(Adds quote, detail)
OSLO, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Norway's Aker BP said
on Thursday it would increase its dividend payout as
third-quarter profits soared on the back of strong oil and gas
prices.
Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) for July-September
rose to $849 million from $242 million a year ago, lagging the
$868 million expected by analysts in a Refinitiv poll.
"The company continued maturing its project portfolio,
including the NOAKA project where the development concept has
been selected and the resource estimate has been increased,"
Aker BP's Chief Executive Karl Johnny Hersvik said.
"Based on a historically strong financial position, the
company has decided to increase its quarterly dividends from
November 2021," he added.
The company controlled by Norwegian billionaire Kjell Inge
Roekke and partly owned by BP increased its quarterly
dividend to $0.4165 per share from $0.3124 per share.
(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis, editing by Terje Solsvik)