Oil Majors' Shareholder Payouts Are Under Pressure

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Why This Matters

Oil majors are facing pressure to reduce shareholder payouts as they report lower-than-expected profits, with Shell and Equinor taking steps to cut costs and reduce buybacks.

Market Impact

Market impact analysis based on bearish sentiment with 80% confidence.

Sentiment
Bearish
AI Confidence
80%
Time Horizon
Short Term

Article Context

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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…

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Original article published by OilPrice.com on February 6, 2026.
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