Exxon Mobil beat Wall Street estimates for third-quarter earnings on Friday, underpinned by higher oil and gas production in Guyana and the Permian Basin, which offset lower oil prices.
Adjusted earnings during the July-to-September quarter were $8.1 billion, or $1.88 per share, beating analysts’ consensus estimate of $1.82 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Exxon, the top U.S. oil producer, has highlighted its portfolio of prolific assets and technology which it says can improve oil recovery rates, allowing it to reap profits even during periods of lower crude prices. Brent crude prices averaged $68.17 in the third quarter, down about 13% from the same period last year.
The company’s free cash flow declined to $6.3 billion from $11.3 billion in the same quarter last year. Exxon shares fell 1.4% in premarket trading.
“We delivered the highest earnings per share we’ve had compared to other quarters in a similar oil-price environment,” Exxon CEO Darren Woods said in a statement.
PRODUCTION GROWS IN KEY AREAS
Oil and gas production totaled 4.8 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, up from 4.6 million boepd in the second quarter. Woods said production records were set in both the Permian Basin and Guyana, where the Yellowtail development was started up four months ahead of schedule and under budget.
“We’ve now started up eight of our 10 key 2025 projects, with the remaining two on track,” Woods said.
Exxon paid $4.2 billion in dividends and repurchased $5.1 billion worth of shares during the quarter. It is on track to meet its annual share buyback target of $20 billion.
The company raised its fourth-quarter dividend by 4% to $1.03 per share.
Production from the Permian Basin, the biggest U.S. oil field, was a record 1.7 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, while output from the lucrative Guyana oilfield surpassed 700,000 boepd.
Earnings from upstream totaled $5.7 billion, while refining profits were $1.8 billion.
During the quarter, Exxon acquired assets to begin producing synthetic graphite for batteries.
Excluding acquisitions, Exxon said it expects its capital expenditure this year to be slightly below the low end of its $27 billion to $29 billion guidance range.
The company recorded $510 million in restructuring costs during the quarter. Global oil producers have experienced a rocky year as OPEC+ has increased its oil output while a U.S.-led tariff war has clouded the outlook for global growth and oil demand, driving oil prices down in the third quarter from a year earlier.
However, average U.S. natural gas prices rose about 38% from last year.
(Reporting by Sheila Dang in Houston. Editing by Sonali Paul, Mark Potter and Nick Zieminski)