Oil major Shell reported that its attributable profit in 2025 reached $17.838 billion, an 11% increase compared with the previous year, due in part to lower expenses, favorable tax measures, and solid operational performance.
In a statement filed with the London Stock Exchange, the company reported that its pre-tax income in 2025 decreased by 0.5% to $29.756 billion, while revenue from the sale of property and equipment totaled $1.148 billion, representing a 29.1% year-over-year decline.
However, profit in the fourth quarter of 2025 totaled $4.134 billion, a 22.32% drop compared with the third quarter, due to lower oil prices.
Shell’s total debt stood at $75.643 billion at the end of 2025, a 1.89% decrease compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the company, which reports its results in U.S. dollars as that is the currency in which crude oil is traded.
The company said that total shareholder distributions during the final quarter of last year amounted to $5.5 billion, consisting of $3.4 billion in share buybacks and $2.1 billion in cash dividends paid to shareholders.
Shell’s shareholder payments for the fourth quarter of 2025 amounted to $0.372 per share.
The company added that it has completed $3.5 billion in share buybacks announced with the release of its third-quarter 2025 results.
In addition, it announced today a new $3.5 billion share buyback program, which is expected to be completed by the time first-quarter 2026 results are announced.
Shareholder returns compared with the full-year 2024 reflected lower realized liquids prices, lower marketing and optimization costs, and weaker chemical margins, partially offset by higher volumes, lower operating expenses, favorable tax measures, and stronger marketing margins.
Shell said it remains focused on performance, discipline, and simplification, which have contributed to achieving structural cost reductions.
Shell CEO Wael Sawan said that 2025 was a year of “strong momentum, with solid operational and financial performance across Shell.”
“In the fourth quarter, despite lower earnings in a weaker macroeconomic environment, cash delivery remained strong, and today we announced a 4% increase in our dividend and a $3.5 billion share buyback, marking the seventeenth consecutive quarter with at least $3 billion in buybacks,” he added.
