Santos posts lower first-half profit as new LNG projects ramp up

The Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) share price is in focus today as the company reported a 2% lift in half-year product sales revenue to US$2,620 million, but a 19% drop in statutory profit to US$355 million for the six months ended 30 June 2026. Directors declared an unfranked interim dividend of 11.6 US cents per share.

What did Santos report?

• Product sales revenue: US$2,620 million, up 2% year on year
• Statutory net profit after tax: US$355 million, down 19%
• Underlying profit: US$397 million, down 22%
• EBITDAX: US$1,555 million, down 12%
• Interim dividend: 11.6 US cents per share (unfranked), down 13%
• Operating free cash flow: US$378 million, down 65%

What else do investors need to know?

Santos delivered higher production volumes, mainly due to increased LNG output and the continued ramp-up of the Barossa and Pikka Phase 1 developments. Sales volumes rose by 1.7% to 48 million barrels of oil equivalent, helping offset the impact of lower realised LNG prices and higher depletion expenses.

Cash flow from operations fell sharply versus the prior period, reflecting increased commissioning costs at Barossa and Darwin LNG, higher third-party purchase costs, and the change in depreciation methodology to reflect 1P reserves rather than 2P.

The company’s major projects remain on track. Barossa has reached 97% of planned rates since the end of June, while Pikka Phase 1 in Alaska achieved first oil, with expectations for ramp-up to plateau production in the third quarter of 2026.

What’s next for Santos?

Santos has provided production guidance of 99 to 105 million barrels of oil equivalent and sales volume guidance of 102 to 108 million barrels for the full year 2026. The company expects key growth projects, including the Barossa and Pikka ramp-ups, to underpin higher production and support long-term performance.

Santos continues to progress its portfolio of decarbonisation initiatives, such as the Moomba and Bayu-Undan carbon capture projects. The company maintains its focus on reducing costs, improving asset reliability, and delivering project milestones to support its strategy.

Santos share price snapshot

The Santos share price is marginally outperforming the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) on a 12-month basis with a gain of 4.5%.

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The post Santos posts lower first-half profit as new LNG projects ramp up appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.