Shell keeps $3.5bn buyback despite Q4 profit slide — and debt jumps to $45.7bn
Shell announced on Thursday a new $3.5 billion share buyback and raised its dividend, despite a drop in profit that missed expectations in the final quarter of 2025. This shift is significant since investors long viewed buybacks as the oil sector’s go-to way to deploy cash, despite sliding crude prices and shrinking earnings. Now, the key issue is how long Shell can maintain steady returns without its leverage inching higher.
