Shell Maintains Pace of Buybacks as Profit Beats Estimates
- Company to repurchase $3.5 billion of shares this quarter
- Oil majors have made higher shareholder returns their priority
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Shell Plc kept up the pace of share buybacks as first-quarter profit dropped less than expected, maintaining the focus on shareholder returns that has become a hallmark of the oil majors.
The London-based energy producer said it would repurchase $3.5 billion of shares in the second quarter, matching the amount in the preceding two reporting periods. Shell has made dividends and buybacks a priority as it seeks to close the valuation gap with its US peers, and Chief Financial Officer Sinead Gorman said they will continue.