Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) today reported earnings of $5.1 billion ($2.58 per share - diluted) for the fourth quarter 2011, compared with $5.3 billion ($2.64 per share - diluted) in the 2010 fourth quarter.

Full-year 2011 earnings were $26.9 billion ($13.44 per share - diluted), up 41 percent from $19.0 billion ($9.48 per share - diluted) earned in 2010.

Sales and other operating revenues in the fourth quarter 2011 were $58 billion, up from $52 billion in the year-ago period, mainly due to higher prices for crude oil and refined products.

Earnings Summary

    Fourth Quarter     Year
Millions of dollars       2011         2010         2011         2010  
Earnings by Business Segment            
Upstream $ 5,737 $ 4,847 $ 24,786 $ 17,677
Downstream (61 ) 742 3,591 2,478
All Other       (553 )       (294 )       (1,482 )       (1,131 )
Total (1)(2)     $ 5,123       $ 5,295       $ 26,895       $ 19,024  
(1) Includes foreign currency effects $ (83 ) $ (99 ) $ 121 $ (423 )
(2) Net income attributable to Chevron Corporation (See Attachment 1)
 

"Chevron had an outstanding year financially," said Chairman and CEO John Watson, "with record earnings and cash flow. This reflects our exceptionally strong upstream portfolio, as well as higher 2011 crude prices. Full-year earnings also benefited from improved downstream sales margins. Our financial strength enabled us to both invest in our development projects and to acquire several new resource opportunities. At the same time, we raised the annual dividend twice and increased outlays for our common stock repurchase program. Beyond our strong financial performance, we also had an outstanding year in terms of oil and gas reserves replacement."

Watson continued, "In the fourth quarter, we took another important step forward in our efforts to commercialize the company's significant natural gas resources with the start of construction at the Wheatstone liquefied natural gas project in Australia. We also recently announced two additional natural gas discoveries in the Carnarvon Basin that will help underpin future LNG expansion opportunities. At the same time, we ramped up production to over 330 million cubic feet per day at the Platong II natural gas project in the Gulf of Thailand."

Watson commented that the company added approximately 1.67 billion barrels of net oil-equivalent reserves in 2011. These additions, which are subject to final reviews, equate to 171 percent of net oil-equivalent production for the year. "The Wheatstone Project was the largest component of our reserve adds this year," noted Watson, "and we continued to build legacy positions with additions from acquisitions in the Marcellus Shale and multiple development projects in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico." The company will provide additional details relating to 2011 reserve additions in its Annual Report on Form 10-K scheduled for filing with the SEC on February 23.

"In the downstream business, we successfully completed the second year of a multiyear plan to improve returns," Watson added. Efforts continued on streamlining the asset portfolio, with completion of the sale of refining and marketing assets in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including the Pembroke Refinery. The company also completed the sale of its marketing businesses in five countries in Africa, and its fuels marketing and aviation businesses in 16 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The company purchased $1.25 billion of its common stock in the fourth quarter 2011 under its share repurchase program. At the end of the year, balances of cash, cash equivalents, time deposits and marketable securities totaled $20.1 billion, up $3 billion from the end of 2010. Total debt at December 31, 2011 was $10.2 billion, down $1.3 billion from a year earlier.

UPSTREAM

Worldwide net oil-equivalent production was 2.64 million barrels per day in the fourth quarter 2011, down from 2.79 million barrels per day in the 2010 fourth quarter. Production increases from project ramp-ups in Thailand, the United States, Nigeria and Brazil, and new volumes stemming from acquisitions in the Marcellus Shale were more than offset by normal field declines, maintenance-related downtime and a 25,000 barrels per day negative effect of higher prices on entitlement volumes.

U.S. Upstream

    Fourth Quarter     Year
Millions of Dollars     2011     2010     2011     2010
Earnings     $1,605     $930     $6,512     $4,122
           

U.S. upstream earnings of $1.61 billion in the fourth quarter 2011 were up $675 million from a year earlier. The benefit of higher crude oil realizations was partly offset by lower production.

The company's average sales price per barrel of crude oil and natural gas liquids was $101 in the fourth quarter 2011, up from $76 a year ago. The average sales price of natural gas was $3.62 per thousand cubic feet, compared with $3.65 in last year's fourth quarter.

Net oil-equivalent production of 661,000 barrels per day in the fourth quarter 2011 was down 37,000 barrels per day, or 5 percent, from a year earlier. The decrease in production was associated with normal field declines and maintenance-related downtime. Partially offsetting this decrease was new Marcellus Shale production and increases at the Perdido project in the Gulf of Mexico. The net liquids component of oil-equivalent production decreased 7 percent in the 2011 fourth quarter to 447,000 barrels per day, while net natural gas production decreased 1 percent to 1.29 billion cubic feet per day.

