Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Chevron (NYSE:CVX) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. HSBC set a $169.00 price target on shares of Chevron and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Chevron from $170.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Chevron from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Barclays dropped their price objective on Chevron from $160.00 to $158.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on Chevron from $183.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Chevron has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.14.

Chevron Stock Up 1.8%

CVX stock opened at $162.15 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $326.49 billion, a PE ratio of 22.81, a PEG ratio of 10.15 and a beta of 0.70. Chevron has a 1 year low of $132.04 and a 1 year high of $168.96. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $152.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $153.49. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.14. Chevron had a return on equity of 8.74% and a net margin of 6.57%.The company had revenue of $48.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $46.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Chevron will post 10.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 18th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. Chevron’s payout ratio is currently 96.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chevron

In other Chevron news, Director John B. Hess sold 275,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.75, for a total value of $41,456,250.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,128,045 shares in the company, valued at $170,052,783.75. This represents a 19.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Alana K. Knowles sold 7,956 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $1,313,137.80. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,207 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,215.35. This trade represents a 86.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 631,990 shares of company stock worth $99,716,808. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Chevron

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Chevron by 17.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 183,790,028 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $28,540,753,000 after buying an additional 27,961,463 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Chevron by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 152,605,988 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $23,698,184,000 after acquiring an additional 12,789,399 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc increased its position in Chevron by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc now owns 122,064,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $17,478,458,000 after acquiring an additional 3,454,258 shares in the last quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC raised its stake in shares of Chevron by 652,139.5% in the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 83,714,936 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $13,214,757,000 after acquiring an additional 83,702,101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Chevron by 4.0% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 34,772,753 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,979,255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,342,723 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.42% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Chevron

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Chevron is in advanced talks with the U.S. government to expand its Venezuela license, which would allow higher exports to Chevron’s refineries and third parties — a clear potential earnings and volume catalyst. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Shipping and operational activity is picking up: data and filings show Chevron loading Venezuelan crude and contracting multiple tankers, signalling the company can scale flows quickly if approvals hold. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Market positioning and deal activity: reports show Chevron competing with traders and partners to control Venezuelan exports and lining up bids for international assets — moves that could expand supply links and reserves. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Bernstein and other outlets have recently raised targets or reiterated bullish theses on CVX amid the Venezuela angle, providing analyst-driven validation. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: White House engagement: President Trump met with oil executives to discuss Venezuela reconstruction — policy backing could help but details, guarantees and timelines remain uncertain. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Companies want guarantees: FT/Reuters reporting that U.S. majors want formal guarantees from Washington before committing large capital, implying any large-scale Venezuela rebuild will be phased and conditional. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Distribution risk: some shipments to traditional buyers (notably Chinese buyers) are paused, tempering near-term cash conversion despite increased loading activity. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling disclosed (CEO, CFO and other insiders sold sizable blocks in early January), which can be perceived negatively and add short-term selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and sell-side caution: at least one firm cut CVX to “Strong Sell” and others trimmed price targets, reflecting some skepticism about sustainable upside after the recent run. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Political/reputational risk: high-profile criticism and scrutiny around U.S. handling of Venezuela investments raise execution and regulatory uncertainty. Read More.

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.