Exxon Mobil on Friday beat Wall Street's estimate for fourth-quarter profit as higher oil and gas production offset lower oil prices and weaker refining margins. Its adjusted profit was $7.39 billion or $1.

Exxon said over 50% of its 2024 production came from Permian, Guyana, and LNG and expects that share to exceed 60% by 2030. Exxon returned $36 billion to shareholders in 2024, backed by $36.2 billion in free cash flow. The company led the industry with a 12.7% return on capital employed.

Lower corporate costs also enabled the company to beat profit estimates, said RBC Capital Markets analyst Biraj Borkhataria. Earnings from producing gasoline and diesel were $323 million

Production in both the US Permian shale basin and Guyana reached a record high, with Guyana volumes recovering after maintenance during last quarter. Overall production was just above 4.6 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in the fourth quarter, and 4.3 million boepd for the full year.

ExxonMobil reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat analyst expectations, driven by record production in the Permian Basin and Guyana, despite lower refining margins.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) +0.4% pre-market Friday after reporting Q4 adjusted earnings that were roughly flat compared with the year-earlier quarter but ahead of Wall Street estimates, driven by high-margin projects in the Permian Basin and Guyana.