(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia’s biggest chemical company missed analysts’ profit estimates last quarter as the industry continues to grapple with challenging conditions including overcapacity and weak demand.
Saudi Basic Industries Corp., also known as Sabic, posted 1 billion riyals ($266 million) in profit in the third quarter, according to a statement on Monday. That’s up from a year ago, when the company suffered a loss due to the sale of its steel unit, but down from the second quarter. Higher feedstock costs and lower average selling prices were a drag, it said.
“Overcapacity continues to weigh on the market,” Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh, chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Current utilization rates remain below long-term averages.”
He expects stable demand in the current quarter, though highlighted challenges with exports to Europe. Sabic shares were down as much as 0.7% as of 10:40 a.m. in Riyadh.
The results add to signs that the industry is still struggling to cope with demand challenges, costs and margin pressure. Global behemoth BASF SE recently gave a cautious outlook, citing lower sales in China and subdued demand from automotive clients. LyondellBasell Industries said it may sell chemical sites in Europe as more closures are needed to balance the market. Sabic had earlier this year warned about “considerable uncertainty.”
Sabic’s revenue climbed from a year ago and the preceding period, with an increase in sales volume offsetting a “slight decrease” in selling prices during the third quarter.
The company is well positioned to withstand a slow recovery in the industry given its strong balance sheet, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Salih Yilmaz.
Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil exporter, owns a majority of Sabic and is due to report earnings on Tuesday. The two companies canceled plans to build a refinery and chemicals project in Saudi Arabia as they evaluate spending plans with a focus on Asia, Bloomberg reported last month.
Sabic cut 2024 capital expenditure guidance to $3.3 billion to $3.9 billion from the lower range of $4 billion to $5 billion.
Shares of Sabic are down about 13% this year on the Saudi stock exchange.
The company’s credit rating was recently affirmed at A+ — the fifth highest — with a stable outlook by Fitch Ratings. The agency cited geographic diversification and a conservative financial profile, including ample liquidity and strong pre-dividend free cash flow, among reasons for its view.
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