Shell’s Earnings Take a Wobbly Ride
Quarterly Highlights
- Net income: $4.8 billion – a tidy splash above the $3.91 billion analysts were predicting.
- Oil and liquified gas sales were the lifeboat that kept the ship afloat, offsetting a 17% year‑on‑year dip in oil prices.
- Despite the rough seas, cash flow remains solid – a testament to the company’s knack for turning challenges into opportunities.
CEO’s Take‑away
Ben van Beurden came onstage (or on camera) with his usual calm voice: “This quarter, we delivered sturdy cash flow and earnings even as oil and gas prices stayed on a downward trend. Our market‑oriented businesses proved resilient, riding the wave of strong trading and optimization results.”
Market Reaction
- In live trading, Shell’s shares took a dip, sliding 3% to 2264p by early morning.
While Shell’s profit cruise did well, the industry’s bottle‑cap appears to be tightening. Investors are watching to see if the ship will sail smoothly into the next quarter or need a fresh deck of strategies to keep the buoyancy.
