Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Stock Price Up 2% – Time to Buy?

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX)’s stock price shot up 2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $189.97 and last traded at $189.78. 13,469,999 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 11% from the average session volume of 12,105,186 shares. The stock had previously closed at $186.03.

Chevron News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. launches $20B tanker reinsurance program, supporting crude above $90 and reducing shipping-risk premium — higher crude prices improve Chevron’s upstream margins and cash flow. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and institutions are increasingly bullish: several firms have raised price targets (one recent note pushes target toward $210), reflecting confidence in Chevron’s cash returns and dividend profile — this supports buy-side interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raise and income story remain supportive — Chevron recently increased its quarterly payout, reinforcing its appeal to income-focused investors amid higher commodity prices. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst landscape: while some firms lift targets, others trim fair-value estimates — consensus remains split (buys, holds, sells), which can limit sustained momentum despite positive headlines. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: CEO Michael Wirth and other senior execs disclosed multi‑million‑dollar stock sales in early March — this often prompts near‑term caution and profit‑taking. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Operational disruption: Chevron has suspended certain production (e.g., Leviathan-related outages / force majeure reports) tied to regional hostilities — potential near-term volume losses and uncertainty for specific assets. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader geopolitical volatility (Strait of Hormuz attacks and halted tanker traffic) raises supply‑and‑policy risk that can cause sharp swing trading and higher insurance/shipment costs — a double‑edged sword for oil majors. Read More.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CVX has been the subject of several research reports. Argus set a $203.00 price target on Chevron in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Melius Research upgraded Chevron from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Chevron from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $176.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Chevron from $180.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Chevron from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Chevron presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $178.95.

Chevron Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market capitalization of $379.14 billion, a PE ratio of 28.53, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $173.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $160.73.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.08. Chevron had a return on equity of 7.89% 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 firm posted $2.06 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Chevron Corporation will post 10.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a $1.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Chevron’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.71. This represents a $7.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Chevron’s payout ratio is currently 106.91%.

Insider Activity at Chevron

In other Chevron news, CFO Eimear P. Bonner sold 32,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.01, for a total value of $5,617,821.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 4,366 shares in the company, valued at $764,093.66. This represents a 88.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider R. Hewitt Pate sold 58,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.65, for a total transaction of $10,941,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,614,466.70. The trade was a 87.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 1,052,197 shares of company stock valued at $187,128,404 in the last quarter. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Chevron by 17.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 183,790,028 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,540,753,000 after buying an additional 27,961,463 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Chevron by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 152,605,988 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $23,698,184,000 after acquiring an additional 12,789,399 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc boosted its position in shares of Chevron by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc now owns 130,156,362 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $19,837,131,000 after acquiring an additional 8,091,570 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Chevron by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 43,613,011 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,620,187,000 after purchasing an additional 134,890 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Chevron by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 36,036,844 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $5,492,377,000 after purchasing an additional 961,341 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.42% of the company’s stock.

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.