MOL : posts highest profit in a decade in 2017

19-02-2018

• MOL Group posted Clean CCS EBITDA of USD 2.45 bn as all segments increased their contribution
• Free cash flow increased 21% year-on-year to reach USD 1.41 bn, comfortably beating the yearly guidance
• Net profit reached USD 1.11 bn, 18% up year-on-year

Budapest, 20 February 2018 - Today, MOL Group announced its financial results for 2017. MOL increased its EBITDA by 14% comfortably outperforming its 2017 target on the back of a strong financial and operational delivery of all business segments.

Organic capex stood at USD 1.04 bn, in line with lowered guidance and slightly higher than in the previous year. MOL continued to generate a massive amount of free cash flow establishing a strong financial framework to cover its ambitious transformational projects.

Upstream delivered USD 854 mn EBITDA, a 26% increase in comparison with 2016 arising from higher Brent and gas prices. Due to a strong cost discipline the segment nearly doubled the amount of free cash flow, USD 14 per each barrel produced, and turned into a major contributor to the Group's cash generation in 2017. The daily production averaged at 107,400 barrels of oil equivalent, slightly below the yearly guidance due to lower UK contribution.

Downstream once again posted strong results and remained the main earnings contributor delivering almost half of the Group's Clean CCS EBITDA at USD 1.18 bn. The segment increased its contribution by 2% from an already very high base thanks to internal efficiency programs and the still supportive external environment.

Consumer Services continued its impressive double-digit growth supported by rising fuel consumption (4% growth in 2017 in CEE) and healthy margins. The segment posted USD 358 mn EBITDA, a 17% increase year-on-year, and is now well on track to reach USD 450 mn EBITDA target by 2021. Thanks to further rollout of MOL's non-fuel concept Fresh Corner the growth of non-fuel margin continued to outpace the fuel margin, with its share in the total retail margin reaching a new high of 26% in the last quarter of 2017.

Gas Midstream EBITDA rose 15% year-on-year to reach USD 223 mn, strongly supported by surging domestic transmission volumes, which were able to compensate for adverse tariff changes.

Zsolt Hernádi, MOL Group Chairman-CEO, commented on the results: 'I am glad to say that 2017 was another year of delivering strong financial results, but equally importantly it was also a year of visible progress along our transformation journey set out in the MOL 2030 strategy. We comfortably beat our upgraded earnings targets with increasing contribution from all businesses. Upstream more than doubled its free cash flow contribution, Downstream EBITDA increased further from a high base, while Consumer Services sustained its double-digit earnings growth. Regarding strategic transformation, our flagship chemicals (polyol) project made major progress and we have been launching new, innovative mobility-related services. We are starting 2018 with a strong momentum with crucial investment decisions ahead of us. We are also expecting to deliver around USD 2.2bn EBITDA this year, which will allow us to fund our transformational projects as well as the rising dividends to our shareholders.'

About MOL Group

MOL Group is an integrated, international oil and gas company, headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. It is active in over 30 countries with a dynamic international workforce of 25,000 people and a track record of more than 100 years in the industry. MOL's exploration and production activities are supported by more than 80 years' experience in the hydrocarbon field. At the moment, there are production activities in 8 countries and exploration assets in 13 countries. MOL Group operates four refineries and two petrochemicals plants under integrated supply chain management in Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia, and owns a network of 2,000 service stations across 10 countries in Central & South Eastern Europe.

Contacts for media

Anna Wisniowska
m: +36202433963
@: awisniowska@mol.hu

Tamás Berzi
m: +36204097632
@: tberzi@mol.hu