Shell almost doubles quarterly profit
The energy group reports net profit of $10.81 billion for the third quarter and increases its share buyback.
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Shell posted net profit of $10.81 billion in the third quarter, almost twice as much as a year earlier. According to Reuters, the group benefited from higher refining margins and more expensive liquefied natural gas products.
Net profit came to $10.81 billion, compared with $5.43 billion in the same period last year. Analysts consulted by Shell itself had expected an average of $10.33 billion, according to Reuters. The result was therefore above market expectations.
Shell attributes the strong quarter to conditions in the energy market. Refining margins and prices for liquefied natural gas made the greatest contribution to the result. The figures do not mean that all parts of the group are structurally equally profitable: oil and gas prices, refining margins and trading results can vary sharply from quarter to quarter.
The company also announced that it intends to buy back shares again. Shell is thereby returning part of its profit to shareholders. The money for the share buyback is therefore not available for other purposes, such as investment, debt reduction or new energy projects.
The figures come at a time when energy companies are once again benefiting from a tight market. Higher prices can increase the profits of producers and traders, but feed through to fuel, transport and energy costs for households and businesses. Shell's profit is therefore not the same as an improvement in the financial position of all energy users.
Shell describes itself as an international energy group with activities in oil, gas, LNG, refining, chemicals and energy trading. The company says it wants to make its portfolio both more profitable and less emissions-intensive. The quarterly figures alone provide no evidence that the company is accelerating or slowing its transition to other energy sources.
What the higher revenue means for investment, tax payments and energy prices in the Netherlands is not yet clear. According to Shell, the company has its headquarters in London and also has business activities and infrastructure in the Netherlands. Its direct impact on Dutch consumers, however, depends mainly on world market prices, taxes and energy suppliers' contracts.
The coming months will show whether the third quarter was a temporary peak or the start of a longer period of strong profits. The company results do not yet provide a definitive answer. They do show, however, that large energy companies quickly gain more financial room when oil, gas and refining markets are favourable.
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Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key financial figures and the reason for the windfall are directly traceable to Shell and Reuters. The text avoids the unsupported conclusion that high profits automatically lead to higher Dutch energy prices.
- confirmed Shell reported net profit of $10.81 billion in the third quarter of 2026. — Reported by Reuters in its coverage of Shell's results. source
- confirmed Profit was almost twice as high as a year earlier. — Reuters gives $5.43 billion for the previous year. source
- confirmed Shell increased its share buyback. — Part of Reuters' summary of the quarterly figures. source
- uncertain The quarterly profit proves that Shell is accelerating the energy transition. — The available sources do not support that conclusion; it has therefore not been included as a fact. source
Editor's note
The profit, comparison with the previous year, analysts' expectations and share buyback are based on Shell and Reuters. Statements about consequences for Dutch consumers are context and are not presented as direct causation.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „shell olie”
- de Volkskrant — „shell olie”
- NU.nl — „shell olie”