HOUSTON (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp said on Thursday its quarterly profit rose 58 percent as higher crude oil prices offset the effect that disruptions from Gulf of Mexico hurricanes had on the oil major's output.
Exxon said its 2008 capital expenditures will be about $25 billion as planned.
Profit in the third quarter for the world's largest publicly traded company was $14.83 billion, or $2.86 per share, compared with $9.4 billion, or $1.70 per share in the same period a year ago.
Excluding items, Exxon earned $2.59 per share.
Analysts had expected the Irving, Texas company to report a profit of $2.38 per share, according to Reuters Estimates.
(Reporting by Anna Driver in Houston, editing by Dave Zimmerman)
