Eni, Eni, Claudio Descalzi, Descalzi, Vaar, Torger Roed, Rothschild, Ernst, Young, Shadia Nasralla, Terje Solsvik, Alvise Armellini, Jason Neely, Simon Cameron, Moore, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Eni, MILAN, Italy's, Neptune Energy, Vaar Energy, LNG, Eni's Gas, Royal Bank of Canada's, Neptune, China Investment Corporation, Carlyle Group, CVC Capital Partners, HSBC, White, Case, Thomson Locations: Europe, Algeria, Indonesia, Milan, Russia, Oslo, Norway, Vaar, NORWAY, Germany, Norwegian, Neptune, Neptune Norway, Italian, Britain, Netherlands, LNG, London

SummarySummary Companies Shell to hold oil output steadyCompany to grow gas and LNG businessCapital spending reduced for 2024-25LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) - Shell (SHEL.L) will ramp up its dividend and share buybacks while keeping oil output steady into 2030, it said on Wednesday, as CEO Wael Sawan moved to regain investor confidence that wavered over its energy transition plan. Shell shares were up 1.5% at 1204 GMT, against a 1% rise for an index of European oil and gas companies (.SXEP). Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsOIL STEADYShell scrapped its previous target to cut oil output by 20% by 2030 after largely reaching the goal. It currently has a target to cut its 2030 emissions intensity, including from the combustion of the fuels it sells, by 20%. Shell also faces a Dutch court ruling ordering the company to drastically cut emissions.

Persons: Wael Sawan, Shell, Sawan, Biraj Borkhataria, Thilo, Bernard Looney, Ron Bousso, David Goodman, Jan Harvey Organizations: Shell, RBC, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Royal, REUTERS, BP, Lebanese, Thomson Locations: New York, Wesseling, Cologne, Germany, Bukom, Jurong, Singapore, Paris

The plan is the linchpin of Sawan's effort to boost Shell's share performance relative to its U.S. peers, which has suffered despite a record $40 billion profit last year. Its shares closed up 0.4%, against a flat index of European oil and gas companies (.SXEP) on Wednesday. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsOIL STEADYShell scrapped its previous target to cut oil output by 20% by 2030 after largely reaching the goal. It currently has a target to cut its 2030 emissions intensity, including from the combustion of the fuels it sells, by 20%. Shell also faces a Dutch court ruling ordering the company to drastically cut emissions.

Persons: Wael Sawan, Sawan, Biraj Borkhataria, Thilo, Shell, Bernard Looney, Ron Bousso, Jan Harvey, Alexander Smith, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Shell, British, RBC, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Royal, REUTERS, BP, Lebanese, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York, Wesseling, Cologne, Germany, Bukom, Jurong, Singapore, Paris

☆ RBC upgrades Chevron, says oil giant can navigate a volatile market thanks to a 'fortress balance sheet'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

RBC Capital Markets thinks oil giant Chevron can thrive in an increasingly unstable macroeconomic environment. The bank upgraded Chevron stock to outperform from sector perform on Thursday. RBC analyst Biraj Borkhataria thinks Chevron's has managed its balance sheet conservatively in the past, which has helped the company sustain its dividend yield as well as acquire companies successfully. CVX YTD mountain Chevron stock has pulled back more than 16% from the start of 2023. Last month, HSBC upgraded the oil giant to buy from hold, noting the stock's recent drop has created a buying opportunity .

Persons: Biraj Borkhataria, Chevron's, Borkhataria, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: RBC Capital Markets, RBC, PDC Energy, Chevron, HSBC Locations: Chevron, Wednesday's

SummarySummary Companies Shell, Equinor shares outperform sector indexRivals BP, Chevron, Exxon also beat expectationsOil and gas prices slumped in first quarterShell shares up 2.1%, Equinor up 2.7%LONDON/OSLO, May 4 (Reuters) - Energy giants Shell (SHEL.L) and Equinor (EQNR.OL) reported higher-than-expected first-quarter profits on Thursday, using the heft of their trading desks to offset lower oil and gas prices. The stronger-than-expected profits from the two companies follow forecast beating results from rivals Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), Chevron and BP over the past week. Shell's shares were up around 2.1% in early trading and Equinor shares rose around 2.7%, outperforming a European index of oil and gas companies (.SXEP) which was up around 1%. Benchmark Brent crude oil prices averaged $81 per barrel in the first three months of the year, down 16% from a year earlier and 7% from the fourth-quarter. Lower natural gas prices also weighed on Shell's giant integrated gas business, with profits slumping 18% on the quarter.

☆ The moderated demand for oil with impact earnings from Exxon and Chevron, says RBC Capital Markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe moderated demand for oil with impact earnings from Exxon and Chevron, says RBC Capital MarketsBiraj Borkhataria, Associate Director of European Research at RBC Capital Markets, previews earnings from Exxon Mobil and Chevron.

