May 7 (Reuters) - Occidental Petroleum beat estimates for first-quarter profit on Tuesday as the oil-and-gas firm benefited from higher oil prices.

Crude oil prices in the quarter mirrored prices from the previous year as production cuts by OPEC+ countries offset lower demand, helping oil producers such as Occidental.

The company said quarterly average prices for oil were up at $76.04 per barrel, compared with $74.22 per barrel from a year earlier.

It reported an adjusted profit of 63 cents per share for the quarter ended March 31, compared with analysts' average estimate of 60 cents per share, according to LSEG data. (Reporting by Tanay Dhumal in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)