International Upstream

    Fourth Quarter     Year
Millions of Dollars       2011         2010         2011       2010  
Earnings*     $ 4,132       $ 3,917       $ 18,274     $ 13,555  
*Includes foreign currency effects $ (3 )     $ (53 )     $ 211     $ (293 )
 

International upstream earnings of $4.13 billion increased $215 million from the fourth quarter 2010. Higher realizations for crude oil increased earnings between quarters. This benefit was partly offset by higher tax charges, lower volumes and higher operating expenses. Foreign currency effects had little net impact on earnings in the 2011 fourth quarter, compared with a decrease of $53 million a year earlier.

The average sales price for crude oil and natural gas liquids in the 2011 fourth quarter was $101 per barrel, up from $79 a year earlier. The average price of natural gas was $5.55 per thousand cubic feet, compared with $4.81 in last year's fourth quarter.

Net oil-equivalent production of 1.98 million barrels per day in the fourth quarter 2011 was down 108,000 barrels per day from a year ago. Production increases from project ramp-ups in Thailand, Nigeria and Brazil were more than offset by maintenance-related downtime, normal field declines, and a 25,000 barrels per day negative effect of higher prices on entitlement volumes. The net liquids component of oil-equivalent production decreased 7 percent to 1.37 million barrels per day, while net natural gas production declined 2 percent to 3.66 billion cubic feet per day.

DOWNSTREAM

U.S. Downstream

    Fourth Quarter     Year
Millions of Dollars       2011         2010       2011       2010
Earnings     $ (204 )     $ 475     $ 1,506     $ 1,339
           

U.S. downstream operations lost $204 million in the fourth quarter 2011, compared with earnings of $475 million a year earlier. The decline primarily reflected the absence of a $400 million gain on the sale of the company's ownership interest in the Colonial Pipeline Company recognized in the fourth quarter 2010, and weaker margins on refined product sales.

Refinery crude oil input of 763,000 barrels per day in the fourth quarter 2011 decreased 113,000 barrels per day from the year-ago period, mainly due to maintenance-related downtime at the Richmond Refinery. Refined product sales of 1.23 million barrels per day were down 69,000 barrels per day from the fourth quarter of 2010, mainly due to lower gasoline and residual fuel oil sales. Branded gasoline sales decreased 3 percent to 515,000 barrels per day due to weaker demand.

International Downstream

    Fourth Quarter     Year
Millions of Dollars       2011         2010         2011         2010  
Earnings*     $ 143       $ 267       $ 2,085       $ 1,139  
*Includes foreign currency effects $ (81 )     $ (52 )     $ (65 )     $ (135 )
 

International downstream operations earned $143 million in the fourth quarter 2011, compared with $267 million a year earlier. The decline was primarily due to weaker margins. Foreign currency effects decreased earnings by $81 million in the 2011 quarter, compared with a decrease of $52 million a year earlier.

Refinery crude oil input of 805,000 barrels per day decreased 235,000 barrels per day from the fourth quarter of 2010, primarily due to the sale of the Pembroke Refinery. Total refined product sales of 1.57 million barrels per day in the 2011 fourth quarter were 12 percent lower than a year earlier, primarily related to the sale of the company's refining and marketing assets in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Excluding the impact of 2011 asset sales, sales volumes were 3 percent higher between periods.

ALL OTHER

    Fourth Quarter     Year
Millions of Dollars       2011         2010         2011         2010  
Net Charges*     $ (553 )     $ (294 )     $ (1,482 )     $ (1,131 )
*Includes foreign currency effects $ 1     $ 6     $ (25 )     $ 5
 

All Other consists of mining operations, power generation businesses, worldwide cash management and debt financing activities, corporate administrative functions, insurance operations, real estate activities, energy services, alternative fuels, and technology companies.

Net charges in the fourth quarter 2011 were $553 million, compared with $294 million in the year-ago period. The change between periods was mainly due to higher employee compensation and benefits expenses, and higher corporate tax charges.

CAPITAL AND EXPLORATORY EXPENDITURES

Capital and exploratory expenditures in 2011 were $29.1 billion, compared with $21.8 billion in 2010. The amounts included $1.7 billion in 2011 and $1.4 billion in 2010 for the company's share of expenditures by affiliates, which did not require cash outlays by the company. Expenditures for upstream represented 89 percent of the companywide total in 2011. These amounts exclude the acquisition of Atlas Energy, Inc., which was accounted for as a business combination.

