Saudi Aramco released its full-year 2025 financial results on Tuesday, reporting a net profit of approximately $104 billion for the year, a decline from the $121.9 billion recorded in 2024. The drop was driven primarily by lower revenue from oil sales, reflecting softer global crude prices across much of the year. Despite the decline, Aramco maintained its commitment to shareholders, declaring a base dividend of SAR 0.3393 per share for the fourth quarter of 2025.
Q4 Dividend and Full-Year Payout
The fourth-quarter base dividend, announced in a statement to the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul), totals SAR 82.08 billion and represents a 3.5 percent increase compared to the third quarter of 2025. Shareholders on record as of March 16 will receive payment on March 31, 2026. For the full calendar year, Aramco’s aggregate base dividends reached SAR 322.38 billion, equivalent to SAR 1.3293 per share across all four quarters combined.
The company noted that the payout is consistent with its stated dividend policy, which prioritises a sustainable and progressive return to shareholders. With approximately 241.92 billion shares eligible for dividends, the Q4 payment represents one of the largest single dividend disbursements by any publicly traded company globally.
Share Buyback Programme Launched
In a separate announcement made on March 9, Aramco’s board of directors approved a share repurchase programme of up to 350 million ordinary shares, with a maximum spend of SAR 11.3 billion — equivalent to approximately $3 billion. The shares will be retained as treasury stock and allocated to employees under the company’s share plan. Repurchases may take place over an 18-month window through one or more transactions, funded entirely from Aramco’s internal resources.
Under Aramco’s bylaws, the board has authority to approve such repurchases for employee benefit purposes without requiring extraordinary general assembly approval. The repurchased shares carry no voting rights while held in treasury.
Context: A Year of Lower Oil Revenues
The full-year profit decline reflects a broader challenge facing the global energy sector in 2025 — a period marked by fluctuating crude prices and varying production levels. Despite this, Aramco’s financial position remained robust, with the company continuing to invest in upstream production capacity, downstream integration, and its expanding international portfolio.
Aramco’s production volumes in the second half of 2025 benefited from output increases, partially cushioning the revenue impact of lower prices. The company’s strong balance sheet and disciplined cost structure continue to support its ability to deliver returns to shareholders regardless of short-term commodity market movements, cementing its standing as one of the world’s most consistently profitable energy companies.
