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Suncor Energy Reports First Quarter 2024 Results

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Suncor Energy Inc. reported strong first-quarter 2024 results with $3.2 billion in adjusted funds from operations and $1.8 billion in adjusted operating earnings. Record upstream production and refined product sales were achieved. Net debt decreased to $13.485 billion. The company returned $1.0 billion to shareholders. Suncor launched a loyalty partnership with Canadian Tire No changes were made to the corporate guidance.

Positive
  • Suncor Energy Inc. reported $3.2 billion in adjusted funds from operations and $1.8 billion in adjusted operating earnings for the first quarter of 2024.

  • The company achieved record upstream production of 835,000 barrels per day and refined product sales of 581,000 barrels per day.

  • Net debt decreased to $13.485 billion, showcasing financial stability and management efficiency.

  • Suncor returned $1.0 billion to shareholders through $700 million in dividends and $300 million in share repurchases, enhancing shareholder value.

  • Suncor launched a loyalty partnership with Canadian Tire , offering benefits to loyalty program members across more than 1,800 locations.

Negative
  • Suncor's net earnings decreased to $1.610 billion in the first quarter of 2024 compared to $2.052 billion in the prior year, potentially indicating a decline in profitability.

  • Adjusted funds from operations at $3.169 billion in the first quarter of 2024 were slightly lower than the $3.002 billion reported in the prior year quarter, possibly signaling a minor decline in operational efficiency.

  • Total operating, selling, and general expenses were $3.440 billion in the first quarter of 2024, which may raise concerns about cost management.

Unless otherwise noted, all financial figures are unaudited, presented in Canadian dollars (Cdn$), and derived from the company's condensed consolidated financial statements which are based on Canadian generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), specifically International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), and are prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard (IAS) 34 Interim Financial Reporting. Production volumes are presented on a working-interest basis, before royalties, except for production values from the company's Libya operations, which are presented on an economic basis. Certain financial measures referred to in this news release (adjusted funds from operations, adjusted operating earnings, free funds flow and net debt) are not prescribed by Canadian generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). See the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section of this news release. References to Oil Sands operations exclude Suncor Energy Inc.'s interest in Fort Hills and Syncrude.

Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - May 7, 2024) - Suncor Energy Inc. (TSX: SU) (NYSE: SU)

First Quarter Highlights

  • Generated $3.2 billion in adjusted funds from operations and $1.8 billion in adjusted operating earnings.
  • Record upstream production of 835,000 barrels per day (bbls/d) and record refined product sales of 581,000 bbls/d.
  • Upstream included all-time high Oil Sands production of 785,000 bbls/d and 102% upgrader utilization.
  • Highest-ever first quarter refining throughput of 455,000 bbls/d with 98% overall utilization.
  • Returned $1.0 billion to shareholders via $700 million in dividends and $300 million in share repurchases.

"Our strong 2024 first quarter performance continued to build on the momentum established in the second half of 2023, with our workforce safely and cost-effectively delivering record high volumes and reliability across the board, upstream and downstream," said Rich Kruger, Suncor's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our determination to consistently achieve the highest levels of performance starts with a top-to-bottom focus on the fundamentals of safety, reliability, and profitability and continues with a sense of accountability to deliver on our commitments."

First Quarter Results











Financial Highlights
Q1

Q4

Q1
($ millions, unless otherwise noted)
2024

2023

2023 
Net earnings
1 610

2 820

2 052
Per common share(1) (dollars)
1.25

2.18

1.54 
Adjusted operating earnings(2)
1 817

1 635

1 809
Per common share(1)(2) (dollars)
1.41

1.26

1.36 
Adjusted funds from operations(2)
3 169

4 034

3 002
Per common share(1)(2) (dollars)
2.46

3.12

2.26 
Cash flow provided by operating activities
2 787

4 318

1 039
Per common share(1) (dollars)
2.16

3.34

0.78 
Capital and exploration expenditures(3)
1 237

1 482

1 028 
Free funds flow(2)
1 858

2 482

1 916 
Dividend per common share(1) (dollars)
0.55

0.55

0.52 
Share repurchases per common share(4) (dollars)
0.23

0.29

0.66
Returns to shareholders(5)
995

1 079

1 564 
Net debt(2)
13 485

13 678

15 714 


 

 

 


Q1

Q4

Q1
Operating Highlights
2024

2023

2023 
Total upstream production (mbbls/d)
835.3

808.1

742.1 
Refinery utilization (%)
98

98

79 

 

(1) Represented on a basic per share basis.
(2) Non GAAP financial measures or contains non-GAAP financial measures. See the Non GAAP Financial Measures section of this news release.
(3) Excludes capitalized interest and capital expenditures related to assets previously held for sale.
(4) Share repurchases per common share are calculated as the total cost of share repurchases divided by the weighted average number of shares outstanding for the applicable period.
(5) Includes dividends paid on common shares and repurchases of common shares.

