CALGARY, Alberta, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Suncor Energy Inc SU.TO , Canada's largest oil and gas company, on Wednesday reported a better-than-expected third-quarter profit thanks to strong upstream production and record crude throughput at its refineries.
The company reported net earnings of C$392 million ($293 million), or 24 Canadian cents per share. In the year-prior quarter the company recorded a net loss of C$376 million, or 26 Canadian cents per share.
Suncor's operating profit, which excludes one-time items, was C$346 million, or 21 Canadian cents per share, in the third quarter, from operating earnings of C$410 million, or 28 Canadian cents per share, in the year-ago period.
Analysts had predicted earnings of 9 Canadian cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Suncor produced a total of 728,100 barrels of oil equivalent per day, up from 566,100 boepd in the third quarter of 2015, primarily due to its acquisition of a greater share of the Syncrude project in northern Alberta. ($1 = 1.3383 Canadian dollars)