BP Takes $25.5 Billion Hit From Russia Exit

Other than the Russia-linked fees, which had been beforehand flagged, BP’s outcomes beat analysts’ expectations, helped by what the corporate referred to as “distinctive” leads to oil-and-gas buying and selling. Increased and extra unstable costs, along with sturdy demand, have boosted outcomes for firms that purchase and promote commodities globally.

BP shares rose 3% in morning buying and selling in London.

The corporate mentioned it will purchase again one other $2.5 billion of its shares, along with $1.6 billion in buybacks it made in the course of the first quarter, and that the Russia-related losses don’t change the corporate’s technique or minimize into its plans to distribute money to buyers. That follows strikes by Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. final week to extend shareholder returns amid robust quarterly income. Exxon tripled its share-buyback program this 12 months to $30 billion, and Chevron mentioned it will purchase again a report $10 billion of its shares by year-end.

Hovering commodity costs are resulting in piles of money on main oil firms’ books. However a number of the greatest firms aren’t utilizing most of that money to extend manufacturing. After years of lackluster returns, they’re favoring dividend and buyback will increase.

BP mentioned that with out the one-time fees, its first-quarter underlying replacement-cost revenue, a metric just like web revenue that U.S. oil firms report, was $6.2 billion. That in contrast with a $4.5 billion common projection of 26 analysts compiled by BP. The outcomes adopted a 2021 full-year revenue that was BP’s strongest in practically a decade and a swing again from a 2020 lack of virtually $5.7 billion.

The corporate mentioned it will proceed to cut back debt and keep its full-year capital-spending plans at $14 billion to $15 billion, together with $2.9 billion in capital expenditures within the first quarter.

Lively debate within the U.Okay. about potential so-called windfall taxes on oil-and-gas firms had led some analysts to foretell British oil giants BP and Shell PLC would constrain share buybacks relative to U.S. friends. U.Okay. and different European authorities officers have been urging vitality firms to spend massive parts of their money piles on renewable vitality within the U.Okay. and elsewhere. However the political tensions are also centered on points that long-term green-energy initiatives don’t instantly handle: Electrical energy costs had been hovering throughout Europe even earlier than Russia invaded Ukraine, whereas vitality firms have been incomes report income as vitality demand bounces again from pandemic lows.

Reflecting the political pressures going through cash-laden vitality firms, BP on Tuesday emphasised its function as U.Okay. taxpayer and mentioned it will dedicate a larger share of its general spending near house than it traditionally has. Alongside earnings, the corporate mentioned it will proceed to spend money on oil-and-gas manufacturing within the North Sea, and enhance spending on lower-carbon vitality together with offshore wind, hydrogen and electric-vehicle charging. BP mentioned its U.Okay. vitality investments may attain $22.6 billion by 2030.

BP additionally mentioned it will proceed to share income with buyers. “We earn more money at increased oil costs, and we use that to reward pensioners,” BP Chief Government Bernard Looney mentioned in an interview.

Mr. Looney mentioned BP may shift some short-term investments “across the margin” to oil-and-gas manufacturing within the North Sea and the U.S. to assist meet acute vitality wants. “These are issues that change into most likely extra engaging in immediately’s world,” he mentioned.

In the meantime, firms which have accomplished enterprise for many years in Russia are reckoning with pricey withdrawals from the nation. BP mentioned Feb. 27 it will exit its 19.75% Rosneft stake and different joint ventures within the nation, days after Russian tanks crossed into Ukraine. It hasn’t mentioned how or when it plans to divest the belongings.

The invasion has put stress on firms starting from fast-food restaurant operators to makers of cosmetics, automobiles and medicines to chop ties with Russia, whereas sanctions have difficult operations within the nation. Greater than 750 firms have mentioned publicly they might in the reduction of operations in Russia past the minimal adjustments required by worldwide sanctions, based on researchers at Yale College.

Now the value tags of divorcing from Russia, in lots of circumstances ending collaboration many years within the making, have gotten clearer as firms report their first quarterly earnings because the invasion.

Whereas many firms are writing down the worth of their Russian belongings, others nonetheless have operations and staff within the nation. Basic Electrical Co. recorded a $200 million impairment cost final week and nonetheless has about $600 million in belongings within the nation that don’t relate to sanctioned exercise. GE suspended most of its Russia operations in early March however mentioned it will nonetheless present important medical tools and assist current energy providers within the area.

Others have flagged potential prices nonetheless to come back. As an example, France’s Renault SA is in talks with Moscow about handing over its 68% stake in Russia’s greatest auto maker to a state-backed entity for the symbolic sum of 1 ruble, Russian state media reported final week. Renault mentioned in March it was assessing choices and deliberate to write down off the worth of its Russian actions, which had been valued at 2.2 billion euros, equal to $2.Four billion, on the finish of final 12 months.

Thus far, although, vitality giants have reported the most important prices.

France’s TotalEnergies SE, which has mentioned it’s curbing however not essentially exiting its Russian operations, final week took a $4.1 billion accounting cost on the worth of its natural-gas reserves. Complete cited impacts from Western sanctions focusing on Russia on a large Arctic liquefied pure gasoline mission beneath improvement referred to as Arctic LNG 2.

On Friday, Exxon mentioned it took a $3.Four billion accounting cost after it determined to halt operations at its Sakhalin Island improvement in Russia’s Far East.

Shell, which is scheduled to report earnings Thursday, mentioned final month it anticipated to ebook accounting fees of as much as $5 billion within the first quarter associated to its choice to exit its Russia operations, together with joint ventures with vitality large Gazprom PJSC.

BP was essentially the most uncovered of oil-and-gas majors to Russia, based on analysts. Its Rosneft stake introduced it $640 million in dividends in 2021. Analysts beforehand anticipated 2022 dividends, paid twice a 12 months, to be price effectively over $1 billion. The corporate’s Russia presence goes again 30 years, and the BP-Rosneft strategic partnership dates again greater than twenty years.

BP’s February choice to exit Russia meant Mr. Looney and former CEO Bob Dudley instantly resigned from Rosneft’s board, on which each represented BP. BP beforehand relied on Rosneft for roughly one-third of its oil-and-gas manufacturing, however didn’t contribute capital to Rosneft.

Requested whether or not he can envision BP ever returning to doing enterprise in Russia, Mr. Looney reiterated the corporate’s exit plans, including, “We have now made our intentions extremely clear.”

—Thomas Gryta contributed to this text.

Write to Jenny Strasburg at jenny.strasburg@wsj.com