Financial Results

Adjusted Operating Earnings Reconciliation(1)













Q1

Q4

Q1
($ millions)
2024

2023

2023 
Net earnings
1 610

2 820

2 052
Unrealized foreign exchange loss (gain) on U.S. dollar denominated debt
220

(199)
3
Unrealized (gain) loss on risk management activities
(2)
(9)
18
Gain on significant acquisition and disposal
-

(1 125)
(302)
Asset impairment
-

158

- 
Income tax (recovery) expense on adjusted operating earnings adjustments
(11)
(10)
38 
Adjusted operating earnings(1)
1 817

1 635

1 809 

 

(1) Non-GAAP financial measure. All reconciling items are presented on a before-tax basis and adjusted for income taxes in the income tax recovery on adjusted operating earnings adjustments line. See the Non GAAP Financial Measures section of this news release.

  • Suncor's adjusted operating earnings of $1.817 billion ($1.41 per common share) in the first quarter of 2024 were comparable to $1.809 billion ($1.36 per common share) in the prior year quarter, primarily due to higher Oil Sands sales volumes and refinery production in Refining and Marketing (R&M), partially offset by lower refined product realizations, lower average Oil Sands price realizations and increased Oil Sands royalties.
  • Suncor's net earnings were $1.610 billion ($1.25 per common share) in the first quarter of 2024, compared to $2.052 billion ($1.54 per common share) in the prior year quarter. In addition to the factors impacting adjusted operating earnings, net earnings for the first quarter of 2024 and the prior year quarter were impacted by the reconciling items shown in the table above.
  • Adjusted funds from operations were $3.169 billion ($2.46 per common share) in the first quarter of 2024, compared to $3.002 billion ($2.26 per common share) in the prior year quarter, and were influenced by the same factors impacting adjusted operating earnings.
  • Cash flow provided by operating activities, which includes changes in non-cash working capital, was $2.787 billion ($2.16 per common share) in the first quarter of 2024, compared to $1.039 billion ($0.78 per common share) in the prior year quarter.
  • Suncor's total operating, selling and general (OS&G) expenses were $3.440 billion in the first quarter of 2024, compared to $3.424 billion in the prior year quarter, with the increase primarily due to the company's increased working interest in Fort Hills and higher share-based compensation expenses, offset by lower commodity costs, decreased maintenance costs in the current quarter and the sale of the company's U.K. E&P portfolio.
  • As at March 31, 2024, Suncor's net debt was $13.485 billion, a decrease of $193 million compared to December 31, 2023, and $2.229 billion compared to March 31, 2023.

Operating Results













Q1

Q4

Q1
(mbbls/d, unless otherwise noted)
2024

2023

2023 
Total Oil Sands bitumen production
932.1

866.2

811.3 
SCO and diesel production
572.5

495.6

517.6 
Inter-asset transfers and consumption
(27.5)
(19.9)
(19.8)
Upgraded production - net SCO and diesel
545.0

475.7

497.8 
Bitumen production
297.9

327.0

189.8 
Inter-asset transfers
(57.9)
(45.3)
(12.5)
Non-upgraded bitumen production
240.0

281.7

177.3 
Total Oil Sands production
785.0

757.4

675.1 
Exploration and Production
50.3

50.7

67.0 
Total upstream production
835.3

808.1

742.1 
Refinery utilization (%)
98

98

79 
Refinery crude oil processed
455.3

455.9

367.7 

 

