LONDON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Shell's fourth-quarter net profit of $3.3 billion missed expectations, dropping ‌11% from a year ​earlier amid lower oil ‍prices, it said ⁠on ⁠Thursday as it kept its ‌share buyback ​programme steady at $3.5 billion for the ⁠next three ‍months.

The ​average analyst estimate in a company-provided poll for ‍adjusted earnings, Shell's definition of net profit, was $3.5 billion.

Shell, the world's largest liquefied ​natural ‍gas trader, reported fourth-quarter cash flow ​from operations of $9.44 billion, above expectations for $7.87 billion. That compares with $13.16 billion in the same ​quarter a year earlier.