Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Shares Up 1.7% – Should You Buy?

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX)’s stock price traded up 1.7% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $192.69 and last traded at $189.8940. 9,346,638 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 21% from the average session volume of 11,835,049 shares. The stock had previously closed at $186.76.

Key Headlines Impacting Chevron

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Brent crude falling below $90 a barrel has renewed attention on large, resilient energy names, and one article singled out Chevron as an evergreen oil stock that can still appeal to investors despite softer crude prices. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Chevron as a “Dividend King” supports the stock’s appeal for income-focused investors, reinforcing the company’s reputation for reliable shareholder returns. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Articles noting Chevron benefited from escalating conflict in Iran suggest geopolitical risks may be supporting oil prices and sentiment toward integrated energy producers like CVX. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Chevron’s planned $13.8 billion Vaca Muerta shale project in Argentina points to long-term production growth and could strengthen the company’s investment case if approved. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment remains broadly constructive, with Chevron receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating from analysts. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Chevron from “strong-buy” to “hold,” which may temper enthusiasm and help explain some hesitation in the stock. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Chevron from $204.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Chevron from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Chevron from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $174.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Chevron in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Chevron from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.70.

Chevron Price Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $189.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $177.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $378.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.48.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.41. Chevron had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 6.90%. The company had revenue of $47.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.86 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.18 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Chevron Corporation will post 15.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.78 per share. This represents a $7.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 19th. Chevron’s payout ratio is currently 123.40%.

Insider Activity at Chevron

In other Chevron news, insider R. Hewitt Pate sold 40,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.30, for a total transaction of $8,574,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,638 shares in the company, valued at $1,842,485.40. The trade was a 82.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director John B. Hess sold 380,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.20, for a total transaction of $73,416,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 278,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,718,294. This trade represents a 57.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 615,200 shares of company stock valued at $118,022,760. Company insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dakota Wealth Management increased its holdings in Chevron by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 83,265 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $12,690,000 after purchasing an additional 10,822 shares during the period. Brooklyn FI LLC acquired a new stake in Chevron in the third quarter valued at $431,000. Clear Trail Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Chevron in the fourth quarter valued at $10,167,000. Finemark National Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Chevron by 40.3% in the third quarter. Finemark National Bank & Trust now owns 56,535 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,779,000 after purchasing an additional 16,243 shares during the period. Finally, Curtis Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Chevron in the fourth quarter valued at $1,381,000. 72.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Chevron

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.