Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Stock Price Down 1.1% – Time to Sell?

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) shares were down 1.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $177.41 and last traded at $179.2030. Approximately 10,422,493 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 23% from the average daily volume of 13,496,652 shares. The stock had previously closed at $181.23.

Chevron News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised and payout supports income-focused demand — Chevron announced a higher quarterly payout ($1.78; $7.12 annualized), keeping the stock attractive to income investors and reinforcing buy-side interest. Dividend Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets lifted sentiment into a 52-week high — several firms have raised ratings/targets recently, driving momentum and contributing to upward price pressure earlier this week. Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Strong January price action reflected optimism on cash generation and strategic drivers — recent coverage explains why CVX surged in January, a factor that still supports investor conviction. Why CVX Surged
• Neutral Sentiment: Chevron committed to the Yoyo‑Yolanda cross‑border gas project — long‑term gas development supports reserves and cash flow but is multi‑year and capital intensive. Yoyo‑Yolanda Project
• Neutral Sentiment: Signed an MoU to explore offshore Syrian waters with a Qatari partner — potential new upside to reserves but significant geopolitical, sanction and execution risks make near‑term impact uncertain. Syria MoU
• Neutral Sentiment: Leadership changes announced for 2026 with several retirements and internal promotions — continuity from internal hires reduces execution risk but will be watched by investors. Leadership Changes
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling disclosed (senior executives sold shares) — sizable recent insider sales have created short‑term sentiment noise and likely contributed to selling pressure. Insider Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Oil prices eased after geopolitical risk premiums cooled, pressuring integrated majors’ near‑term revenue and margins — commodity sensitivity remains the largest short‑term driver for CVX. Oil Price Slide

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on CVX. Argus set a $203.00 price target on Chevron in a research note on Tuesday. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $168.00 price objective on shares of Chevron in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Chevron from $170.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Chevron from $180.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Hsbc Global Res cut Chevron from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $175.00.

Chevron Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market cap of $360.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.91, a P/E/G ratio of 12.50 and a beta of 0.70. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $158.11 and its 200 day moving average is $156.02.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.08. Chevron had a net margin of 6.51% and a return on equity of 8.23%. The company had revenue of $45.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $48.18 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.06 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Chevron Corporation will post 10.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $7.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. This is a boost from Chevron’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.71. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Chevron’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 102.70%.

Insider Activity at Chevron

In related news, insider R. Hewitt Pate sold 41,134 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.40, for a total transaction of $7,256,037.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 4,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $735,411.60. This represents a 90.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael K. Wirth sold 320,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.99, for a total value of $52,270,893.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 14,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,355,205.50. The trade was a 95.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 764,958 shares of company stock worth $122,930,032. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Chevron

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CVX. D.B. Root & Company LLC boosted its stake in Chevron by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 5,552 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $846,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in Chevron by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 930 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $142,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. MMA Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Chevron by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC now owns 1,820 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $277,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. EWA LLC grew its stake in Chevron by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. EWA LLC now owns 2,182 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barlow Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Chevron by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Barlow Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,363 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $869,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.42% of the company’s stock.

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.