Exxon Mobil first-quarter profit drops 63 percent

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp , the world's largest publicly traded oil producer, reported a 63 percent drop in first-quarter profit on Friday, citing plunging crude prices and weak refining margins.

The company reported net income of $1.81 billion, or 43 cents per share, compared with $4.94 billion, or $1.17 per share, a year earlier.

Production rose 2 percent to 4.3 million barrels of oil equivalent per day.

(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)