Phillip 66 Profit Falls More than Expected

Quarterly profit at oil refiner and chemicals company Phillips 66 fell more than expected, with weak global margins causing a loss in its refining business.

Phillips 66 said on Wednesday its refining unit lost $2 million in the third quarter, driven by a 40 percent decline in the average worldwide crack spread, or the difference between wholesale petroleum product prices and crude oil.

Overall, quarterly profit was $535 million, or 87 cents per share, down from $1.6 billion, or $2.51 per share, in the same period a year earlier.

Analysts on average had expected a profit of 94 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.