Investment accounts
Adult accounts
Child accounts
Choosing Fidelity
Choosing Fidelity
Why invest with us Current offers Fees and charges Open an account Transfer investments
Financial advice & support
Fidelity’s Services
Fidelity’s Services
Financial advice Retirement Wealth Management Investor Centre (London) Bereavement
Guides
Guidance and tools
Guidance and tools
Choosing investments Choosing accounts ISA calculator Retirement calculators
Shares
Share dealing
Choose your shares
Tools and information
Tools and information
Share prices and markets Chart and compare shares Stock market news Shareholder perks Stock plan guidance
Pensions & retirement
Pensions, tax & tools
Saving for retirement
Approaching / In retirement
Approaching / In retirement
Speak to a specialist Creating a retirement plan Taking tax-free cash Pension drawdown Annuities Investing in retirement Investment Pathways
Shell to buy back more shares as quarterly income slides
(Sharecast News) - Shell reported a 93% fall in income attributable to shareholders in its fourth quarter on Thursday, to $474m, with the full-year figure sliding 54% to $19.36bn. It put its performance down to higher LNG trading margins, favourable deferred tax movements, and increased production, offset by lower refining margins, reduced margins from crude and oil products trading, and higher operating expenses.
Additionally, net impairment charges and unfavourable movements related to commodity derivatives amounted to a net loss of $6bn for the quarter.
The FTSE 100 oil giant said adjusted earnings for the fourth quarter showed a more positive trend, rising 17% year-on-year to $7.31bn.
However, for the full year, adjusted earnings totalled $28.25bn, representing a 29% decrease from the prior year.
Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter remained stable at $16.34bn, while for the full year it declined 19% to $68.54bn.
Basic earnings per share in the fourth quarter were 7 cents, down 93%, while for the full year, they amounted to 288 cents, marking a 50% decrease.
Adjusted earnings per share in the fourth quarter increased by 19% to 111 cents, but for the full year, they declined by 23% to 420 cents.
In terms of dividends, the fourth quarter saw a 4% increase in dividends per share, reaching 34.4 cents, while for the full year, dividends increased by 25% to 129.35 cents per share.
Cash flow from operating activities for the fourth quarter was $12.6bn, primarily driven by adjusted EBITDA, a working capital inflow of $3.3bn, and other factors.
Shell said cash flow from investing activities for the quarter was an outflow of $5.7bn.
At the end of the fourth quarter, Shell's net debt stood at $43.5bn, reflecting changes in share buybacks, cash dividends, lease additions, and interest payments.
Gearing increased to 18.8% compared to the prior quarter, driven by higher net debt and lower equity.
Total shareholder distributions for the quarter amounted to $6.2bn, including share repurchases of $4bn and cash dividends paid to shareholders of $2.2bn.
Shell announced a new share buyback program of $3.5bn, expected to be completed by the first quarter.
At 0849 GMT, shares in Shell were up 1.76% at 2,490p.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
Share this article
Related Sharecast Articles
Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.
Award-winning online share dealing
Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.
Expert insights into investing your money
Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.
Policies and important information
Accessibility | Conflicts of interest statement | Consumer Duty Target Market | Consumer Duty Value Assessment Statement | Cookie policy | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Reports | Doing Business with Fidelity | Investing in Fidelity funds | Legal information | Modern slavery | Mutual respect policy | Privacy statement | Remuneration policy | Staying secure | Statutory and Regulatory disclosures | Whistleblowing programme
Please remember that past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance, the performance of investments is not guaranteed, and the value of your investments can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you invest. When investments have particular tax features, these will depend on your personal circumstances and tax rules may change in the future. This website does not contain any personal recommendations for a particular course of action, service or product. You should regularly review your investment objectives and choices and, if you are unsure whether an investment is suitable for you, you should contact an authorised financial adviser. Before opening an account, please read the ‘Doing Business with Fidelity’ document which incorporates our client terms. Prior to investing into a fund, please read the relevant key information document which contains important information about the fund.
This website is issued by Financial Administration Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (FCA Register number 122169) and registered in England and Wales under company number 1629709 whose registered address is Beech Gate, Millfield Lane, Lower Kingswood, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 6RP.
