EARNINGS POLL-Unipetrol to show $15 mln Q2 net loss

                                
 * Unipetrol <UNPEsp.PR> second-quarter results
                                
 * Aug. 30, after 2200 GMT
                                
 * Net loss seen at 272 million crowns ($15.2 million)
                                
 
                                
 PRAGUE, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Czech downstream oil group
Unipetrol <UNPEsp.PR> is expected to show a third straight
quarterly loss as an economic crisis hits demand and squeezes
margins, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday.
                                
 The poll of nine analysts gave an average estimate for the
net loss of 272 million crowns ($15.2 million) in the second
quarter and an operating loss of 232 million crowns.
 In the same period last year, Unipetrol posted a net profit
of 303 million and an 838 million operating profit.
                                
 The oil processor, 63 percent owned by Poland's PKN Orlen
<PKNA.WA>, said last month it expected an operating loss for the
second quarter of more than 127 million crowns in the first
three months this year, as sales and margins fell further due to
poor macroeconomic conditions.
                                
 But the group said the operating result should be better
than the 1.26 billion loss in the fourth quarter of 2008, when
it booked over a 2 billion one-off loss from an inventory
revaluation.
                                
 Unipetrol said it saw a 16 percent year-on-year fall in
sales volumes of petrochemicals in the second quarter, while the
refinery segment dropped by 18 percent.
                                
 The refining division was also hurt by a plant shutdown,
which the group earlier reported would impact the operating
result by 132 million crowns.
                                
 Unipetrol shares have dropped by 7 percent since January,
lagging an overall recovery in the Prague bourse's PX index
<.PX>, which is up some 35 percent. Over the past 12 months, the
stock has slumped by 31 percent.
                                
 Following are forecasts in millions of crowns (figures in
brackets mean a negative figure):
                                
 
 Q2/09            Average   Median        Range         Q2/08
 Revenue          16,645    16,367   14,513 -19,300    27,081
 EBITDA              599       590      543 -   709     1,702
 Operating result   (232)     (244)    (300)-  (127)      838
 Net result         (272)     (294)    (363)-  (178)      303
                                
 
 The following banks and equity houses took part in the poll:
Atlantik FT, BH Securities, Cyrrus, Erste Bank/Ceska Sporitelna,
KBC/Patria Finance, Komercni Banka, Raiffeisenbank, UniCredit
Global Research, Wood & Company.
                                
 Estimates for revenue were provided by eight analysts.
                                
 
 (Reporting by Jan Korselt; Editing by Sharon Lindores and David
Holmes)
 ($1=17.91 Czech Crown)