CALGARY -- Crescent Point Energy Corp. reported a first-quarter profit of $21.7 million compared with a $2.3-billion loss a year ago when oil prices were falling at the start of the pandemic.

The company says the profit amounted to four cents per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31.

Crescent Point lost $4.40 per diluted share a year ago when it took a non-cash impairment charge of $3.56 billion on its oil and gas assets as a result of the drop in energy prices.

Oil and gas sales in the first quarter of this year totalled $630.2 million, up from $584.4 million in the same quarter last year, while average daily production fell to 119,384 barrels of oil equivalent per day, from 141,330 boepd a year ago.

Its average selling price was $58.65 per barrel of oil equivalent, up from $42.64 in the same quarter last year.

Crescent Point says its adjusted earnings from operations for its first quarter totalled $95.1 million or 18 cents per share, up from $48.7 million or nine cents per share in the first three months of 2020.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2021.