☆ Exxon delivers record first-quarter profit on higher output
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Exxon doubled profits from the same quarter last year as higher output more than compensated for lower energy prices. Shares rose 2.3% to a record high of $119.52 per share after Exxon reported its results on Friday. "We delivered a first-quarter record despite the fact that energy prices and refining margins are softening a bit," Chief Financial Officer Kathryn Mikells said in an interview. Exxon's oil and gas output rose to the highest level in almost four years. Exxon's oil and gas production rose to the most since 2019 to 3.83 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), up by 160,000 boed from the previous quarter.

☆ TotalEnergies sheds Canadian oil sands, promises to reward shareholders
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( America Hernandez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TotalEnergies said its first-quarter adjusted net income fell 27% to $6.5 billion - in line with analyst expectations - due to lower energy prices. It also confirmed it expected net investments of $16-18 billion this year, including $5 billion for low-carbon energies. After European refining capacity was hampered by French strikes in the first quarter, TotalEnergies anticipates its facilities will ramp back up above 80%. TotalEnergies' share price was down around 1% in early trade, in line with falls across the sector and relatively weak oil prices . Analysts said its results were positive, as was the sale of carbon intensive oil sands given investors' focus on lower carbon energy.

☆ Repsol's profit beats forecasts, flags big spending increase
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Inti Landauro | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Its fourth-quarter profit surged to 2.01 billion euros ($2.15 billion) from 872 million a year earlier, topping the 1.75 billion euros expected by analysts polled by Refinitiv Eikon. Net income for 2022 jumped to 4.25 billion euros up from 2.5 billion euros in 2021. "Repsol plans to spend more than 5 billion euros in organic investments. Repsol used its higher cash flow to increase capital investment by 40% in 2022, reduce its net debt by 60% to 2.26 billion euros and increase shareholders' remuneration. Repsol's hefty profit follows similar reports from larger rivals TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), BP (BP.L), Shell (SHEL.L), Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) and Chevron (CVX.N), prompting calls to further tax the sector as households struggle to pay energy bills.

With net profit for the year of $28.7 billion, up from $8.6 billion a year earlier, Equinor joined global oil and gas majors such as ExxonMobil (XOM.N), Shell (SHEL.L) and BP (BP.L) in reporting record returns for 2022. Majority state-owned Equinor (EQNR.OL) became Europe's largest supplier of natural gas last year as Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) cut deliveries over the West's support for Ukraine, sending European gas prices to all-time highs. But gas prices have tumbled in 2023 and Equinor's Oslo-listed stocks have fallen 9% year-to-date, underperforming a 3.3% rise in European petroleum stocks (.SXEP). The board reaffirmed a regular share buyback plan of $1.2 billion per year and said it would make an extraordinary buy back in 2023 of $4.8 billion, for a total of $6 billion. Equinor's previous adjusted earnings record was $36.2 billion in 2008, when North Sea oil prices hit record highs.

☆ Equinor shares soar on record 2022 profit, Q4 beat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Nerijus Adomaitis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Net profit for the year was $28.7 billion, up from $8.6 billion a year earlier. The company joined global oil and gas majors such as ExxonMobil (XOM.N), Shell (SHEL.L) and BP (BP.L) in reporting record bottom lines. Equinor's previous adjusted earnings record amounted to $36.2 billion in 2008, when the price of North Sea oil had risen to record highs. Equinor said it expected capital spending for 2023 at between $10 billion and $11 billion, broadly in line with a previous plan. It raised it spending projection for the next three years to $13 billion per year from $12 billion seen before.

☆ Biden's stock buyback tax isn't working. In State of the Union, he's asking Congress for more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

In September 2021, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) proposed that stock buybacks should be taxed at 2%. Lazonick, who thought any minor buyback tax would be ineffective, says he has been proven correct. If a higher buyback tax is enacted, he is betting it will not have the outcomes that Democrats envision. While it's hard to see a higher tax getting passed in the current Congress, it does make sense for Biden to state his desire for 4%. Changing a buyback tax, though, might first prove harder.

☆ Exxon smashes Western oil majors' profits with $56 billion in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Overall earnings and cash flow were up pretty significantly year on year," Exxon Chief Financial Officer Kathryn Mikells told Reuters. "So that came really from a combination of strong markets, strong throughput, strong production, and really good cost control." Exxon boasted that its cash flow from operations soared to $76.8 billion last year, up from $48.1 billion in 2021. Part of it is explained by rising costs in the Permian, with inflation in the double digits, amid "really, really hot" demand for equipments and services, he said. Exxon's results come ahead of what are expected to be strong earnings from Shell plc on Thursday and from BP plc and TotalEnergies next week.

☆ Chevron annual profit hits record but Q4 miss hits shares
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The second largest U.S. oil producer's adjusted net profit for 2022 exceeded its previous record set in 2011 by about $10 billion. High prices from strong demand and shortages since Russia's invasion of Ukraine position Western energy firms to show a combined $200 billion profit for the year, according to analysts. It left global oil and gas production guidance for this year at flat to up 3%. FOURTH-QUARTER MISSIn the final quarter, Chevron posted adjusted earnings of $7.9 billion, or $4.09 per share, below analysts' estimate of a $4.38 per share profit. Its refining business picked up and almost tripled results from the previous year as international fuel production delivered stronger margins.

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