Oil major BP posts 70% drop in second-quarter profit, raises dividend by 10%

Oil major BP on Tuesday reported a nearly 70% year-on-year drop in second-quarter profits on the back of weaker fossil fuel prices, echoing a trend observed across the energy industry.

The British energy major posted second-quarter underlying replacement cost profit, used as a proxy for net profit, of $2.6 billion. Analysts had expected BP to report second-quarter profit of $3.5 billion, according to estimates collated by Refinitiv.

The second-quarter result compared with a profit of $4.96 billion recorded in the first three months of the year and with the $8.5 billion logged in the second quarter of 2022.

BP said the earnings reflected significantly lower realized refining margins, a higher level of turnaround and maintenance activity and a weak oil trading result.

Nonetheless, the energy giant boosted its dividend by 10% to 7.27 cents per ordinary share for the second quarter. BP also said it would repurchase $1.5 billion of its shares over the next three months.

“A very good quarter and that has given the board … the confidence to announce a $1.5 billion buyback program for the quarter and additionally we’ve raised the dividend by 10%,” BP CEO Bernard Looney told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Tuesday.

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