Oil price decline drags down Sinopec Corp.'s Q3 net profit, plunging 52.1% year-on-year, while CNOOC's revenue declines | Financial Report Insights

In the third quarter, affected by the rapid decline in oil prices, Sinopec's revenue and net profit both declined, with net profit plummeting by 52.1% year-on-year; CNOOC's revenue also decreased year-on-year, but net profit increased compared to the same period.

Sinopec's net profit in the third quarter dropped significantly by 50% due to the rapid decline in oil prices. The company's inventory income decreased significantly year-on-year, and the gross profit of refining products narrowed.

CNOOC's revenue declined year-on-year, but net profit increased significantly, demonstrating significant cost advantages. Under the same international oil price, the company's net production and net profit in the third quarter both increased significantly year-on-year, reaching historical highs for the same period.

Rapid Decline in Oil Prices, Narrowing Gross Profit of Refining Products Lead to 50% Drop in Sinopec's Net Profit

On October 28th, Sinopec released its third-quarter financial report with the following key financial data:

• Revenue was RMB 790.41 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 9.8%;
• Net profit was RMB 8.544 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 52.1%;
• Basic earnings per share were RMB 0.07, a year-on-year decrease of 53%.
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For the first three quarters, the company's revenue was RMB 2.37 trillion, a year-on-year decrease of 4.2%; net profit was RMB 44.247 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 16.5%; basic earnings per share were RMB 0.366, a year-on-year decrease of 17.2%.

Sinopec stated that in the first three quarters of 2024, domestic natural gas demand grew rapidly, with apparent consumption increasing by 9.5% year-on-year; affected by the decline in diesel demand, domestic consumption of refined oil decreased by 1.0% year-on-year; demand for major chemical products in the domestic market continued to grow, with ethylene equivalent consumption increasing by 3.9% year-on-year.

With poor performance in revenue and profit in the third quarter, Sinopec attributed it to the rapid decline in oil prices, a significant decrease in inventory income, and the impact of declining gross profit of petroleum and petrochemical products:

On one hand, the rapid decline in oil prices affected the company. In the first half of the year, international crude oil prices fluctuated widely, with a rapid decline in the third quarter. The average spot price of Platts Brent crude oil in the first three quarters was $82.8 per barrel, with an average of $80.2 per barrel in the third quarter, representing year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter declines of 7.6% and 5.6%, respectively.

On the other hand, some refining product gross margins narrowed. In the first three quarters, crude oil processing reached 190 million tons, producing 116 million tons of refined oil, with gasoline production increasing by 4.1% year-on-year and kerosene production increasing by 10.5% year-on-year. The pre-tax profit of the refining segment in the first three quarters was RMB 6.156 billion.

Additionally, the domestic chemical market is in a downturn. The pre-tax loss of the chemical segment in the first three quarters was RMB 4.787 billion.

In terms of capital expenditure, the company spent RMB 86.35 billion in the first three quarters, including:

• Capital expenditure in the exploration and development segment was RMB 50.765 billion, mainly used for the construction of crude oil production capacity in Jiyang and Tahe, natural gas production capacity in the western Sichuan region, and oil and gas storage and transportation facilities construction; The refining sector's capital expenditure was RMB 12.573 billion, mainly used for the construction of Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Expansion, Guangzhou Petrochemical Technology Transformation, Maoming Petrochemical Technology Transformation, and other projects;

The marketing and distribution sector's capital expenditure was RMB 5.565 billion, mainly used for the development of the "Oil, Gas, Hydrogen, and Electric Energy Service" comprehensive energy station network, transformation of existing terminal sales networks, non-oil business projects;

The chemical sector's capital expenditure was RMB 15.435 billion, mainly used for the construction of Zhenhai Phase II, Maoming Ethylene, and high-end materials projects;

Headquarters and other capital expenditure was RMB 2.012 billion, mainly used for projects such as scientific research and informatization.

In addition, as of the end of the reporting period, Sinopec has repurchased 7.4908 million A-shares and 111.192 million H-shares.

Significant Cost Advantage, CNOOC's Revenue Declines YoY, But Net Profit Increases Substantially

On October 28th, CNOOC released its third-quarter financial report, here are the main financial data:

Revenue of RMB 99.25 billion, a YoY decrease of 13.5%;

Net profit of RMB 36.93 billion, a YoY increase of 9%;

Basic earnings per share of RMB 0.78, a YoY increase of 9.9%;

In the first three quarters, the company achieved operating income of RMB 326.024 billion, a YoY increase of 6.3%. Oil and gas sales revenue was RMB 271.432 billion, a YoY increase of 13.9%. Specifically, petroleum liquid sales revenue increased by 14.6% YoY, while natural gas sales revenue increased by 9.4% YoY. The net cash flow generated from operating activities from the beginning of the year to the end of the third quarter reached RMB 182.768 billion, a YoY increase of 14.9%.

CNOOC's revenue declined YoY, but net profit increased substantially. The company stated:

"The continuous consolidation of cost competitiveness has led to a significant increase in net production and net profit YoY under the same international oil prices, both reaching historical highs for the same period."

Specifically:

In the first three quarters of 2024, net production reached 542.1 million barrels of oil equivalent, a YoY increase of 8.5%. Especially in overseas markets, the production was significantly boosted by projects like the Payara project in Guyana. The main cost per barrel of oil was $28.14, remaining flat YoY, demonstrating the company's good cost control capabilities.

In terms of capital expenditure, the company's capital expenditure in the first three quarters was approximately RMB 95.34 billion, a YoY increase of 6.6%, mainly due to an increase in construction projects and adjustments in well workloads YoY.

Additionally, CNOOC stated that it has made multiple new discoveries in oil and gas exploration and development fields and successfully evaluated multiple oil and gas structures in the third quarter. In the future, the company plans to continue advancing new project developments and maintain investment in exploration to consolidate its market position