Petronas has emphasised that all its dividend payments, including the one-off special dividend and any future dividends, will take into account its ability to service debts.

In a statement today, it also said that the dividend payments also took into account its ability to fund ongoing operations and invest in future growth.

Petronas was referring to the announcement by S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service affirming its credit ratings of A- and A1 respectively, subsequent to the announcement of the RM30 billion one-off special dividend payment in the 2019 Budget.

The credit rating affirmation reflects Petronas’ solid financial position, that remains robust supported by strong fundamentals, sizeable net cash and ample liquidity position, driven by recent transformation efforts in operational efficiency, cost reduction and portfolio optimisation, and supported by improved oil prices.

Petronas also noted the change of Moody’s ratings outlook from stable to negative.

In this regard, it was stated that the outlook change was due to Moody’s view that the financial profile of Petronas would be at risk of deteriorating if dividend payments remain high in the future.

- Bernama