The rising crude prices have again brought into the limelight the financial health of PSU oil refiners Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL). Crude oil for February delivery was at $81.79 a barrel on January 6 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. As long as the government remains reluctant to raise retail fuel prices, especially of cooking fuel, kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), concerns of rising under-recoveries will haunt these companies, putting their stocks under pressure.
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Public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) are expected to lose Rs 45,478 crore this financial year on selling fuel at the government-controlled prices. These OMCs incur an under-recovery of Rs 3.10 per litre on petrol, Rs 2.55 on diesel, Rs 17.30 on PDS kerosene and Rs 241 on each 14.2-kg cylinder of domestic LPG. For these companies, more burdens in the form of under-recoveries can be disastrous. In the September quarter, IOC reported a profit of just Rs 284 crore, while BPCL and HPCL reported losses of Rs 159 crore and Rs 137 crore, respectively. Contrast this with the profits these companies earned when oil fell from its historic highs of $147 a barrel in July 2008. IOC, for instance, had posted a net profit of Rs 3,682.83 crore in the June 08-09 quarter and Rs 6,622.96 crore in the March quarter. BPCL had seen a profit of Rs 614.12 crore in the June quarter and Rs 3,628.02 crore in the March quarter.
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How rising crude prices impact oil refiners - Financial Express