Oil giant Shell posts profit beat, keeps share buyback pace steady at $3.5 billion
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jul 31 2025
0mins
Source: CNBC
Shell's Second-Quarter Performance: Shell reported adjusted earnings of $4.26 billion for Q2, exceeding analyst expectations, while also announcing $3.5 billion in share buybacks, marking the 15th consecutive quarter of significant shareholder returns.
Strategic Focus and Cost Reductions: The company achieved $800 million in structural cost reductions in the first half of the year, with a target of $5-7 billion by 2028, and has dismissed takeover speculation regarding BP, maintaining a focus on performance and value creation.
Analyst Views on XOM
Wall Street analysts forecast XOM stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for XOM is 132.17 USD with a low forecast of 114.00 USD and a high forecast of 158.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
19 Analyst Rating
12 Buy
7 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 133.640
Low
114.00
Averages
132.17
High
158.00
Current: 133.640
Low
114.00
Averages
132.17
High
158.00
About XOM
Exxon Mobil Corporation is an energy provider and chemical manufacturer. The Company’s principal business involves exploration for, and production of, crude oil and natural gas; the manufacture, trade, transport and sale of crude oil, natural gas, petroleum products, petrochemicals and a wide variety of specialty products; and pursuit of lower-emission and other new business opportunities, including carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, lower-emission fuels, Proxxima systems, carbon materials, and lithium. Its Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas. The Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments manufacture and sell petroleum products and petrochemicals. Energy Products segment includes fuels, aromatics, and catalysts and licensing. Chemical Products segment consists of olefins, polyolefins, and intermediates. Specialty Products segment includes finished lubricants, basestocks and waxes, synthetics, and elastomers and resins.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
