Feb 27 (Reuters) - British oilfield services provider Hunting Plc reported a small drop in its annual core profit on Thursday, as strong performance in its Asia Pacific and Middle East operations offset weak North American shale activity.
Hunting, which manufactures a wide range of tools and solutions used in oil and gas exploration, said its underlying earnings before interest tax and depreciation fell to $139.7 million for the year ended Dec. 31, from $142.3 million a year earlier.
Analysts on average had expected core profit of $138.10 million, according to Refinitiv IBES.
Reporting by Shanima A in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila
