The company had a net profit of Rs 27 crore in January-March 2020. "Enhanced profitability was a result of robust operational performance, improvement in refinery margins helped by inventory gains and favourable exchange rate variations," HPCL Chairman and Managing Director M K Surana told reporters. The company, which runs refineries at Mumbai and Visakhapatnam, earned USD 8.11 on turning every barrel of crude oil into fuel in January-March period. This is compared with a negative gross refining margin (GRM) of USD 1.23 per barrel. Inventory gains are booked when raw material (crude) prices rise by the time a company processes oil into fuel. Losses are booked when the reverse happens.