SAN RAMON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) today reported earnings of $5.1 billion ($2.58 per share – diluted) for the fourth quarter 2011, compared with $5.3 billion ($2.64 per share – diluted) in the 2010 fourth quarter.
Full-year 2011 earnings were $26.9 billion ($13.44 per share – diluted), up 41 percent from $19.0 billion ($9.48 per share – diluted) earned in 2010.
Sales and other operating revenues in the fourth quarter 2011 were $58 billion, up from $52 billion in the year-ago period, mainly due to higher prices for crude oil and refined products.
“Chevron had an outstanding year financially,” said Chairman and CEO John Watson, “with record earnings and cash flow. This reflects our exceptionally strong upstream portfolio, as well as higher 2011 crude prices. Full-year earnings also benefited from improved downstream sales margins. Our financial strength enabled us to both invest in our development projects and to acquire several new resource opportunities. At the same time, we raised the annual dividend twice and increased outlays for our common stock repurchase program. Beyond our strong financial performance, we also had an outstanding year in terms of oil and gas reserves replacement.”
Watson continued, “In the fourth quarter, we took another important step forward in our efforts to commercialize the company’s significant natural gas resources with the start of construction at the Wheatstone liquefied natural gas project in Australia. We also recently announced two additional natural gas discoveries in the Carnarvon Basin that will help underpin future LNG expansion opportunities. At the same time, we ramped up production to over 330 million cubic feet per day at the Platong II natural gas project in the Gulf of Thailand.”
Watson commented that the company added approximately 1.67 billion barrels of net oil-equivalent reserves in 2011. These additions, which are subject to final reviews, equate to 171 percent of net oil-equivalent production for the year. “The Wheatstone Project was the largest component of our reserve adds this year,” noted Watson, “and we continued to build legacy positions with additions from acquisitions in the Marcellus Shale and multiple development projects in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.” The company will provide additional details relating to 2011 reserve additions in its Annual Report on Form 10-K scheduled for filing with the SEC on February 23.
“In the downstream business, we successfully completed the second year of a multiyear plan to improve returns,” Watson added. Efforts continued on streamlining the asset portfolio, with completion of the sale of refining and marketing assets in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including the Pembroke Refinery. The company also completed the sale of its marketing businesses in five countries in Africa, and its fuels marketing and aviation businesses in 16 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.
The company purchased $1.25 billion of its common stock in the fourth quarter 2011 under its share repurchase program. At the end of the year, balances of cash, cash equivalents, time deposits and marketable securities totaled $20.1 billion, up $3 billion from the end of 2010. Total debt at December 31, 2011 was $10.2 billion, down $1.3 billion from a year earlier.
UPSTREAM
Worldwide net oil-equivalent production was 2.64 million barrels per day in the fourth quarter 2011, down from 2.79 million barrels per day in the 2010 fourth quarter. Production increases from project ramp-ups in Thailand, the United States, Nigeria and Brazil, and new volumes stemming from acquisitions in the Marcellus Shale were more than offset by normal field declines, maintenance-related downtime and a 25,000 barrels per day negative effect of higher prices on entitlement volumes.
U.S. upstream earnings of $1.61 billion in the fourth quarter 2011 were up $675 million from a year earlier. The benefit of higher crude oil realizations was partly offset by lower production.
The company’s average sales price per barrel of crude oil and natural gas liquids was $101 in the fourth quarter 2011, up from $76 a year ago. The average sales price of natural gas was $3.62 per thousand cubic feet, compared with $3.65 in last year’s fourth quarter.
Net oil-equivalent production of 661,000 barrels per day in the fourth quarter 2011 was down 37,000 barrels per day, or 5 percent, from a year earlier. The decrease in production was associated with normal field declines and maintenance-related downtime. Partially offsetting this decrease was new Marcellus Shale production and increases at the Perdido project in the Gulf of Mexico. The net liquids component of oil-equivalent production decreased 7 percent in the 2011 fourth quarter to 447,000 barrels per day, while net natural gas production decreased 1 percent to 1.29 billion cubic feet per day.
International Upstream
International upstream earnings of $4.13 billion increased $215 million from the fourth quarter 2010. Higher realizations for crude oil increased earnings between quarters. This benefit was partly offset by higher tax charges, lower volumes and higher operating expenses. Foreign currency effects had little net impact on earnings in the 2011 fourth quarter, compared with a decrease of $53 million a year earlier.
The average sales price for crude oil and natural gas liquids in the 2011 fourth quarter was $101 per barrel, up from $79 a year earlier. The average price of natural gas was $5.55 per thousand cubic feet, compared with $4.81 in last year’s fourth quarter.
Net oil-equivalent production of 1.98 million barrels per day in the fourth quarter 2011 was down 108,000 barrels per day from a year ago. Production increases from project ramp-ups in Thailand, Nigeria and Brazil were more than offset by maintenance-related downtime, normal field declines, and a 25,000 barrels per day negative effect of higher prices on entitlement volumes. The net liquids component of oil-equivalent production decreased 7 percent to 1.37 million barrels per day, while net natural gas production declined 2 percent to 3.66 billion cubic feet per day.
U.S. Downstream
U.S. downstream operations lost $204 million in the fourth quarter 2011, compared with earnings of $475 million a year earlier. The decline primarily reflected the absence of a $400 million gain on the sale of the company’s ownership interest in the Colonial Pipeline Company recognized in the fourth quarter 2010, and weaker margins on refined product sales.
Refinery crude oil input of 763,000 barrels per day in the fourth quarter 2011 decreased 113,000 barrels per day from the year-ago period, mainly due to maintenance-related downtime at the Richmond Refinery. Refined product sales of 1.23 million barrels per day were down 69,000 barrels per day from the fourth quarter of 2010, mainly due to lower gasoline and residual fuel oil sales. Branded gasoline sales decreased 3 percent to 515,000 barrels per day due to weaker demand.
International Downstream
International downstream operations earned $143 million in the fourth quarter 2011, compared with $267 million a year earlier. The decline was primarily due to weaker margins. Foreign currency effects decreased earnings by $81 million in the 2011 quarter, compared with a decrease of $52 million a year earlier.
Refinery crude oil input of 805,000 barrels per day decreased 235,000 barrels per day from the fourth quarter of 2010, primarily due to the sale of the Pembroke Refinery. Total refined product sales of 1.57 million barrels per day in the 2011 fourth quarter were 12 percent lower than a year earlier, primarily related to the sale of the company’s refining and marketing assets in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Excluding the impact of 2011 asset sales, sales volumes were 3 percent higher between periods.
All Other consists of mining operations, power generation businesses, worldwide cash management and debt financing activities, corporate administrative functions, insurance operations, real estate activities, energy services, alternative fuels, and technology companies.
Net charges in the fourth quarter 2011 were $553 million, compared with $294 million in the year-ago period. The change between periods was mainly due to higher employee compensation and benefits expenses, and higher corporate tax charges.
CAPITAL AND EXPLORATORY EXPENDITURES
Capital and exploratory expenditures in 2011 were $29.1 billion, compared with $21.8 billion in 2010. The amounts included $1.7 billion in 2011 and $1.4 billion in 2010 for the company’s share of expenditures by affiliates, which did not require cash outlays by the company. Expenditures for upstream represented 89 percent of the companywide total in 2011. These amounts exclude the acquisition of Atlas Energy, Inc., which was accounted for as a business combination.