NOTICE

Chevron's discussion of fourth quarter 2011 earnings with security analysts will take place on Friday, January 27, 2012, at 8:00 a.m. PST. A webcast of the meeting will be available in a listen-only mode to individual investors, media, and other interested parties on Chevron's Web site at www.chevron.com under the "Investors" section. Additional financial and operating information will be contained in the Earnings Supplement that will be available under "Events and Presentations" in the "Investors" section on the Web site.

Chevron will post selected first quarter 2012 interim performance data for the company and industry on its Web site on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. PDT. Interested parties may view this interim data at www.chevron.com under the "Investors" section.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELEVANT TO FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF "SAFE HARBOR" PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to Chevron's operations that are based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections about the petroleum, chemicals and other energy-related industries. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "targets," "projects," "believes," "seeks," "schedules," "estimates," "budgets" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond the company's control and are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. The reader should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Unless legally required, Chevron undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are: changing crude oil and natural gas prices; changing refining, marketing and chemical margins; actions of competitors or regulators; timing of exploration expenses; timing of crude oil liftings; the competitiveness of alternate-energy sources or product substitutes; technological developments; the results of operations and financial condition of equity affiliates; the inability or failure of the company's joint-venture partners to fund their share of operations and development activities; the potential failure to achieve expected net production from existing and future crude oil and natural gas development projects; potential delays in the development, construction or start-up of planned projects; the potential disruption or interruption of the company's net production or manufacturing facilities or delivery/transportation networks due to war, accidents, political events, civil unrest, severe weather or crude oil production quotas that might be imposed by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries; the potential liability for remedial actions or assessments under existing or future environmental regulations and litigation; significant investment or product changes under existing or future environmental statutes, regulations and litigation; the potential liability resulting from other pending or future litigation; the company's future acquisition or disposition of assets and gains and losses from asset dispositions or impairments; government-mandated sales, divestitures, recapitalizations, industry-specific taxes, changes in fiscal terms or restrictions on scope of company operations; foreign currency movements compared with the U.S. dollar; the effects of changed accounting rules under generally accepted accounting principles promulgated by rule-setting bodies; and the factors set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" on pages 32 through 34 of the company's 2010 Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition, such statements could be affected by general domestic and international economic and political conditions. Other unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed in this press release could also have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements.

 
CHEVRON CORPORATION - FINANCIAL REVIEW

Attachment 1

 

(Millions of Dollars, Except Per-Share Amounts)
                     

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME

(unaudited) Three Months Year Ended
Ended December 31 December 31
REVENUES AND OTHER INCOME 2011 2010 2011 2010
Sales and other operating revenues * $ 58,027 $ 51,852 $ 244,371 $ 198,198
Income from equity affiliates 1,567 1,510 7,363 5,637
Other income 391 665 1,972 1,093
Total Revenues and Other Income 59,985 54,027 253,706 204,928
COSTS AND OTHER DEDUCTIONS
Purchased crude oil and products 36,363 30,109 149,923 116,467
Operating, selling, general and administrative expenses 7,278 6,751 26,394 23,955
Exploration expenses 386 335 1,216 1,147
Depreciation, depletion and amortization 3,313 3,439 12,911 13,063
Taxes other than on income* 2,680 4,623 15,628 18,191
Interest and debt expense - 4 - 50
Total Costs and Other Deductions 50,020 45,261 206,072 172,873
Income Before Income Tax Expense 9,965 8,766 47,634 32,055
Income tax expense 4,813 3,446 20,626 12,919
Net Income 5,152 5,320 27,008 19,136
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 29 25 113 112
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO
CHEVRON CORPORATION $ 5,123 $ 5,295 $ 26,895 $ 19,024
 
PER-SHARE OF COMMON STOCK
Net Income Attributable to Chevron Corporation
- Basic $ 2.61 $ 2.65 $ 13.54 $ 9.53
- Diluted $ 2.58 $ 2.64 $ 13.44 $ 9.48
Dividends $ 0.81 $ 0.72 $ 3.09 $ 2.84
 
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding (000's)
- Basic 1,972,803 1,998,005 1,986,482 1,996,786
- Diluted 1,987,146 2,009,104 2,000,785 2,006,541
 
* Includes excise, value-added and similar taxes. $ 1,713 $ 2,136 $ 8,085 $ 8,591
 
