Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Trading Up 1.7% Following Analyst Upgrade

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) was up 1.7% on Friday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $174.00 to $212.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Chevron traded as high as $212.46 and last traded at $211.3090. Approximately 13,883,937 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 6% from the average daily volume of 13,088,958 shares. The stock had previously closed at $207.79.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on CVX. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Chevron from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Chevron in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Argus set a $203.00 price objective on shares of Chevron in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Scotiabank reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $168.00 price objective on shares of Chevron in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Freedom Capital downgraded Chevron from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $186.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Chevron news, insider R. Hewitt Pate sold 58,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.65, for a total value of $10,941,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,614,466.70. The trade was a 87.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Mark A. Nelson sold 139,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.92, for a total value of $26,233,632.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 11,337 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,130,449.04. This represents a 92.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 1,099,397 shares of company stock valued at $196,196,468 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Chevron News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market is rotating into defense and energy, lifting oil majors like Chevron as investors favor dividend-yielding, lower-beta names amid geopolitical and macro uncertainty. Wall Street Roundup: Market Shifts To Defense
• Positive Sentiment: Live coverage highlights oil-price rallies tied to U.S.–Iran war news; higher oil/gas prices are a near-term tailwind for Chevron’s upstream cash flow and margins. Stock Market Today: Chevron Shines
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $212 and kept an “overweight” stance, removing some investor uncertainty and supporting the rally (small upside to current levels per that target). Morgan Stanley price-target note
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein also raised its price target on Chevron, citing a stronger crude-price backdrop—another broker endorsement boosting investor confidence. Bernstein price-target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades/estimates improved: Erste Group raised FY2026/FY2027 EPS estimates, implying better earnings momentum than previously modeled (supports forward outlook).
• Positive Sentiment: Media and screener lists are highlighting Chevron as a defensive dividend pick, drawing income-focused flows into the stock. 3 Dividend Stocks With Robust Yields
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks pieces reiterate Chevron’s momentum and quality-asset narrative—useful framing but largely confirmatory rather than new catalysts. Zacks: Top Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus brokerage stance remains around “hold,” so while buys and upgrades are supportive, the market still shows mixed conviction from the full analyst community. Consensus Recommendation
• Negative Sentiment: Operational risk: Chevron reported outages at its Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG facilities after a cyclone, which could trim near-term production and cash flow from Australian gas operations. Chevron reports outage at Australian gas facilities
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational/noise risk: A lawmaker who supported U.S. action against Iran sold Chevron shares at recent highs—an insider-sale headline that can attract negative press and short-term selling pressure. Representative cashes out Chevron stock

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Phillip James Consulting Co. purchased a new position in Chevron during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chevron in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Karpus Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Chevron during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Chevron during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chevron during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.42% of the company’s stock.

Chevron Stock Up 1.7%

The business’s 50 day moving average is $184.62 and its 200-day moving average is $164.74. The stock has a market cap of $421.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.73, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $45.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $48.18 billion. Chevron had a net margin of 6.51% and a return on equity of 7.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.06 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Chevron Corporation will post 10.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.78 per share. This is a boost from Chevron’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.71. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $7.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Chevron’s payout ratio is currently 106.91%.

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.