Saudi oil giant Aramco announces first-quarter profits of $26 billion, down 4.6% from a year earlier

Saudi Aramco's Q1 profits drop to $26 billion amid falling oil prices, impacting Saudi Arabia's ambitious development plans.

Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant Aramco posted first-quarter profits of $26 billion on Sunday (May 11, 2025), down 4.6% from the prior year as falling global oil prices undermine the kingdom’s multi-trillion-dollar development plans.

Aramco, formally known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., had revenues of $108.1 billion over the quarter, the company reported in a filing on Riyadh’s Tadawul stock exchange. The company saw $107.2 billion in revenues and profits of $27.2 billion the same quarter last year.

Saudi Arabia has promised to invest $600 billion in the U.S. over the course of President Donald Trump’s term.

Mr. Trump, who is set to touch down in Riyadh on Tuesday (May 13) on his first official foreign trip since he retook the Oval Office, said in January that he wants that number to be even higher, at around $1 trillion.

Meanwhile, the Saudi de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has his sights set on a $500 billion project to build Neom, a vast, futuristic city in the desert along the Red Sea. The kingdom will also need new stadiums and infrastructure costing tens of billions of dollars by 2034, when Saudi Arabia will host the World Cup.

The announcement of Aramco’s first-quarter results comes as the OPEC+ alliance has ramped up oil production. The oil cartel has agreed to boost output by 4,11,000 barrels per day next month, as uncertainty driven by U.S. tariffs has rippled through Middle Eastern markets. That means Saudi Arabia will likely need to borrow or spend reserve funds to finance the crown prince’s expensive goals.

Aramco’s stock traded over $6 a share on Thursday (May 8), down from a high of around $8 last year. It has dropped over the past year as oil prices have dipped, and in recent months.