Oct 31 (Reuters) - Refiner HF Sinclair reported

a loss in the third quarter compared to a year-ago profit on

Thursday, hurt by a slump in margins, especially in the West and

Mid-Continent regions, due to an oversupply of fuel.

The Dallas-based refiner posted a loss of $75.9 million, or

40 cents per share, for the quarter ended September 30, compared

with net income of $790.9 million, or $4.23 per share, a year

earlier.

Refiners globally have seen a drop in profitability on soft

consumer and industrial demand, especially in China, because of

slowing economic growth and the increasing adoption of electric

vehicles.

U.S. refinery margins, measured by the 3-2-1 crack

spread , dipped to $14.28 in mid-September, the

lowest since early 2021, reflecting lackluster fuel demand.

HF Sinclair's ( DINO ) refinery gross margin was $10.79 per

produced barrel in the third quarter, compared with $26.27 a

year earlier.

However, its refinery utilization averaged 101.2% in the

quarter, compared with 88.8% in the year-ago quarter.