Saudi Arabian state-owned oil giant Aramco expects to pay $31-billion in dividends to the Saudi government and its shareholders despite reporting lower earnings for the first quarter on Tuesday, hit by lower oil prices and volumes sold.
The Saudi government, which directly holds about 82.2 per cent of Aramco, relies heavily on the company’s payouts, which also include royalties and taxes.
The kingdom is the world’s biggest oil exporter but is spending billions of dollars trying to diversify its economy and find alternative sources of wealth.
Aramco reported a 14 per cent decline in first-quarter net income to $27.3-billion in the three months to March 31, in line with analyst estimates and down from $31.9-billion a year earlier, according to a company earnings statement.
The company declared base dividend payouts for the first quarter totalling $20.3-billion and a performance-linked dividend distribution of $10.8-billion to be paid in the second quarter.