BP today announced a quarterly dividend of 10.5 cents per ordinary share ($0.63 per ADS), which is expected to be paid on 27 March 2020. The corresponding amount in sterling will be announced on 16 March 2020.
Other financial highlights include:
Cash flow strong, increased disposal plans
- Underlying replacement cost profit for the fourth quarter and full year 2019 was $2.6 billion and $10.0 billion respectively, compared to $3.5 billion and $12.7 billion for the same periods a year earlier, largely reflecting the impact of the weaker environment. Reported profit was $19 million for the fourth quarter and $4.0 billion for the full year.
- Non-operating items in the quarter included a $1.9 billion after-tax impairment charge, mainly for the disposal of US gas assets, and a $0.9 billion charge arising from the reclassification of past foreign exchange losses on the formation of BP's new biofuels joint venture.
- Full-year operating cash flow, excluding Gulf of Mexico oil spill payments, was $28.2 billion, including a $0.3 billion working capital release (after adjusting for net inventory holding gains).
- Gulf of Mexico oil spill payments for the year totalled $2.4 billion on a post-tax basis, and are expected to be less than $1 billion in 2020.
- Maintaining capital discipline, full-year organic capital expenditure of $15.2 billion was at the bottom of the guided range. Divestments and other disposals announced since the start of 2019 now total $9.4 billion, keeping BP ahead of schedule to meet its target of $10 billion proceeds by end-2020. BP expects to announce a further $5 billion of agreed disposals by mid-2021.
- In January 2020 BP completed its announced share buyback programme.
- Net debt reduced by $1.1 billion in the quarter with gearing at 31.1%, down from 31.7% at the end of the previous quarter.
Continued reliable operations
- Downstream delivered full-year refining availability of 95% and record refining throughput for the second consecutive year. Upstream operated plant reliability was 94.4% for the year.
- Reported oil and gas production averaged 3.8 million barrels of oil equivalent a day in 2019, 2.7% higher than in 2018. Underlying full year Upstream production, which excludes both Rosneft and portfolio changes, was broadly flat with 2018.
Low-carbon expansions, new projects, retail growth
- BP expanded its low-carbon businesses in 2019, increasing ownership in its solar joint venture Lightsource BP to 50%, and completed formation of its new Brazilian biofuels and biopower joint venture, BP Bunge Bioenergia.
- Five Upstream major projects began production in 2019, and final investment decisions were taken for a further five.
- BP continued its expansion into fast-growing fuels markets during the year and agreed a major fuels joint venture with Reliance Industries Limited in India.
