Exxon quarterly profit up slightly

 Exxon Mobil Corp said on Thursday its quarterly profit edged up, helped by higher earnings in its chemicals business but oil and gas production fell.

First-quarter profit for the world's largest publicly traded oil company totaled $9.5 billion, or $2.12 per share, compared with $9.45 billion, or $2 per share, a year earlier.

Analysts, on average, expected the Irving, Texas, company to report a profit of $2.05 per share.

Total oil and natural gas production declined 3.5% to 4.395 million barrels oil equivalent per day from the same quarter a year ago.