Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) Upgraded by Zacks Research to “Hold” Rating

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on OXY. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $39.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Occidental Petroleum from $49.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Occidental Petroleum from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Occidental Petroleum from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, HSBC boosted their target price on Occidental Petroleum from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.62.

Occidental Petroleum Stock Performance

NYSE:OXY opened at $53.65 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $52.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.32 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. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $45.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.05. Occidental Petroleum has a twelve month low of $34.78 and a twelve month high of $56.34.

Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $5.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.80 earnings per share. Occidental Petroleum’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Occidental Petroleum will post 3.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Occidental Petroleum Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Occidental Petroleum’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Occidental Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is 59.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William R. Klesse purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $38.98 per share, with a total value of $194,900.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 218,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,533,228.74. This trade represents a 2.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. DNB Asset Management AS raised its holdings in shares of Occidental Petroleum by 100.3% during the third quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 267,807 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $12,654,000 after acquiring an additional 134,128 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in Occidental Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,517,000. Gifford Fong Associates raised its holdings in Occidental Petroleum by 41.2% in the 3rd quarter. Gifford Fong Associates now owns 171,429 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $8,100,000 after purchasing an additional 50,000 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Occidental Petroleum in the 3rd quarter worth $1,072,000. Finally, swisspartners Advisors Ltd lifted its position in shares of Occidental Petroleum by 19.6% in the 3rd quarter. swisspartners Advisors Ltd now owns 157,070 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $7,441,000 after purchasing an additional 25,710 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.70% of the company’s stock.

Occidental Petroleum News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: 1PointFive’s STRATOS direct air capture (DAC) plant in the Permian is nearing startup in Q2 2026, advancing Occidental’s carbon-capture growth pathway and potential non-oil revenue. Occidental Petroleum, 1PointFive STRATOS DAC plant nears startup in Texas Permian basin
• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway’s growing stake and the company’s push to balance debt reduction, buybacks and carbon-capture investments support confidence from a large, long‑term investor. Occidental Balances Debt Buybacks Carbon Capture Plans And Berkshire’s Growing Stake
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst interest: Argus recently upgraded OXY, which can provide near-term buy-side support. Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) Upgraded at Argus
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro oil risk remains elevated—analysts warn a Strait of Hormuz disruption could push crude toward $100/bbl, a tail-risk that underpins oil equities but is highly uncertain in timing. Oil’s Worst Case Scenario Is Here. $100 Crude Could Be Coming.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market dispersion among majors: some energy names outperformed after the Iran conflict while others (like Exxon in recent headlines) underperformed—this mixed reaction creates stock-specific winners and losers. Exxon Is Down Since the Iran Conflict. These Energy Stocks Are Bigger Winners.
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts argue OXY’s recent ~30% rally leaves less upside and prefer peers; Seeking Alpha published a downgrade and notes the easy returns may be gone, which can prompt profit-taking. Occidental Petroleum: Strong Execution, But The Easy Upside Is Gone (Rating Downgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: Relative preference for other midstream names: at least one analyst favors Kinder Morgan over OXY amid oil-price volatility, highlighting perceived lower risk or better risk/reward elsewhere. I Favor Kinder Morgan Over Occidental Petroleum Amid Oil Price Volatilities
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation scrutiny after the rally: coverage noting that the oil-price-driven lift may have pushed OXY toward richer multiples has increased selling pressure and intraday volatility. Occidental Petroleum (OXY) Valuation Check As Oil Price Rally Lifts Shares On Strait Of Hormuz Supply Fears

About Occidental Petroleum

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.