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Shell, Total continue buyback bonanza after record profits
KEY POINTS
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Europe’s oil giants Shell and TotalEnergies extended share buybacks after their second-quarter profits beat an already record-breaking previous quarter.
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The two companies combined are buying back $8 billion in shares in the third quarter.
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Benchmark Brent crude oil futures have risen more than 140% in the past twelve months, averaging around $114 a barrel in the quarter.
Europe’s biggest oil companies Shell and TotalEnergies extended share buybacks on Thursday after their second-quarter profits beat an already record-breaking previous quarter on the back of soaring crude, gas and oil product prices.
The two companies combined are buying back $8 billion in shares in the third quarter after recording their respective highest quarterly profits while keeping their dividends steady, which might disappoint some investors.
Benchmark Brent crude oil futures have risen more than 140% in the past twelve months, averaging around $114 a barrel in the quarter.
High crude prices normally weigh on refining margins, but tight refined fuel supply supported record profitability in the second quarter, with Shell’s refining margin virtually tripping to $28 a barrel.
Benchmark European natural gas prices and global liquefied natural gas prices were on average at all-time highs in the quarter.
Boosted by a record quarterly profit of $11.5 billion, Shell is buying back $6 billion of its own shares by late October, it said on Thursday, on the back of an $8.5 billion buyback scheme finished in the first half.
While this is in excess of the company’s guidance for shareholder returns of up to 30% of cash from operations, Shell did not raise its dividend from its current level of 25 cents a share, a 4% annual increase after a 60% cut during the pandemic.
