New Shell CEO Ben van Beurden sets agenda for sharper performance and rigorous capital discipline

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Beleggingsadvies 30/01/2014 13:37
Speaking to investors today, new Shell CEO Ben van Beurden updated on the company’s priorities: improving Shell’s financial results and achieving better capital efficiency, as well as continuing to strengthen operational performance and project delivery.

Van Beurden, who became the new CEO of Royal Dutch Shell plc (“Shell”) on 1 January 2014, said Shell’s strategy overall is sound. The company has a high quality portfolio and key strengths in technology and project delivery. Shell will continue to invest in new projects that deliver more energy to customers, and create value for shareholders. The strategy is designed to deliver through-cycle growth in cash flow, to drive competitive returns and a growing dividend.

Van Beurden said: “Our ambitious growth drive in recent years has yielded a step change in Shell’s portfolio and options, with more growth to come, but at the same time we have lost some momentum in operational delivery, and we can sharpen up in a number of areas.”

“Our overall strategy remains robust, but 2014 will be a year where we are changing emphasis, to improve our returns and cash flow performance”, he continued, highlighting three priorities:
•Improved financial performance, including restructuring in some areas of the company
•Enhancing capital efficiency, with hard choices on new projects, reduced growth investment, and more asset sales
•Continued strong delivery of new projects, and integration of recent acquisitions.

The landscape the company had expected has changed. Factors such as the worsening security situation in Nigeria in 2013, and delays to non-operated projects in several other countries, have altered the outlook. Oil prices remain high globally, but North America natural gas prices and associated crude markers remain low, and industry refining margins are under pressure. Restructuring and improving profitability in North America Upstream resources plays, and Oil Products world-wide, is a particular focus for the company.

The recent Ninth Circuit Court decision against the Department of the Interior raises substantial obstacles to Shell’s plans for drilling in offshore Alaska. As a result, Shell has decided to stop its exploration programme for Alaska in 2014. “This is a disappointing outcome, but the lack of a clear path forward means that I am not prepared to commit further resources for drilling in Alaska in 2014,” van Beurden said. “We will look to relevant agencies and the Court to resolve their open legal issues as quickly as possible.”

The company will increase the pace of asset sales, which are expected to be $15 billion for 2014-15 combined in Upstream and Downstream. “We are making hard choices in our world-wide portfolio to improve Shell’s capital efficiency”, van Beurden said.

With a changing operational landscape and the streamlining of Shell’s portfolio, the company will no longer be updating against previous cash flow and net spending targets. “I want Shell to be measured on our competitive performance”, van Beurden said.

Capital spending will be reduced. In 2013, this totalled $46 billion, including $8 billion of acquisitions. In 2014, Shell expects total capital spending of around $37 billion, including $2 billion of previously announced acquisitions.

Innovative large-scale projects such as Pearl gas-to-liquids have been the main drivers behind Shell’s recent increase in cash flow, which reached over $87 billion in 2012-13 combined, an increase of 35% on 2010-11. Recent start-ups and Shell’s latest projects and acquisitions – dominated by liquefied natural gas, and deep-water oil in the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil and Malaysia – are expected to build on this growth in 2014.

Shell has distributed more than $11 billion to shareholders in dividends and repurchased $5 billion of shares in 2013. Reflecting confidence in the potential for free cash flow growth in 2014, the company is expecting the Q1 2014 dividend to be $0.47/share, an increase of over 4% compared to Q1 2013, and total dividends announced in respect of 2014 to be potentially over $11 billion.

tijd 13.38
Kon.Olie $26,51 +75ct vol. 6,6 miljoen.

Fourth quarter 2013 summary of unaudited results
•Royal Dutch Shell’s fourth quarter 2013 earnings, on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis (see Note 1), were $2.2 billion compared with $7.4 billion in the same quarter a year ago. Full year 2013 CCS earnings were $16.7 billion compared with $27.2 billion in 2012.


•Fourth quarter 2013 CCS earnings excluding identified items (see page 6) were $2.9 billion compared with $5.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012. Full year 2013 CCS earnings excluding identified items were $19.5 billion compared with $25.3 billion in 2012.


•Compared with the fourth quarter 2012, CCS earnings excluding identified items were impacted by higher depreciation, increased exploration expenses, lower upstream volumes and weak industry conditions in downstream oil products.


•Fourth quarter 2013 basic CCS earnings per share excluding identified items decreased by 49% versus the fourth quarter 2012. Full year 2013 basic CCS earnings per share excluding identified items decreased by 23% versus 2012.


•Total dividends distributed in the fourth quarter were some $2.8 billion, of which $1.2 billion were settled under the Scrip Dividend Programme. During the fourth quarter some 27.2 million shares were bought back for cancellation for a consideration of $1.0 billion.


•Gearing at the end of 2013 was 16.1% compared with 9.8% at the end of 2012.


•A fourth quarter 2013 dividend has been announced of $0.45 per ordinary share and $0.90 per American Depositary Share (“ADS”), an increase of 5% compared with the fourth quarter 2012.


•The first quarter 2014 dividend is expected to be declared at $0.47 per ordinary share and $0.94 per American Depositary Share (“ADS”), an increase of 4% compared with the first quarter 2013.
zie voor tabellen
http://www.shell.com/global/aboutshell/media/news-and-media-releases/2014/fourth-quarter-2013-results-announcement.html



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