Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Stock Price Up 2.6% – Time to Buy?

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) traded up 2.6% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $160.44 and last traded at $159.2720. 12,860,991 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 28% from the average session volume of 17,779,340 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.20.

Key Stories Impacting Chevron

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Chevron is in advanced talks with the U.S. government to expand its Venezuela operating license, which would allow higher exports to Chevron’s refineries and third parties and meaningfully boost volumes if approved. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Shipping data show Chevron loading Venezuelan crude at the fastest pace in months, indicating the company is already scaling physical flows that could convert to higher near-term revenue if licensing continues. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Operational preparations — including contracting multiple tankers and reported port calls — support the view Chevron can ramp exports quickly, strengthening the case for imminent production/transport upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Chevron and partner Quantum are reported to be lining up a bid for $22B of Lukoil international assets, a strategic acquisition route that could expand reserves and international exposure. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Chevron faces competition from trading houses and refiners (e.g., Vitol) for Venezuelan export deals — signaling demand but also potential margin pressure and allocation uncertainty. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some loadings to traditional buyers (notably Chinese buyers) have been paused, highlighting distribution and counterparty timing risk even as Chevron moves barrels. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and firms are reviewing targets and ratings; some research houses reaffirm the buy case while trimming targets to reflect execution and policy uncertainty. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Several insiders disclosed large share sales (including top executives) in early January; markets often view sizeable insider selling as a near-term negative signal. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: At least one analyst trimmed CVX’s price target, signaling some recalibration of upside after recent gains. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Political, regulatory and reputational risks remain high (public scrutiny from lawmakers and complex geopolitics), which could delay projects or introduce unexpected costs. Read More.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Chevron from $170.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Chevron from $185.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Chevron from $190.00 to $196.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Chevron in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on Chevron from $204.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.14.

Chevron Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $320.70 billion, a PE ratio of 22.40, a PEG ratio of 9.80 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $152.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $153.27. 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 posted its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $48.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $46.99 billion. Chevron had a net margin of 6.57% and a return on equity of 8.74%. The business’s revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.48 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Chevron Corporation will post 10.79 EPS for the current year.

Chevron Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 18th were paid a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 18th. Chevron’s payout ratio is currently 96.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Chevron news, CFO Eimear P. Bonner sold 28,334 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $4,676,526.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 4,366 shares in the company, valued at approximately $720,608.30. The trade was a 86.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Alana K. Knowles sold 7,956 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total value of $1,313,137.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,207 shares in the company, valued at $199,215.35. The trade was a 86.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 631,990 shares of company stock worth $99,716,808. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Chevron

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Chevron by 197.7% during the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Chevron during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. IMG Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Chevron by 52.3% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Chevron in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. 72.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Chevron

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.