After a brutal year for the energy sector, Chevron (NYSE:CVX) reported a profit for the first quarter of 2021 as a recovery in oil prices boosted operations. The company’s results were still far below pre-pandemic levels.
The oil giant said it earned an adjusted 90 cents per share during the period, with revenue coming in at $32.03 billion. EPS was in-line with what analysts were expecting, while revenue was slightly ahead of the expected $30.37 billion estimates.
Net income stood at $1.377 billion, down 62% year over year. Last quarter, Chevron posted a $665 million loss.
CEO Mike Wirth noted that results were down from a year ago due to factors including downstream margin and volume effects from the pandemic, as well as the aftermath of winter storm Uri, which battered the southern United States in February.
Chevron’s oil-equivalent production dropped 4% year over year to 3.12 million barrels per day. The company’s upstream operations in the U.S. earned $941 million during the first quarter, up from $241 million a year ago as oil prices recovered. Chevron’s average sales price per barrel of U.S. oil was $48, up from $37 a year ago.
Chevron said it will raise its dividend by 4%, in another sign that the company is recovering from the hit of the pandemic.
Shares in CVX went for a tumble $2.47, or 2.3%, to $104.43.
