FULL ARTICLE: BP and Shell profits under renewed pressure as oil price hits 2017 low

PUBLISHED: 07:22, Wed, Nov 2, 2016 | UPDATED: 07:41, Wed, Nov 2, 2016

The FTSE 100 rivals warned investors not to expect a big upturn next year as they plan for prices in the low $50s-per barrel compared with current rates of about $48 for Brent.

But their efforts to balance investment in future growth while battling tough trading conditions and rising debt met with contrasting reactions as Shell’s share price rallied 84p to 2199p while BP slumped 21¾p to 462p.

Shell, whose £35billion acquisition of BG Group made it the world’s top liquefied natural gas producer, boosted underlying net profit for the three months to the end of September by 18 per cent to $2.8billion, compared with analysts’ forecasts of $1.71billion. read more

By DAVID SHAND: PUBLISHED: 00:03, Wed, Jun 8, 2016

The company set out its plans to create a “world class investment case” for shareholders following its £35billion takeover of fellow FTSE 100 oil and gas giant BG Group, which will include more asset sales and cost-cutting.

In its presentation to investors, Shell said it would squeeze an extra $1billion (£690million) in savings from the BG deal from an earlier $3.5billion forecast.

It aims to sell 10 per cent of its oil and gas production by exiting operations in up to 10 countries. read more

By GREG CHRISTISON: PUBLISHED: 22:22, Wed, May 25, 2016 

The move, announced yesterday, is a result of the firm’s £35billion merger with the BG Group and the prolonged slump in oil prices. 

A total of 475 positions will be lost from the company’s UK and Ireland upstream business, which deals primarily with exploration, by the end of the year. 

All job losses are expected to affect Scotland – home to around 2,200 Shell employees – with most coming from the firm’s Aberdeen headquarters. Around 40 offshore posts will be cut and there will also be losses at St Fergus Gas Terminal, in Aberdeenshire, and the firm’s plant at Mossmorran, in Fife. read more

BOSSES at Royal Dutch Shell will face shareholders at the group’s annual general meeting tomorrow amid concern over the chief executive’s “unacceptable” £4million pay deal.

Investors have been urged to vote against the firm’s remuneration report in protest at Ben van Beurden’s pay for 2015, even though it marked a significant reduction from the £18.6million he was paid in 2014 in the wake of plunging profits.

Shell’s latest annual report revealed boss Mr van Beurden’s total pay for last year was £4.3million – a 77 per cent fall on 2014 after the tumbling cost of crude took its toll on the group. read more

BG GROUP said it was in “excellent” shape ahead of a £35billion takeover by former rival Shell as it ramped up production and drove down costs in the face of sliding oil prices.

The FTSE 100 oil and gas group reported a surge in output in Australia and Brazil – key growth markets identified by Shell to justify the deal – beating its target to deliver a daily average of 704,000 barrels of oil per day last year, up 16 per cent on the previous year.

Volumes increased by 20 per cent in the fourth quarter. read more

By GEOFF HO: Sun, Jan 24, 2016

Since the Anglo-Dutch oil giant unveiled its recommended takeover offer for BG last April, the price of crude oil has continued its descent and is now 41 per cent lower than when the deal was announced.

On Friday the price of Brent crude oil closed at $31.18 (£21.86).

The collapse in the price of oil has led a number of Shell’s key investors, such as Standard Life Investments, to question whether or not it should proceed.

Despite their concerns, a number of them also own shares in BG and are believed to be prepared to approve the deal, reasoning that the two firms would be stronger together. read more

By GEOFF HO: Dec 27, 2015

With the price of oil languishing below $40 per barrel Ben van Beurden needs a miracle

With the price of oil languishing below $40 per barrel he requires prices to start rising in order to save his £47billion takeover of BG Group. When Van Beurden announced the deal in April, a number of Shell’s investors had doubts because of the valuations involved. Those doubts have since become full-blown fears, as the oil price has fallen through the floor.

To be fair to Shell, there is merit to the deal. BG will provide it with quality assets and enough free cash flow to reinforce its under-pressure dividend. It has also identified billions of cost savings. However, the takeover is predicated on the oil price being at $60 to $70 a barrel and the slump has completely changed the economics of the BG deal. read more

ROYAL Dutch Shell and BP are set to blame the weak oil price for dramatic falls in third-quarter pre-tax profits and revenues, analysts say.

By GEOFF HO: Sun, Oct 25, 2015

The price of crude oil has nearly halved over the past 12 months because of a Saudi Arabia-led effort by the Opec cartel to crush competition from US shale oil operators. 

On Tuesday, BP is expected to say its third-quarter profits have slumped 57.5 per cent to $2.2billion (£1.4billion), with revenues down 47.6 per cent to $49.2billion (£31.9billion), even though analysts believe that its refining, processing and retail divisions have performed well. 

On Thursday, arch rival Shell is also likely to produce a weak set of results.  read more

By GEOFF HO: Published Sunday January 25, 2015  

Royal Dutch Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden will outline how the company plans to deal with the collapse in crude oil prices when he unveils its results on Thursday.