         
CHEVRON CORPORATION - FINANCIAL REVIEW Attachment 2
(Millions of Dollars)
(unaudited)
           

EARNINGS BY MAJOR OPERATING AREA

Three Months Year Ended
Ended December 31 December 31
2011   2010   2011   2010  
Upstream
United States $ 1,605 $ 930 $ 6,512 $ 4,122
International 4,132   3,917   18,274   13,555  
Total Upstream 5,737   4,847   24,786   17,677  
Downstream
United States (204 ) 475 1,506 1,339
International 143   267   2,085   1,139  
Total Downstream (61 ) 742   3,591   2,478  
All Other (1) (553 ) (294 ) (1,482 ) (1,131 )
Total (2) $ 5,123   $ 5,295   $ 26,895   $ 19,024  
 
 

SELECTED BALANCE SHEET ACCOUNT DATA

 

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2010
Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 15,864 $ 14,060
Time Deposits (3) $ 3,958 $ 2,855
Marketable Securities $ 249 $ 155
Total Assets $

209,474

 $ 184,769
Total Debt $ 10,152 $ 11,476
Total Chevron Corporation Stockholders' Equity $ 121,382 $ 105,081
 
 
Three Months Year Ended
Ended December 31 December 31

CAPITAL AND EXPLORATORY EXPENDITURES(4)

2011   2010   2011   2010  
United States
Upstream $ 1,977 $ 1,182 $ 8,318 $ 3,450
Downstream 567 540 1,461 1,456
Other 120   104   575   286  
Total United States 2,664 1,826 10,354 5,192
 
International
Upstream 5,110 3,966 17,554 15,454
Downstream 487 420 1,150 1,096
Other 3   6   8   13  
Total International 5,600   4,392   18,712   16,563  
Worldwide $ 8,264   $ 6,218   $ 29,066   $ 21,755  
 
(1) Includes mining operations, power generation businesses, worldwide cash
management and debt financing activities, corporate administrative functions,
insurance operations, real estate activities, alternative fuels and technology
companies.
(2) Net Income Attributable to Chevron Corporation (See Attachment 1)
(3) Bank time deposits with maturities greater than 90 days.
(4) Includes interest in affiliates:
United States $ 83 $ 67 $ 277 $ 258
International 577   379   1,418   1,130  
Total $ 660   $ 446   $ 1,695   $ 1,388  
 
                   
CHEVRON CORPORATION - FINANCIAL REVIEW Attachment 3
   
Three Months Year Ended

OPERATING STATISTICS(1)

Ended December 31 December 31
NET LIQUIDS PRODUCTION (MB/D): (2) 2011 2010 2011 2010
 
United States 447 481 465 489
International 1,369 1,465 1,384 1,434
Worldwide 1,816 1,946 1,849 1,923
 
NET NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION (MMCF/D): (3)
United States 1,290 1,307 1,279 1,314
International 3,658 3,733 3,662 3,726
Worldwide 4,948 5,040 4,941 5,040
 
TOTAL NET OIL-EQUIVALENT PRODUCTION (MB/D): (4)
United States 661 698 678 708
International 1,980 2,088 1,995 2,055
Worldwide 2,641 2,786 2,673 2,763
 
SALES OF NATURAL GAS (MMCF/D):
United States 6,041 5,862 5,836 5,932
International 4,319 4,511 4,361 4,493
Worldwide 10,360 10,373 10,197 10,425
 
SALES OF NATURAL GAS LIQUIDS (MB/D):
United States 165 156 161 161
International 86 109 87 105
Worldwide 251 265 248 266
 
SALES OF REFINED PRODUCTS (MB/D):
United States 1,227 1,296 1,257 1,349
International (5) 1,570 1,795 1,692 1,764
Worldwide 2,797 3,091 2,949 3,113
 
REFINERY INPUT (MB/D):
United States 763 876 854 890
International 805 1,040 933 1,004
Worldwide 1,568 1,916 1,787 1,894
 
(1) Includes interest in affiliates.
(2) Includes: Canada - Synthetic Oil 39 30 40 24
Venezuela Affiliate - Synthetic Oil 37 27 32 28
(3) Includes natural gas consumed in operations (MMCF/D):
United States 62 58 69 62
International 548 480 513 475
(4) Oil-equivalent production is the sum of net liquids production and net gas production. The oil-equivalent gas conversion ratio is 6,000 cubic feet of natural gas = 1 barrel of crude oil.
 
 
(5) Includes share of affiliate sales (MB/D): 575 596 556 562
 

Chevron Corporation
Lloyd Avram, 925-790-6930