With gas prices hitting record highs, Exxon Mobil (XOM ) Corp. ought to be drilling like mad and refining more of that black gold, right? As it turns out, the world's largest oil producer thinks it is smarter to use more of its resources to buy back stock. The indirect result: increased pain at the pump for consumers.
[And not building more refineries.] Why would that be? coz they know it's all over.
It's Big Oil's new formula for making money. Last year, Exxon pumped out $49 billion in operating cash flow on sales of $365 billion. It's the world's most profitable company, but Exxon is plowing a smaller percentage of its spare cash back into the business. Although capital expenditures have risen from $11 billion at the start of the decade to nearly $20 billion, that spending amounts to roughly 40% of cash flow, down from 50% in 2000. Meanwhile, overall production has barely budged since its megamerger in 1999.
Instead, Exxon is bingeing on buybacks to help boost profits,
full article