The oil giant is expected to reveal further cost-cutting measures alongside a 4.6 per cent fall in its 2014 pre-tax profits to $35 billion (£23.4 billion).

Earlier this month, Shell dropped a $6.5 billion (£4.3 billion) project in Qatar due to the impact of falling oil and gas prices. read more

In October of this year, just 9 weeks ago, when oil was at over $90 a barrel, Shell CEO Ben van Beurden expressed his confidence that oil would return to what he described as “very robust” pricing. He said that the oil price had been remarkably stable and that in the short term, Shell has a trading strategy to inoculate itself from the swings and “maybe even make money out of it.”

In view of the immediate subsequent slump in the oil price and the anticipated disastrous impact on Shell, he may now wish he had been less confident about the prospect of actually making money out of a downward swing.  read more

DAILY EXPRESS: Oil giant Shell floats as prices sink

Extracts

ROYAL Dutch Shell unleashed an industry-beating rise in quarterly profit yesterday, despite falling oil prices, and vowed to keep slashing less-lucrative projects.

Finance chief Simon Henry said: “It’s quite likely we’ll take a very close look at investment levels where we have flexibility if we see oil price weakness persisting.”

FULL ARTICLE

DAILY MAIL: Shell posts forecast-busting profit rise of 31pc despite slump in oil prices

Extracts

Shell has managed to weather the sharp drop in the price of oil since June, announcing forecast-busting results for the third quarter. read more

Today we have another forecast from a Chief Executive of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, no doubt based on an assessment by the crystal ball gazers at Shell, the famed Scenarios team. Is it a case of wishful thinking on the part of Shell? Can we have faith in the prediction made by the current CEO?

By John Donovan

Today we have another forecast from a Chief Executive of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, no doubt based on an assessment by the crystal ball gazers at Shell, the famed Scenarios team. 

According to Catherine Boyle of CNBC, Ben van Beurden, Shell’s current CEO is confident that oil will return to “very robust” pricing in the long-term.

This is despite the fact that as a result of increased production by Saudi Arabia and the USA, Brent crude dropped to less than $93 a barrel last week, the lowest price for two years.  read more

Extract from a Sunday Express article by: Helen Massy-Beresford published Sunday, April 27, 2014

Royal Dutch Shell is expected to report that its profits have slumped 38 per cent year on year to $4.6 billion (£2.7 billion), when it unveils its first-quarter results on Wednesday. As part of his turnaround plans van Beurden has pledged to improve cash flow and cut costs.

FULL ARTICLE

How much reliance can be placed on predictions emerging from Shell scenarios team? Very little if past accuracy of Shell predictions is any guide. Six years ago the then head of Royal Dutch Shell, the clueless Jeroen van der Veer predicted that the world would begin to run out of oil within 7 years – that’s next year. Since then, the whole outlook for oil and gas reserves has changed dramatically as a result of fracking and the US will surpass Saudi as the worlds top oil producer by 2016.

By John Donovan

Bloomberg news has published an article today under the headline Shell Sees Stable Oil Price for 20 Years With Volatility Bursts

Extract

In Shell’s “tighter” supply scenarios, crude prices could steadily increase over the 20 next years, while still going through periods of volatility that could see Brent falling to $70 a barrel, Bentham said.

How much reliance can be placed on predictions emerging from Shell scenarios team?

Very little if past accuracy of Shell predictions is any guide. read more

Shell will report that its net earnings have fallen 25 per cent to £4.9 billion, due to its struggles with spills, theft and disruption at its Nigerian operations, as well as higher exploration costs and a weak refining and petrol market. “Unfortunately, ongoing issues in Nigeria, higher exploration charges, losses in Upstream Americas plus a weak downstream environment do not augur well,” Investec said.

BRITISH oil giants BP and Royal Dutch Shell are set to report plunging third-quarter profits this week, with both expected to say that they have been hit by weak refining margins and production outages, according to City analysts.

By: Helen Massy-Beresford

Published: Sun, October 27, 2013

Aside from tougher market conditions, analysts believe BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill legal battles will weigh on its results expected on Tuesday. They predict increased US legal provisions will contribute to profits falling 37 per cent to £4.9 billion.Investec forecasts BP’s arch-rival Shell will report that its net earnings have fallen 25 per cent to £4.9 billion, due to its struggles with spills, theft and disruption at its Nigerian operations, as well as higher exploration costs and a weak refining and petrol market.

“Unfortunately, ongoing issues in Nigeria, higher exploration charges, losses in Upstream Americas plus a weak downstream environment do not augur well,” Investec said.

Deutsche Bank said challenges in Nigeria meant they viewed the quarter with “continuing trepidation” saying that in refining “Shell’s outsized footprint combined with the usual bout of unplanned downtime looks set to cost them dearly.”

Resources exploration firm BG Group, which was part of British Gas owner Centrica until 1997, is expected to say on Thursday that its profits for the third quarter have fallen 20 per cent to £1.8 billion. read more