Exxon Mobil Corp, the world's largest
publicly traded oil company, posted a quarterly profit on Thursday that hands
down beat Wall Street's expectations as a bitterly cold winter throughout much
of the United States boosted natural gas prices.
The
past winter, which affected much of the U.S. in January and February, pushed
Exxon Mobil's average U.S. natural gas sale price up 49 percent, helping offset
a dip in global production.
Prices for
natural gas rose globally as well, even as the price the company receives for
its crude oil slipped both in the U.S. and internationally.
Exxon Mobil
reported first-quarter net income of $9.10 billion, or $2.10 per share,
compared with $9.50 billion, or $2.12 per share, in the year-ago quarter.
The results
surpassed analysts' expectation for profit of $1.88 per share, according to
Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Click here
for the full article in Reuters.