Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Trading Up 1.8% Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) rose 1.8% on Wednesday after Melius Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. Melius Research now has a $205.00 price target on the stock. Chevron traded as high as $183.92 and last traded at $183.7490. Approximately 10,303,592 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 12,584,943 shares. The stock had previously closed at $180.55.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on CVX. Zacks Research raised Chevron from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $212.00 target price on shares of Chevron in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Chevron in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Chevron from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Chevron from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $180.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $176.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Eimear P. Bonner sold 32,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.01, for a total value of $5,617,821.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 4,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $764,093.66. This trade represents a 88.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John B. Hess sold 275,000 shares of Chevron stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.75, for a total value of $41,456,250.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,128,045 shares in the company, valued at $170,052,783.75. This trade represents a 19.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 806,027 shares of company stock valued at $130,289,680. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Chevron

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Chevron-led consortium won four offshore lease blocks in Greece (Chevron will operate with ~70% interest), expanding its Mediterranean exploration footprint and adding long‑term upstream optionality. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Chevron raised its quarterly dividend (new quarterly amount $1.78; annualized ~$7.12), reinforcing income appeal as Treasury yields have eased and supporting demand from yield‑focused investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Energy sector leadership year‑to‑date is boosting interest in integrated majors like Chevron; sector momentum can lift CVX but also encourages rotation and valuation debates. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent analyst and media comparisons (Chevron vs. Exxon/Conoco) are increasing coverage and short‑term volume—useful for trading activity but not immediate proof of fundamental change. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: recent filings show Andrew Walz and CTO Thomas Ryder Booth sold CVX shares (small relative to total float but notable to some investors), which can be perceived as a near‑term negative signal. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market largely ignored a Melius Research upgrade and $205 price target; shares dipped after the announcement, suggesting the upgrade alone isn’t shifting investor conviction. Read More.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chevron during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Karpus Management Inc. bought a new position in Chevron in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Basso Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Chevron during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Quattro Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Chevron during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Chevron by 197.7% in the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. 72.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chevron Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $369.98 billion, a PE ratio of 27.59, a PEG ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 0.70. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $163.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $157.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $45.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.18 billion. Chevron had a return on equity of 8.23% and a net margin of 6.51%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.06 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Chevron Corporation will post 10.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $1.78 dividend. This is a boost from Chevron’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.71. This represents a $7.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Chevron’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 102.70%.

Chevron Company Profile

Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) is an American multinational energy company engaged in virtually all aspects of the oil and gas industry. As an integrated energy firm, Chevron’s core activities include upstream oil and natural gas exploration and production, midstream transportation and storage, downstream refining and marketing of fuels and lubricants, and petrochemical manufacturing through joint ventures and subsidiaries. The company markets fuels under brands such as Chevron, Texaco and Caltex and supplies a range of products and services to retail customers, industrial users and commercial fleets worldwide.

Chevron traces its corporate lineage to the early petroleum companies that eventually became Standard Oil of California and has evolved through significant mergers and restructurings, including the acquisitions of Gulf Oil and Texaco.