據(jù)美國油價網(wǎng)2022年2月11日報道，全球五大石油巨頭去年第四季度合計獲得370億美元現(xiàn)金流，由于嚴(yán)格的支出加上油價上漲，使得五大石油巨頭第四季度獲得的現(xiàn)金流達(dá)到了2008年以來的最高水平。

據(jù)美國彭博新聞社估計，?？松梨诠?、雪佛龍公司、bp、殼牌公司和道達(dá)爾能源公司也在去年第四季度實現(xiàn)了310億美元的調(diào)整后的凈利潤，這是9年來的最高季度調(diào)整后凈利潤。  

由于石油和天然氣價格回升，以及全球需求在疫情爆發(fā)后的最初低迷之后恢復(fù)，所有超級巨頭都報告了去年第四季度和去年全年的強(qiáng)勁盈利和現(xiàn)金流。

?？松梨诠竟剂?年來最大的季度利潤，而其去年全年運營活動現(xiàn)金流躍升至2012年以來的最高水平。 得益于去年油價和天然氣價格的上漲以及經(jīng)濟(jì)的反彈，雪佛龍公司報告稱，其去年的自由現(xiàn)金流創(chuàng)下了歷史新高，全年收益也達(dá)到了2014年以來的最高水平。bp近日也宣布了8年來最高的年度凈利潤。  

bp首席財務(wù)官默里·奧金克洛斯在財報電話會議上表示：“當(dāng)然，我們可能獲得了超出我們所知的現(xiàn)金流?！?/p>

“目前，我將保持保守，以每桶40美元的價格來管理公司，” 奧金克洛斯如是補(bǔ)充道。  

彭博新聞社指出，在去年第四季度，布倫特原油的平均價格略低于每桶80美元，而在2008年第一季度，這五家超級石油巨頭創(chuàng)造了400億美元的現(xiàn)金流時，布倫特原油的平均價格為每桶96美元。

由于能源大宗商品價格上漲，各大石油公司加快或宣布了額外的股票回購，并在去年全年提高股息，向股東返還更多現(xiàn)金。

巨額利潤，尤其是總部位于英國的殼牌公司和bp的利潤，在英國重新引發(fā)了對能源公司利潤征收所謂“暴利稅”的呼聲，以減輕能源價格飆升對消費者的打擊。  

bp首席執(zhí)行官伯納德·魯尼在談到征收暴利稅的呼吁時表示：“如果有什么不同的話，那就是英國現(xiàn)在需要更多的天然氣，而不是更少。 這將需要更多的投資，而不是更少的投資。 此外，暴利稅可能不會刺激更多投資。”  

李峻 編譯自 美國油價網(wǎng)

原文如下：

Big Oil Books Biggest Cash Flow Since 2008

The world’s five supermajors booked $37 billion in combined cash flows for the fourth quarter as disciplined spending combined with rallying oil prices to take Big Oil’s cash flow to the highest since 2008.

ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, and TotalEnergies also booked combined adjusted net earnings of $31 billion for Q4 2021—the highest for any quarter in more than nine years, according to Bloomberg’s estimates.

All supermajors reported very strong earnings and cash flows for Q4 and 2021, as oil and gas prices rallied and global demand returned after the initial slump in the pandemic in 2020.

Exxon posted its largest quarterly profit for Q4 in seven years, while its full-year 2021 cash flow from operating activities jumped to the highest since 2012. Chevron reported for 2021 a record-high free cash flow and its best annual earnings since 2014, thanks to rallying oil and gas prices and the economic rebound last year. BP announced this week what was its highest annual net profit in eight years.

“And certainly, it's possible that we're getting more cash than we know what to do with,” Murray Auchincloss, BP’s chief financial officer said on the earnings call.

“For now, I'm going to be conservative and manage the company as if it's $40 oil. Anything we could get above that just helps, obviously,” Auchincloss added.

In the fourth quarter of 2021, Brent prices averaged just below $80 a barrel, while Brent averaged $96 per barrel the last time the five supermajors had generated so much cash flow—$40 billion for the first quarter of 2008, Bloomberg notes.

Thanks to rallying energy commodity prices, the majors accelerated or announced additional share buybacks and raised dividends throughout 2021 to return more cash to shareholders.  

The bumper profits, especially of UK-based Shell and BP, rekindled calls in the UK for a so-called “windfall tax” on profits of energy companies to be used to mitigate the blow to consumers from soaring energy prices.

BP’s chief executive Bernard Looney said, commenting on the calls for a windfall tax: “if anything, the UK needs more gas, not less gas right now. And that's going to require more investment, not less investment. And a windfall tax isn't probably going to incentivize more investment.”