Petro-Canada easily topped the expectations of analysts as it reported its second quarter earnings on Thursday.

The oil and natural gas company said it made $845 million, or $1.71 a share, up from $472 million, or 93 cents a share, a year earlier.

Petro-Canada 3-month stock chartPetro-Canada 3-month stock chart

After factoring out one-time items and charges, the company earned $805 million, or $1.63 a share. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had an average profit forecast of $1.45 a share.

Petro-Canada said its revenue for the quarter came in at $5.48 billion, up from $4.73 billion.

"Our record quarter was due to a strong integrated portfolio, solid operations and a robust business environment," said Ron Brenneman, Petro-Canada's president and CEO.

Petro-Canada shares fell $1.68 to end at $57.32 on the TSX.