Saudi Arabia's Aramco reports lower half-year profits as economic worries dampen energy prices

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi oil giant Aramco reported half-year profits Tuesday of $56.3 billion, down from the year before due to weakening volumes sold amid worries about the global economy.

Aramco, formally known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., said its overall revenue for the half-year was $220.7 billion, up from $218.6 billion the year before. Profits in 2023 were $61.9 billion, nearly $5 billion higher.

“The decrease was primarily a result of lower crude oil volumes sold, weakening refining margins and lower finance and other income,” Aramco said in a filing on Riyadh's Tadawul stock exchange. “This was partially offset by higher crude oil prices and lower production royalties compared to the same period last year and lower income taxes and zakat,” or Islamic charitable contributions.

Aramco will pay dividends of $20.3 billion for the second quarter and a performance-linked dividend of $10.8 billion, the company said. It hopes its overall dividend for the year will be over $124 billion.

While a sliver of Aramco trades on the Tadawul, the vast majority of the firm is held by Saudi Arabia's government, fueling its expenditure and providing wealth to its Al Saud royal family.

Saudi Arabia, a leader in the OPEC cartel, has allied with Russia and others outside of the group to try to keep production down to boost global oil prices. Benchmark Brent crude traded around $77 a barrel on Tuesday after Japan's Nikkei stock market plunged 12.4% Monday in its worst single-day decline since 1987.

It marked the latest in a global sell-off that began the previous week. A report Friday showed U.S. employers slowed their hiring in July by much more than economists expected. That was the latest piece of data on the...