Sinopec raises dividend as oil rally boosts profit to record

Bloomberg

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. raised its dividend payout after half-year earnings jumped to a record, fuelled by improving refining profits and a rebound in crude prices that brought its oil and gas exploration unit closer to breaking even.
The world’s biggest refiner by capacity, known as Sinopec, proposed an interim dividend of 0.16 yuan a share, a 60 percent increase from the previous year, it said in stock exchange filings. Net income rose 52 percent to 42.4 billion yuan ($6.2 billion) in the first six months. That’s the best half-year profit on record, according to data compiled by Bloomberg dating back to 2000.
The dividend increase suggests “Sinopec may be willing to share the good returns with investors,” Morgan Stanley
said in a note, adding the company will probably maintain full-year dividend at 0.5 yuan, implying a yield of 7 percent to 8 percent. “We believe the company will maintain stable recurring earnings as Brent oil price stays in the $65 to $75 a barrel range.”
Sinopec flagged the jump in first-half earnings last month, adding that its upstream business had “improved significantly” on higher international oil prices. The company, which makes most of its money from processing oil into fuels, has been burdened in recent years by losses from its exploration and production segment as its aging fields have higher production costs.
Sinopec shares in Hong Kong on Monday closed up 5.1 percent at HK$7.90, the highest since May 21, while the Hang Seng Index gained 2.2 percent. The company has risen about 38 percent this year, compared with an almost 6 percent slide in the city’s benchmark index. Benchmark Brent crude averaged about $71 a barrel between January and June, from $53 a year earlier.
Operating losses from Sinopec’s exploration and production division narrowed
to 412 million yuan in the
first half from 18.3 billion yuan a year earlier, according to the statement. Operating profit from the refining business climbed 32.5 percent to
38.9 billion yuan, while the chemical segment posted a 29.7 percent gain.
“Good cost control and better margins from selling higher-grade fuel products helped offset higher oil purchase prices for Sinopec’s refining business,” said Tian Miao, a Beijing-based analyst at Everbright Sun Hung Kai Co. “While higher oil prices boosted Sinopec’s upstream business, it still falls short of breaking even. That might raise concern on how competitive its exploration business is.”
Capital expenditure reached 23.7 billion yuan in the first half, compared with a full-year estimate of 117 billion yuan. Revenue rose 11.5 percent to 1.3 trillion yuan.
On a quarterly basis, Sinopec’s net income more than doubled to 23.1 billion yuan in the three months through June, from 10.7 billion a year ago, according to Bloomberg calculations.
The state-owned giant provided an update on China’s plans to create a national pipeline operator at its
earnings briefing on Monday, saying while it hasn’t received notice from the government, it will support and implement pipeline reform policies. These include linking pipeline assets and ensuring fair access for other suppliers, Vice President Huang Wensheng said.