Saudi Aramco announced today, Sunday, a decline in its net profits for the first quarter of the current year to 97.5 billion riyals (approximately $26billion),comparedto102.3billionriyals(approximately$27.3 billion) in the first quarter of 2024.

The company explained in its financial results statement for the first quarter of 2025 that cash flows from operating activities decreased to 118.9 billion riyals (approximately $31.7billion)inthefirstquarteroftheyear,comparedto126billionriyals(approximately$33.6 billion) during the same period in 2024.

Additionally, free cash flows amounted to 71.8 billion riyals (approximately $19.15billion),comparedto85.3billionriyals(approximately$22.7 billion) in the first quarter of 2024.

The company stated that its gearing ratio reached 5.3% as of March 31, compared to 4.5% at the end of 2024.

The statement noted that Aramco's board of directors decided to distribute base dividends for the first quarter of 2025 worth 79.3 billion riyals (approximately $21.1billion),a4.2$213 million), which will be paid in the second quarter of this year.

Regarding capital expenditures, the company clarified that they amounted to 47.1 billion riyals (approximately $12.6 billion) during the first quarter of the current year, as part of efforts to support long-term strategic growth objectives.

For his part, Aramco’s President and CEO, Engineer Amin Nasser, stated that global energy markets in the first quarter of the year were affected by factors related to changes in global trade, leading to economic uncertainty and impacts on oil prices.

Nasser emphasized that Aramco’s strong financial performance highlights the company’s advantages in terms of scale, reliability, operational efficiency, and its focus on advanced technology and low costs.

He added that such periods underscore the importance of resilience and discipline in capital and executive planning, reaffirming the company’s commitment to its long-term strategy and its continued pursuit of financial excellence and sustainable, growing dividend distributions.

Nasser also highlighted the importance of all energy sources in meeting growing global demand, noting that Aramco continues to implement growth strategies in exploration, production, refining, chemicals, and marketing, as well as developing new energy projects and working to reduce emissions.

On another note, the company mentioned that the Saudi Ministry of Energy had achieved new oil and gas discoveries, reflecting the sustainability of the Kingdom’s competitive advantages in exploration.

Additionally, Aramco finalized an agreement to acquire a 25% equity stake in the Philippine company "UNO Petroleum" to enhance the value chain in refining, chemicals, and marketing sectors.

The company confirmed the completion of the acquisition of a 50% stake in "Blue Hydrogen Industrial Gases" to capitalize on low-carbon energy opportunities.

It also launched a pilot plant for direct air capture of carbon dioxide as part of its efforts to expand emission-reduction technologies.