LONDON: BP almost trebled its annual net profit to $9.4 billion (€8.2 billion) last year as oil prices soared in 2018, the British energy giant announced Tuesday.
Profit after tax rocketed from $3.4 billion in 2017, “primarily affected by higher oil prices and favorable foreign exchange” rates, BP said in a statement.
Fourth-quarter net profit stood at $766 million, up from $27 million in the final three months of 2017.
However, it was well down on 2018 third-quarter net profit of $3.35 billion, which was fueled by surging oil prices before they cooled approaching the new year.
BP chief executive Bob Dudley said the group was benefitting also from “capital discipline.”
“And we’re doing this while growing the business — bringing more high-quality projects online, expanding marketing in the downstream and doing transformative deals such as BHP,” he added in the statement.
In 2018, the world’s biggest miner BHP sold its US shale oil and gas operations to BP for $10.5 billion.
Oil prices meanwhile surged in the latter part of 2018 on tight supply concerns but have since fallen back sharply, in line with volatility seen across financial markets.
BP on Tuesday added that its full-year production of oil and gas grew 2.4 percent to 3.7 million barrels per day.
It said that 2019 output was expected to be higher thanks to major production projects.
“The actual reported outcome will depend on the exact timing of project start-ups, acquisition and divestment activities, OPEC quotas and entitlement impacts in our production-sharing agreements,” BP said.
Also last year, BP took a further hit of $3.2 billion in financial costs linked to a deadly explosion on a BP-leased drilling rig in 2010 that unleashed the worst environmental disaster in US history.
It expects a further charge of $2.0 billion this year, taking BP’s total bill so far for the Gulf of Mexico catastrophe to around $70 billion.
“Numbers from BP paint a picture of a company operating above expectations across all of its businesses,” noted Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK.
“The decline in oil prices in the fourth quarter, from four-year peaks of $85 a barrel saw profits decline slightly from the lofty levels” in the previous quarter, he added.
BP rival Royal Dutch Shell last week posted an 80 percent increase in annual net profit to $23.4 billion on higher oil prices and big cost cutting.
“Global oil majors are performing strongly at present, but these numbers from BP are superlative,” said Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor.
“The Gulf of Mexico spill surprisingly still gets a mention ... although the figure is beginning at last to dwindle.”
BP annual profit soars to $9.4bn on surging oil prices
BP annual profit soars to $9.4bn on surging oil prices
- Profit after tax rocketed from $3.4 billion in 2017
- Fourth-quarter net profit stood at $766 million
Closing Bell: Saudi main index rises to 10,894
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index extended its upward trend for a third consecutive day this week, gaining 148.18 points, or 1.38 percent, to close at 10,893.63 on Tuesday.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index stood at SR6.05 billion ($1.61 billion), with 144 listed stocks advancing and 107 declining.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu also rose by 81.35 points to close at 23,668.29.
The MSCI Tadawul Index edged up 1.71 percent to 1,460.89.
The best-performing stock on the main market was Zahrat Al Waha for Trading Co., with its share price advancing 10 percent to SR2.75.
Shares of CHUBB Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co. increased 8.27 percent to SR23.04, while Abdullah Saad Mohammed Abo Moati for Bookstores Co. saw its stock climb 6.17 percent to SR50.60.
Conversely, the share price of Naseej International Trading Co. declined 9.90 percent to SR31.48.
On the announcements front, Arabian Drilling Co. said it secured three contract extensions for land rigs with energy giant Saudi Aramco, totaling SR1.4 billion and adding 25 active rig years to its backlog.
In a Tadawul statement, the company said one rig is currently operational, the second will begin operations by the end of January, and the third — currently suspended — is expected to resume operations in 2026.
Since November 2025, Arabian Drilling has secured seven contract extensions amounting to SR3.4 billion, representing 55 committed rig years.
The three contracts have durations of 10 years, 10 years, and five years, respectively.
“Securing a total of SR1.4 billion in new contracts and expanding our backlog by 25 rig-years demonstrates both the trust our clients place in us and our ability to consistently deliver quality and reliability,” said Ghassan Mirdad, CEO of Arabian Drilling, in a statement.
Shares of Arabian Drilling Co. rose 3.15 percent to SR104.70.
Separately, Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies Co. said it signed a 36-month contract valued at SR43.35 million with National Water Co. to operate and maintain water networks, pumping stations, wells, reservoirs, and related facilities in Tabuk.
In October, Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies Co. announced it had been awarded the contract by NWC.
In a Tadawul statement, the company said the financial impact of the deal began in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The share price of Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies Co. declined 0.49 percent to SR120.70.
