Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Shares Down 1.1% – Time to Sell?

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) shares fell 1.1% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $177.41 and last traded at $179.2030. 10,422,493 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 23% from the average session volume of 13,496,652 shares. The stock had previously closed at $181.23.

Chevron News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised and payout supports income-focused demand — Chevron announced a higher quarterly payout ($1.78; $7.12 annualized), keeping the stock attractive to income investors and reinforcing buy-side interest. Dividend Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets lifted sentiment into a 52-week high — several firms have raised ratings/targets recently, driving momentum and contributing to upward price pressure earlier this week. Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Strong January price action reflected optimism on cash generation and strategic drivers — recent coverage explains why CVX surged in January, a factor that still supports investor conviction. Why CVX Surged
• Neutral Sentiment: Chevron committed to the Yoyo‑Yolanda cross‑border gas project — long‑term gas development supports reserves and cash flow but is multi‑year and capital intensive. Yoyo‑Yolanda Project
• Neutral Sentiment: Signed an MoU to explore offshore Syrian waters with a Qatari partner — potential new upside to reserves but significant geopolitical, sanction and execution risks make near‑term impact uncertain. Syria MoU
• Neutral Sentiment: Leadership changes announced for 2026 with several retirements and internal promotions — continuity from internal hires reduces execution risk but will be watched by investors. Leadership Changes
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling disclosed (senior executives sold shares) — sizable recent insider sales have created short‑term sentiment noise and likely contributed to selling pressure. Insider Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Oil prices eased after geopolitical risk premiums cooled, pressuring integrated majors’ near‑term revenue and margins — commodity sensitivity remains the largest short‑term driver for CVX. Oil Price Slide

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CVX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Chevron from $180.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays raised their price target on Chevron from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Chevron from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Chevron from $204.00 to $206.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Chevron from $174.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $175.00.

Chevron Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $158.11 and a 200-day moving average of $156.02. The company has a market cap of $360.83 billion, a PE ratio of 26.91, a PEG ratio of 12.50 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last released 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 analysts’ expectations of $48.18 billion. Chevron had a return on equity of 8.23% and a net margin of 6.51%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.06 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Chevron Corporation will post 10.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Chevron Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a $1.78 dividend. This is an increase from Chevron’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.71. This represents a $7.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Chevron’s payout ratio is currently 102.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chevron

In related news, Vice Chairman Mark A. Nelson sold 45,800 shares of Chevron stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total value of $7,976,986.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,161 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,247,231.37. The trade was a 86.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Eimear P. Bonner sold 32,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.01, for a total value of $5,617,821.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 4,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $764,093.66. This represents a 88.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 764,958 shares of company stock worth $122,930,032 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Chevron

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quaker Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Chevron by 197.7% in the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Chevron in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in Chevron in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in Chevron by 86.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 255 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Chevron by 52.3% in the 2nd quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 265 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.42% of the company’s stock.

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.