GAIL Q4 net profit slips 6% to Rs 2,049 crore on petrochemical losses, lower marketing margins

State-run gas utility GAIL (India) Ltd on Tuesday reported a 6 per cent year-on-year decline in consolidated net profit for the January–March quarter, impacted by lower gas marketing margins and losses in the petrochemical segment. Net profit for the fourth quarter of FY25 stood at Rs 2,049.03 crore, down from Rs 2,176.97 crore in the same quarter a year ago and sharply lower than Rs 3,867.38 crore posted in the previous quarter ending December 2024, the company said in a filing to the stock exchanges.GAIL chairman and managing director Sandeep Kumar Gupta attributed the quarter-on-quarter decline in profitability to the absence of a one-time gain booked in the third quarter. “Profitability is lower than the preceding quarter as the company had a one-time gain from an arbitration award in Q3,” he said, as quoted by PTI.The company’s Q4 earnings were affected by reduced margins on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) following a cut in the allocation of cheaper domestically produced gas. GAIL also incurred losses in its petrochemical segment due to persistent price pressures. Margins from its core gas marketing business also weakened, while earnings from its gas transmission segment—where GAIL holds a 70 per cent market share in India—fell by 29 per cent.Despite the weaker quarterly performance, Gupta said the company had strong operational performance in FY25. “Despite challenges in the global economy, our company had a landmark year, reaching unprecedented financial milestones and achieving the highest-ever EBITDA, profit before tax and profit after tax in GAIL’s history,” he stated.For the full financial year 2024–25, GAIL reported a 5 per cent increase in revenue from operations to Rs 1.37 lakh crore. The company posted a record EBITDA of Rs 19,168 crore and profit before tax (PBT) of Rs 14,825 crore, up from Rs 11,555 crore in the previous fiscal. Profit after tax (PAT) rose 28 per cent to Rs 11,312 crore.In operational terms, GAIL’s natural gas transmission volumes grew by 6 per cent to 127.32 million standard cubic metres per day (mmscmd) in FY25. Gas marketing volume stood at 101.49 mmscmd compared to 98.45 mmscmd in FY24. Polymer production also rose by 6 per cent to 827,000 tonnes, while liquid hydrocarbon (LHC) output declined to 947,000 tonnes from 996,000 tonnes.In Q4 alone, natural gas transmission volume declined to 120.83 mmscmd from 125.93 mmscmd in Q3, while gas marketing volume rose to 106.53 mmscmd from 103.46 mmscmd in the preceding quarter.The GAIL board recommended a final dividend of Re 1 per equity share, in addition to an interim dividend of Rs 6.50 per share already paid.Gupta also said the company incurred a capital expenditure of Rs 10,512 crore in FY25. Additionally, the board approved the transfer of city gas licenses for six geographical areas (GAs)—Varanasi, Patna, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack—from GAIL to its city gas distribution arm, GAIL Gas Ltd (GGL), which currently operates 16 GAs across India.“In order to have a single entity for development of GAIL’s city gas distribution (CGD) business and for bringing business synergy, efficiency and retail retail-focused business approach, the board has recommended to transfer the six GAs of GAIL to GGL, subject to the approval of the Cabinet,” Gupta added.