(Reuters) - Talisman Energy Inc
Talisman, which has been shifting its operations to focus on unconventional gas in North America and offshore exploration in southeast Asia, earned C$30 million ($27.9 million), or 3 Canadian cents a share, down from C$1.4 billion, or C$1.40 a share, a year ago.
The company was expected to earn 10 Canadian cents per share, excluding items, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Cash flow, a glimpse into an oil company's ability to fund drilling and major projects, was C$838 million, or 83 Canadian cents a share, down 50 percent from C$1.68 billion, or C$1.65 a share.
During the quarter, benchmark oil prices averaged $68.24 a barrel, down 42 percent from a year earlier. Natural gas averaged $3.44 per million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange, down 62 percent.
Overall production averaged 401,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, down 9 percent from the third-quarter of 2008.
($1=1.075 Canadian Dollar)
(Reporting by Ajay Kamalakaran in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)
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