  • Total Oil Sands bitumen production increased to 932,100 bbls/d in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 811,300 bbls/d in the prior year quarter, primarily due to higher absolute bitumen production at Fort Hills, in addition to the company's increased working interest, and higher bitumen production at Oil Sands operations including record Firebag production.
  • The company's net synthetic crude oil (SCO) production was 545,000 bbls/d in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 497,800 bbls/d in the prior year quarter, with the current quarter reflecting strong asset performance at Oil Sands Base and the prior year quarter reflecting the impact of unplanned maintenance. Benefiting from Suncor's regional asset connectivity and yield uplift from Fort Hills bitumen feedstock, Oil Sands Base upgrader utilization was a record 107% in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 95% in the prior year quarter, and Syncrude upgrader utilization was 96% in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 90% in the prior year quarter.
  • Inter-asset transfers were 67,800 bbls/d in the first quarter of 2024, demonstrating increased integration within Suncor's regional Oil Sands assets. The increase was primarily driven by 41,800 bbls/d of bitumen transferred from Fort Hills to upgrading at Oil Sands Base and 16,100 bbls/d of In Situ bitumen transferred to Syncrude.
  • The company's saleable non-upgraded bitumen production increased to 240,000 bbls/d in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 177,300 bbls/d in the prior year quarter, reflecting the higher absolute bitumen production noted above.
  • E&P production during the first quarter of 2024 decreased compared to the prior year quarter, primarily due to the divestment of the company's U.K. portfolio and the absence of production from White Rose, partially offset by the addition of production from Terra Nova as the ramp up of the asset progresses.
  • Refinery crude throughput was 455,300 bbls/d and refinery utilization was 98% in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 367,700 bbls/d and 79% in the prior year quarter, reflecting strong utilizations at all refineries in the current quarter and the impact of restart activities at the company's Commerce City refinery in the prior year quarter following its weather-related outage.
  • Refined product sales were a record 581,000 bbls/d in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 514,800 bbls/d in the prior year quarter, with the increase due to strong refinery production and the company leveraging its extensive domestic sales network and export channels in the current quarter, as well as the impacts of restart activities at the company's Commerce City refinery in the prior year quarter.

Corporate and Strategy Updates

  • Launch of loyalty partnership. Petro-Canada™, together with Canadian Tire Corporation, announced the details of the Petro-Points™ and Triangle Rewards® loyalty partnership, which includes the benefits of linking accounts to maximize rewards from each loyalty program. Together, the loyalty partnership between two iconic Canadian brands provides more value and convenience to millions of loyalty members at more than 1,800 Petro-Canada and Canadian Tire Gas+ locations across the country.

Corporate Guidance Updates

There have been no changes to the corporate guidance ranges previously issued on December 5, 2023.

For further details and advisories regarding Suncor's 2024 corporate guidance, see www.suncor.com/guidance.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Certain financial measures in this news release - namely adjusted funds from operations, adjusted operating earnings, free funds flow and net debt, and related per share or per barrel amounts - are not prescribed by GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures are included because management uses the information to analyze business performance, leverage and liquidity, as applicable, and it may be useful to investors on the same basis. These non-GAAP financial measures do not have any standardized meaning and, therefore, are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Therefore, these non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. Except as otherwise indicated, these non-GAAP financial measures are calculated and disclosed on a consistent basis from period to period. Specific adjusting items may only be relevant in certain periods.

Adjusted Operating Earnings

Adjusted operating earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure that adjusts net earnings for significant items that are not indicative of operating performance. Management uses adjusted operating earnings to evaluate operating performance because management believes it provides better comparability between periods. Adjusted operating earnings are reconciled to net earnings in the news release above.

Adjusted Funds From (Used In) Operations

Adjusted funds from (used in) operations is a non-GAAP financial measure that adjusts a GAAP measure - cash flow provided by operating activities - for changes in non-cash working capital, which management uses to analyze operating performance and liquidity. Changes to non-cash working capital can be impacted by, among other factors, commodity price volatility, the timing of offshore feedstock purchases and payments for commodity and income taxes, the timing of cash flows related to accounts receivable and accounts payable, and changes in inventory, which management believe reduces comparability between periods.

Three months ended March 31Oil SandsExploration and
Production
Refining and
Marketing
Corporate and
Eliminations
Income TaxesTotal
($ millions)202420232024202320242023202420232024202320242023
Earnings (loss) before income taxes 1 371 1 477 274 375 1 114 993 (539) (131) - - 2 220 2 714
Adjustments for:











Depreciation, depletion,             
amortization and impairment 1 185 1 138 170 127 244 220 29 31 - - 1 628 1 516
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FAQ

What were Suncor Energy's adjusted funds from operations for the first quarter of 2024?

Suncor Energy reported adjusted funds from operations of $3.2 billion for the first quarter of 2024.

How much did Suncor Energy return to shareholders in the first quarter of 2024?

Suncor Energy returned $1.0 billion to shareholders through $700 million in dividends and $300 million in share repurchases in the first quarter of 2024.

What was the net debt of Suncor Energy as of March 31, 2024?

As of March 31, 2024, Suncor Energy's net debt was $13.485 billion.

What corporate partnership did Suncor Energy launch in the first quarter of 2024?

Suncor Energy launched a loyalty partnership with Canadian Tire in the first quarter of 2024.

Were there any changes to Suncor Energy's corporate guidance in the first quarter of 2024?

No changes were made to Suncor Energy's corporate guidance in the first quarter of 2024.

Suncor Energy, Inc.

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