Aaj Logo

Published 15 Aug, 2022 12:12pm

Saudi Aramco unveils record profits as oil prices soar

Oil giant Saudi Aramco on Sunday unveiled record profits of $48.4 billion in the second quarter of 2022, after Russia’s war in Ukraine and a post-pandemic surge in demand sent crude prices soaring.

Net income leapt 90 percent year-on-year for the world’s biggest oil producer, which clocked its second straight quarterly record after announcing $39.5 billion for Q1.

Aramco’s massive Q2 windfall was the biggest quarterly adjusted profit of any listed company worldwide, according to Bloomberg. The state-owned Saudi firm heads a list of oil majors raking in eye-watering sums after ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, TotalEnergies and Eni also revealed multi-billion-dollar profits in Q2.

“While global market volatility and economic uncertainty remain, events during the first half of this year support our view that ongoing investment in our industry is essential,” said Aramco president and CEO Amin H. Nasser.

“In fact, we expect oil demand to continue to grow for the rest of the decade,” he added. Net income rose 22.7 percent from Q1 in “strong market conditions”, Aramco said. Half-year profits were $87.9 billion, up from $47.2 billion for the same period of 2021.

Aramco will pay an $18.8 billion dividend in Q3, the same as it paid in Q2. It “continues to work on increasing crude oil maximum sustainable capacity from 12 million barrels per day to 13 million by 2027”, its earnings announcement said.

The quarterly profits, the highest since Aramco’s record-breaking IPO in 2019, beat a company-compiled analyst forecast of $46.2 billion. Aramco shares closed down 0.9 percent at 40.5 riyals ($10.8) on the Saudi stock exchange. They are up 25 percent this year.

Read Comments