Understanding Our Financial Results

 

Historic Cost versus Replacement Cost Basis

Caltex reports its results for statutory purposes on a historical cost basis.  We also provide information on our financial results on a replacement cost of sales operating profit (RCOP) basis.  The RCOP result removes the impact of fluctuations in the US$ price of crude and foreign exchange on cost of sales.  Such impacts constitute a major external influence on company profits.

RCOP restates profit to remove these impacts.  The Caltex RCOP methodology is consistent with the basis of reporting used by other refining marketing groups.

As a general rule, an increase in crude prices on an Australian dollar basis will create a gain for Caltex. Conversely, a drop in crude prices on an Australian dollar basis will create a loss.  This is a direct consequence of the first in first out costing process used by Caltex in adherence to accounting standards to produce the financial result on a historical cost basis.  With Caltex holding approximately 45-60 days of inventory, revenues reflect current prices in Singapore whereas first in first out costings reflect costs some 45-60 days earlier.  The timing difference creates these impacts on cost of sales, referred to as "inventory gains and losses". To remove the impact of this on earnings and to better reflect the underlying performance of the business, the RCOP methodology calculates the cost of goods sold on the basis of theoretical new purchases instead of actual costs from inventory.  The cost of these theoretical new purchases is calculated as the average monthly cost of cargoes received during the month of those sales. 

Replacement Cost Earnings Before Interest and Tax

The breakdown of RCOP shown here represents a management reporting view of the breakdown and, as such, individual components may not reconcile to statutory accounts.

For the year ended 31 December.

Millions of dollars

2012   2011  2010

2009

2008

Caltex Refiner Margin (CRM)

787  485  572

521

789

Transport Fuels Marketing Margin

 678  643  524

444

393

Lubricants and Specialties Margin

 127  111  121

104

128

Non-fuel Income

 184  180  165

153

154

Operating Expenses

 (1,002)  (999)  (917)

(863)

(806)

Other

 (18)  22  35

131

(337)

RCOP EBIT Excluding Significant Items

 756  442  500

489

321

Significant items

 (441)  (1,594)  (23)

(173)

0

Total RCOP EBIT ( including significant items)

 315  1,152  477

317

321

 

Caltex Refiner Margin (CRM)

CRM represents the difference between the cost of importing a standard Caltex basket of products to eastern Australia and the cost of importing the crude oil required to make that product basket.

The CRM is calculated in the following manner:

   
Weighted Singapore product prices (standard Caltex basket of products)
Less:    Reference crude price (from 1 January 2011 the Caltex reference crude marker is Dated Brent)
Equals:  Singapore Weighted Average Margin (Dated Brent basis)
Plus:  Product quality premium
Crude discount
Product freight
Less:  Crude premium
Crude freight
Yield Loss
Equals:  Caltex Refiner Margin

 

Note that from 1 January 2011, Caltex changed its reference crude marker to Dated Brent following a period of comparative substantial volatility in the APPI Tapis crude benchmark.  As a result of this volatility crude producers increasingly moved to the use of Dated Brent as the relevant marker for pricing sales of crude on either a term or spot basis.  As the proportion of crudes priced off the Dated Brent benchmark had increased to represent more than half of our monthly requirements, Caltex has moved its calculation of Singapore Weighted Average Margin to a Dated Brent basis effective 1 January 2011. Similarly the calculated crude discount/premium will reflect the difference between the prices paid by Caltex for its crude requirements and the average of the Dated Brent price for the relevant period.

The Caltex Refiner Margin earned for the year ended 31 December is the total of the product of each month's average unit lagged Caltex Refiner Margin (US$/bbl)  and CRM Sales from Production which is then converted to Australian dollars using the prevailing average monthly exchange rate. Investors and analysts can track the monthly realised Caltex Refiner Margin and CRM Sales from Production figures on this website or via the ASX releases published on the ASX website.

   Lagged* CRM (US$/bbl)  CRM Sales from Production (ML) 

Month

 2012

2011

 2012

2011

January

 8.19

8.86

 791

 847

February

 4.65

6.44

 866

 755

March

 5.55

6.32

 726

 928

April

 12.39

6.16

 826

 753

May

 10.93

11.30

 1,055

 790

June

 9.09

7.90

 901

 766

First Half Average

 8.47

7.82

 

 

July

 12.19

5.40

 1,005

 863

August

 17.35

8.97

 927

 908

September

 14.03

8.86

 846

 869

October

 16.72

12.09

 1,013

 805

November

 12.98

5.59

 1,003

 795

December

 12.49

7.17

 951

 888

Second Half Average

 15.7

8.15

 

 

Full Year Average

 11.83

7.99

 10,913

 9,967

 

*Caltex uses a rolling 7 day average of the international benchmark prices to calculate wholesale petrol prices. This smooths out daily movements as a result of price volatility. This means there is usually a lag of about a week between movements in international benchmark prices and wholesale prices here in Australia.  As the Australian dollar price of crude rises the lag has the effect of reducing the Caltex Refiner Margin.  Conversely, as the Australian dollar price of crude falls the lag has the effect of increasing the Caltex Refiner Margin.

