RIYADH: Saudi-listed companies are expected to see mixed earnings in the second quarter of 2022, amid rising oil prices, looming economic slowdown risks, and interest rate hikes, according to Al-Rajhi Capital.

The Riyadh-based financial service firm which has analyzed the performance of all industrial sectors expects the Kingdom’s oil giant Aramco to post SR164.8 billion ($44 billion) in profits in the second quarter of 2022, up 81 percent from a year earlier. It estimates the chemical giant Saudi Basic Industries Corp.’s profit to slightly slip by 1 percent to SR7.6 billion.

Apart from SABIC, petrochemical companies will see pressure on earnings, weighed down by higher feedstock costs amid stable polymer prices, the report added.

In the healthcare sector, Al Rajhi Capital forecasts leaps in performance for two major players on improved capacity utilization, as Dallah Health and Sulaiman Al Habib are expected to see a profit surge of 50 percent and 10 percent respectively.

For the cement sector, however, the outlook is negative. All companies including, but not limited to, Saudi Cement, Southern Cement, and Yamama Cement are expected to see a drop in profit due to lower cement volumes.

The investment bank’s forecast for Saudi Telecom Co., known as stc, revealed an 8-percent increase in net profit, reaching SR3.07 billion.