Shares of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) climbed in Wednesday's afternoon trade after the state-run oil marketing company (OMC) reported a strong rise in fourth-quarter earnings for FY26 and announced a final dividend for shareholders. The stock rose 4.29 per cent to hit a day high of Rs 385.45.

HPCL posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 6,065 crore for the March 2026 quarter (Q4 FY26), marking a 77.60 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase from Rs 3,415 crore reported in the corresponding period last year.

Revenue from operations rose 4.45 per cent YoY to Rs 1,23,602 crore in Q4 FY26, compared with Rs 1,18,334 crore in the year-ago period.

The company's gross refining margin (GRM) improved sharply to $14.27 per barrel during the quarter against $8.44 per barrel in Q4 FY25.

On the operational front, HPCL's refineries recorded crude throughput of 6.43 million metric tonnes (MMT) in the March quarter. The Visakh refinery processed 3.89 MMT, operating at 105 per cent of capacity, while the Mumbai refinery processed 2.54 MMT at 109 per cent capacity utilisation.

HPCL said four new grades of crude oil were processed during the quarter, taking the total number of crude grades processed in FY26 to 52.

The company's sales volume, including exports, stood at 13 MMT in Q4 FY26, up 2.4 per cent YoY.

Capital expenditure (capex) during the quarter came at Rs 4,611 crore, while cumulative capex for FY26 stood at Rs 15,705 crore.

Dividend, record date

HPCL's board recommended a final dividend of Rs 19.25 per equity share of face value Rs 10 for FY26, subject to shareholder approval at the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM). This is in addition to the interim dividend of Rs 5 per equity share already paid for FY26.

The company has fixed August 14, 2026, as the record date for determining shareholder eligibility for the final dividend.