Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Stock Price Up 2.3% Following Analyst Upgrade

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) was up 2.3% during trading on Tuesday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $196.00 to $204.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Chevron traded as high as $178.82 and last traded at $178.11. Approximately 18,171,603 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 35% from the average daily volume of 13,503,601 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.03.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on CVX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Chevron from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $176.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Chevron from $185.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Chevron from $160.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Chevron from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $168.00 price objective on shares of Chevron in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $174.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Michael K. Wirth sold 320,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.99, for a total transaction of $52,270,893.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 14,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,355,205.50. This trade represents a 95.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John B. Hess sold 275,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,128,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $170,052,783.75. The trade was a 19.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 645,924 shares of company stock worth $102,079,188. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Chevron

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $204 and remains overweight, while Goldman Sachs reiterated a Buy, citing structural growth and cash returns that support upside. These broker actions have helped lift investor sentiment. Wells Fargo price target raise (Benzinga) Goldman Sachs Buy rating (TipRanks)
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend & shareholder returns narrative: Coverage highlights Chevron’s consecutive dividend hikes, a 4%+ yield and record shareholder payouts, reinforcing its appeal to income-focused investors. CEO commentary on robust buybacks/payout capacity also supports the rally. CEO interview: record shareholder payout (YouTube) Dividend hike & Venezuela push (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: M&A and fundamentals support: Bullish analyses point to the Hess acquisition and Guyana & Venezuela production growth as durable upstream catalysts that improve cash flow and valuation support. Seeking Alpha and other bull pieces highlight attractive DDM/P‑E-based targets well above current levels. Bull case: Seeking Alpha
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results were mixed: Chevron beat EPS estimates modestly (helping sentiment) but reported lower revenue and year-over-year declines in profitability — a mixed read on near-term operating momentum. Q4 earnings (MSN) Earnings presentation (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst positioning: some outlets note growing caution or “hold” views (TD Cowen, HSBC downgrades/holds) — signaling that while momentum exists, valuation and commodity risks cap upside for some investors. TD Cowen price target/hold note (Finviz/The Fly) HSBC cut (Seeking Alpha)
• Negative Sentiment: Oil price weakness: crude slid after eased U.S.–Iran tensions, which pressures near-term upstream cash flow and reduces the industry tailwind for majors like Chevron. That headwind is moderating the upside. Oil slides as Iran war odds cool (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling & income pressure: A reported CFO stock sale and a Q4 net-income decline add modest caution for some investors focused on governance/near-term earnings trends. Insider selling (American Banking News) Q4 net income drop (Yahoo)

Institutional Trading of Chevron

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 27,961,463 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Chevron during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,721,477,000. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Chevron by 9.1% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new stake in Chevron in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $988,083,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Chevron by 27.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 19,627,146 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,047,900,000 after buying an additional 4,279,918 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.42% of the company’s stock.

Chevron Trading Up 2.3%

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $156.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.65. The company has a market cap of $358.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.74, a PEG ratio of 12.32 and a beta of 0.70. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.08. Chevron had a return on equity of 8.23% and a net margin of 6.51%.The business had revenue of $45.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $48.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.06 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Chevron Corporation will post 10.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $7.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. This is a positive change from Chevron’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.71. Chevron’s dividend 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.