Oil Majors' Shareholder Payouts Under Pressure Oil majors continue to publish their Q4 2025 results, with UK-based energy giant Shell joining the ranks of those that missed fourth-quarter expectations by reporting an 11% decline in profits (at $3.3 billion). Whilst Norway’s state oil firm Equinor cut its buyback programme by 70% and cut 2026 capital expenditures, more investor-exposed majors prefer to keep their shareholder payouts unchanged. Shell has bought back a quarter of its stock over the past four years, totalling…