Shareholders of the Slovenian energy company Petrol have approved a proposal to allocate almost the entire profit from the previous year toward dividend payments, resulting in a gross dividend of €2.10 per share—an increase of €0.30 compared to last year.
At the meeting, concerns were raised over persistently low profit margins, which shareholders warned could jeopardize the company’s ability to sustain dividend payments in the long term. Petrol reported a distributable profit of €86.6 million for 2024, with €86.3 million earmarked for dividends.
While margins in other markets where Petrol operates are more favorable, the Slovenian fuel retail sector remains constrained. Shareholders stressed that without an increase in margins, the company’s capacity for future investment—and ultimately business stability—may be compromised.
Petrol’s CEO, Sašo Berger, urged regulators to revisit the country’s fuel margin regulations. Slovenia’s maximum allowable margin of €0.10 per liter is the lowest in the European Union and less than half the EU average. Berger highlighted that this margin fails to cover essential costs such as labor, logistics, infrastructure, and maintenance, much less support green energy transition efforts.
Berger also pointed out that fuel retail margins in Slovenia have remained unchanged for two decades, despite labor costs having more than doubled during that time, questioning the sustainability of fuel retail under these conditions.
According to unofficial reports, the Slovenian Government may extend the current fuel price regulations, potentially further reducing margins. Berger confirmed that Petrol is actively engaging with policymakers to highlight the long-term risks of such measures.
The Slovak-Czech financial group J&T is Petrol’s largest individual shareholder with a 12.78% stake, while the Slovenian Government, via Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SDH) and Kapitalska družba, controls about one-third of the company.
In terms of financial performance, Petrol achieved group sales revenues of €6.1 billion in 2024, maintaining strong sales volumes in oil products, natural gas, and electricity. Net profit for the year stood at €145.9 million. In the first quarter of 2025, the company posted revenues of €1.5 billion and a net profit of €31 million.