Transport Fuels Marketing Margin

Transport fuels comprise petrol, diesel and jet. The transport fuels marketing margin is based on the average net margin over Import Parity Price (due to Australia requiring to import a significant proportion of its transport fuel needs) in Australia.   Import Parity Pricing refers to the landed cost of refined fuel to import terminals around Australia.  It includes:

  • the benchmark price for refined fuel
  • the 'quality premium' for specific Australian and State fuel standards
  • freight
  • exchange rate
  • wharfage, insurance and loss.

Caltex sells approximately 15 billion litres of petrol, diesel and jet each year.

Lubricants and Specialties Margin

Lubricants and specialties products include finished lubricants, base oils, liquefied petroleum gas, petrochemicals, bitumen, wax and marine fuels.  These products are either imported or are bi-products from the refining process which are transferred internally to our Marketing business at Import Parity Pricing or purchase cost. The total earnings from this part of the business are dependent on sales volumes and the average net margin achieved over the price our Marketing business paid for the products.

Non-fuel Income

Non-fuel income includes royalties paid to Caltex by franchisees based on turnover, convenience store income from company operated stores, franchise fees, royalties, property, plant and equipment rentals, income from the company's fuel card (Starcard) and the company's share of profits from non-controlled equity distributors.

Other

Other margin includes gross margin other than CRM.  The largest component of "other" is the foreign exchange impact on crude and product payables.  An appreciating dollar has a positive impact on the business in that it creates a short-term benefit due to a realised exchange rate gain on US dollar denominated payables.  In the short term, any gain or loss resulting from the impact of changes in the exchange rate on the monthly crude and product payables outweighs the refiner margin impact.  In the longer term, the reverse is true.

Caltex has a foreign exchange risk management program in place aimed at reducing the impact of movements in the AUD-USD exchange rate.

To explain the impact of the exchange rate on US dollar payables, when Caltex purchases crude oil or petroleum products, the cost in A$ is recorded in its accounts at the time the cargo is loaded by converting the agreed US$ price (oil is traded internationally in US$ per barrel) at the current exchange rate. However, when payment is actually made, the cost in A$ may have changed due to a change in the exchange rate.  If the actual cost is less than the amount recorded in the accounts, the difference is added to earnings as an exchange rate gain, and vice versa. Caltex purchases approximately 6 million barrels (bbl)of crude and product per month and over multiple cargoes (usually about 10 to 15) per month.

A simplified example is provided below :

Assumptions

   
 CRM  US$7/bbl 
 Crude  US$100/bbl
 AUD/USD exchange rate  100 cents falling to 90 cents
 Buy 6 million bbls per month

Month 1



USD ($m)
AUD ($m)
CRM
6 million bbls x $7
42


@ 100 cents   

42

@ 90 cents   

46.67




Result is an increase in the CRM of A$4.67 million.
       
Payables Exposure of 6 million bbls x $100  600
 
  @ 100 cents     600
   @  90 cents     667




Realised loss on payables is $67 million and after hedging 50% is reduced to $33.5 million.

In this example, it would take 7 months for the CRM benefit to offset the realised loss on payables.  Note, however, exchange rates move continuously and it is longer term trends that are important.

Definitions

Barrel (per barrel) or bbl

A measure used for oil production and sales.  One barrel equals approximately 159 litres.

Caltex Basket of Products

The Caltex basket of products reflects the combined typical yield of petrol, diesel, jet and fuel oil from Caltex's two refineries at Kurnell and Lytton.   The Caltex yield is approximately 50% gasoline, 30% diesel, 17% jet and 2% fuel oil.

Dated Brent

Dated Brent is the price for prompt shipments of Brent crude as reported by price agencies.  It is the price benchmark for the vast majority of crude oils sold in Europe, Africa, Middle East and now the Asia Region, and one of the most important benchmarks for spot market prices.

Quality Premium

A quality premium is added to product prices to take into account Australia's high fuel standards (particularly around the gasoline specification) when compared to the rest of the Asia Pacific region.

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