桑托斯在油气价格上涨后创造了创纪录利润

据路透社2月21日报道，澳大利亚第二大独立天然气生产商桑托斯(Santos)周四报道称，由于收购象限资产（Quadrant）以及石油和天然气已实现的价格上涨，其年度基本利润增长了两倍多。

据Refleitiv数据显示，2018年的基础利润从一年前的3.18亿美元增至创纪录的7.2亿美元，4名分析师平均预期其基础利润为6.095亿美元。

这家总部位于阿德莱德的公司宣布，最终股息为每股6.2美分。经过两年多的停顿之后，该公司又恢复了支付政策，为截至2018年6月30日的半年支付了临时付款。

该公司表示，将在2019年全年拨出约11亿美元作为资本支出，并确认了上月公布的产量和销售量估计数。

公司首席执行长Kevin Gallagher表示，收购象限，再加上基本储量的增加，推动了2018年储备的强劲增长。

公司液化天然气价格，加上大幅削减成本和出售资产，使得桑托斯在2018年10月提前一年实现了其债务目标。

通过削减债务，桑托斯决定避免收购要约，恢复股息，寻找资产以扩大投资组合。去年该公司以20亿美元的价格收购了澳大利亚西部最大的天然气供应商象限，从而提高了产量。

然而，收购象限的资金来自公司的现金和新债务，推动桑托斯的债务截至12月31日达到了36亿美元。

去年9月，桑托斯提出了其增长战略，计划到2025年将产量增加近一倍，达到1亿桶石油当量。

该公司股价在2018年小幅上涨0.6%，今年迄今已上涨26%以上。

詹晓晶   摘自   路透社

原文如下：

Australia's Santos posts record profit on higher oil & gas prices

Santos Ltd, Australia’s No. 2 independent gas producer, reported on Thursday a more than two-fold rise in annual underlying profit, helped by the acquisition of Quadrant assets and higher realised prices for its oil and gas.

Underlying profit for 2018 rose to a record $727 million from $318 million a year earlier. Four analysts on an average had expected underlying profit of $609.5 million, according to Refinitiv data.

The Adelaide-based company declared a final dividend of 6.2 cents a share. It had revived the payout policy with an interim payment for the half-year ended June 30, 2018 following a more than two-year lull.

The company said it would allocate about $1.1 billion as capital expenditure for full-year 2019 and affirmed estimates for production and sales volumes announced last month.

Chief Executive Kevin Gallagher said the Quadrant acquisition, combined with organic reserves additions, contributed to strong reserves growth in 2018.

Firm LNG prices, coupled with sharp cost cuts and asset sales enabled Santos to achieve its debt target over a year ahead of plan in October 2018.

By slashing debt, Santos set itself up to stave off takeover offers, revive its dividend and hunt for assets to expand its portfolio. It acquired Quadrant, the biggest gas supplier to the domestic market in Western Australia, for more than $2 billion last year, boosting production.

However, the acquisition of Quadrant, using cash and new debt, pushed Santos’ debt to $3.6 billion as of Dec. 31.

In September, Santos had outlined its growth strategy, planning to nearly double production to more than 100 million barrels of oil equivalent by 2025.

Shares of the company have inched up 0.6 percent in 2018 and have risen more than 26 percent so far this year.