Exxon (XOM) earned nearly $11 billion in the first quarter, a performance that will likely land it in the center of the national debate over high gasoline prices.The world's largest publicly traded company on Thursday reported net income of $10.65 billion, or $2.14 per share, in the first three months of the year. That compares with $6.3 billion, or 1.33 per share. Revenue increased 26 percent to $114 billion.
The results surpassed Wall Street estimates of $2.04 per share on sales of $112.6 billion, according to FactSet.
The quarter was Exxon's best since earning a record-setting $14.83 billion in 2008's third quarter. It comes at a time when some drivers are paying $4 or more for gas and President Obama is threatening the oil industry's multibillion-dollar tax subsidies.
Exxon Mobil Corp. increased earnings despite a slight drop in worldwide oil and natural gas liquids production. Benchmark crude prices increased 20 percent from the same period last year.
Anticipating a strong reaction to the results from drivers and politicians, Exxon said on a company blog Wednesday that it has little control over the price of oil, which has risen to near $113 per barrel. The company also noted that less than 3 cents of every dollar it earns comes from the sale of gasoline and diesel fuel.
That may not appease many motorists, however. The national average for a gallon of gas is $3.89, about $1.02 more than a year ago. It's above $4 in 8 states and the District of Columbia.
On the blog, Ken Cohen, Exxon's vice president of public and government affairs, said the company was anticipating "the inevitable headlines and sound bites about high gasoline prices and what to do about them" after the earnings were reported.
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