Investors Buy High Volume of Occidental Petroleum Call Options (NYSE:OXY)

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 142,848 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 98% compared to the average volume of 72,310 call options.

Occidental Petroleum Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of Occidental Petroleum stock opened at $60.79 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $59.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.75 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. Occidental Petroleum has a 12-month low of $34.78 and a 12-month high of $61.37. The business’s 50 day moving average is $49.21 and its 200-day moving average is $45.01.

Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.13. Occidental Petroleum had a net margin of 9.14% and a return on equity of 9.89%. The business had revenue of $5.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.02 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Occidental Petroleum will post 3.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Occidental Petroleum Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Occidental Petroleum’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Occidental Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on OXY. Wall Street Zen raised Occidental Petroleum from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Argus raised shares of Occidental Petroleum to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Occidental Petroleum from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $50.00 price target on shares of Occidental Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.14.

Key Occidental Petroleum News

Here are the key news stories impacting Occidental Petroleum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stock hit a 52‑week high, reflecting strong investor interest and momentum following recent analyst action and oil price strength. Occidental Petroleum stock hits 52-week high at 60.75 USD
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages raised ratings/targets this morning — HSBC to a Buy with a $68 PT and Mizuho boosting its target to $72 — and JPMorgan upgraded OXY from Underweight to Neutral (PT $63). Those calls give the stock near‑term support from institutional investors. HSBC price target raise / Benzinga Mizuho Raises Occidental Price Target to $72.00 JPMorgan upgrade / TickerReport
• Positive Sentiment: Oil price strength and active balance‑sheet moves are lifting sentiment — crude spikes help E&P multiples, while Occidental’s cash tender offers and recent asset sale (OxyChem) support a deleveraging narrative. Occidental Petroleum gains as oil prices spike and debt buyback stays in focus
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings: OXY beat EPS expectations last quarter but revenue came in below estimates — a mixed fundamental print that makes the stock sensitive to forward guidance and oil prices (investors are watching whether the post‑earnings rally can continue). Occidental (OXY) Up 15.6% Since Last Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: General market interest/trending coverage is increasing (investor attention can amplify moves but doesn’t guarantee direction). Is Trending Stock Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) a Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Operational risk from Middle East disruptions: reports say the Shah gas field and Fujairah crude loadings have been affected, which could dent near‑term production and export revenue if outages persist. This is the main tangible downside risk to the recent rally. Occidental Faces New Middle East Disruptions

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Occidental Petroleum

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lane Brothers & Co. Inc. bought a new position in Occidental Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth about $273,000. Larry Mathis Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in Occidental Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $223,000. PeakShares LLC bought a new stake in Occidental Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $178,000. EMC Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Occidental Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Occidental Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth approximately $233,000. 88.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Occidental Petroleum Company Profile

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) is an international energy company engaged primarily in the exploration, production and marketing of oil and natural gas. The company conducts upstream activities to discover and produce hydrocarbons and operates complementary midstream and marketing functions to transport and sell its production. Occidental also owns a chemicals business that manufactures and sells industrial chemicals and related products for a range of end markets.

Occidental’s operations are concentrated in the United States, with a significant presence in the Permian Basin, and it maintains exploration and production activities in several international regions, including parts of the Middle East, Latin America and Africa.