Wall Street Zen Downgrades CVR Energy (NYSE:CVI) to Sell

CVR Energy (NYSE:CVI) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of CVR Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” and a consensus price target of $29.25.

CVR Energy Stock Performance

Shares of CVI opened at $20.70 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.61 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The business’s 50 day moving average is $24.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.32. CVR Energy has a 52-week low of $15.10 and a 52-week high of $41.67.

CVR Energy (NYSE:CVI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.80) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.84) by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. CVR Energy had a net margin of 0.38% and a negative return on equity of 14.31%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.13) earnings per share. Analysts forecast that CVR Energy will post -0.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CVR Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in CVR Energy by 2.2% in the third quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,081 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $623,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CVR Energy by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 21,329 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $778,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its position in CVR Energy by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 85,083 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,104,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in CVR Energy by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 48,943 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,785,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in CVR Energy by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 13,394 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $341,000 after buying an additional 709 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.88% of the company’s stock.

CVR Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CVR Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.37 per share (ex‑dividend March 2; payable March 9), implying a ~7.2% yield — supports income investors and sets a cash-return floor.Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a $200M–$240M capital plan for 2026 and said it will expand WCS processing and emphasize M&A — a growth/capacity push that could boost margins if execution succeeds. CVR Energy outlines $200M–$240M capital plan for 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results: EPS of ($0.80) beat the $ (0.84) estimate slightly and revenue of $1.81B topped estimates, but revenue fell ~7% YoY and the company remains unprofitable — mixed fundamentals that explain choppy trading. CVR Energy (CVI) Posts Results for Q4 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call / transcripts provide detail on margin pressure, segment dynamics and capital allocation choices — useful for investors assessing whether the capex and M&A focus will restore profitability. CVR Energy, Inc. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish coverage and tone: a recent Seeking Alpha piece frames CVR as a “falling knife,” highlighting execution risk, persistent weak earnings and valuation concerns — likely contributing to selling pressure. CVR Energy: From Rising Tiger To Falling Knife
• Negative Sentiment: Local coverage and earnings snapshots emphasize the company’s negative returns on equity, thin net margins and above‑average leverage (debt/equity ~1.8), which raise investor concern about sustainability of the dividend and near‑term cash flow. CVR: Q4 Earnings Snapshot

About CVR Energy

CVR Energy, Inc is an independent downstream energy company engaged primarily in petroleum refining and nitrogen fertilizer production in the United States. Headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, CVR Energy operates through two reportable segments—Petroleum Products and Nitrogen Fertilizers—leveraging its refining expertise and distribution network to serve both wholesale and retail markets across key regions in the U.S.

In its Petroleum Products segment, the company owns and operates the Coffeyville, Kansas refinery, which has the capability to process various grades of crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined products.