Investors Purchase High Volume of Call Options on CVR Energy (NYSE:CVI)

CVR Energy Inc. (NYSE:CVI) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Traders bought 7,414 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 295% compared to the typical volume of 1,876 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CVR Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CVI. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in CVR Energy by 67.2% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 14,904 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 5,992 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new position in CVR Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $611,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in CVR Energy by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 20,301 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $394,000 after buying an additional 858 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in CVR Energy by 14.8% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 496,650 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $9,635,000 after acquiring an additional 63,909 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of CVR Energy by 34.2% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 273,777 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $7,351,000 after acquiring an additional 69,726 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.88% of the company’s stock.

CVR Energy News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CVR Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings and revenue beat expectations. CVR reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.34, above consensus estimates of $0.26—and above the $0.18 estimate cited by Zacks—versus an adjusted loss of $0.23 a year earlier. Revenue increased 55.5% year over year to $2.738 billion, exceeding analyst expectations of $2.22 billion. CVR Energy Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability improved sharply across the business. Adjusted EBITDA was $209 million, while the nitrogen fertilizer segment generated $78 million in net income and the petroleum segment earned $12 million. Refinery throughput reached 212,965 barrels per day, with crude utilization of 98.4%. CVR Energy Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option buying suggests bullish positioning. Investors purchased 7,414 CVI call options, roughly 295% above average call volume. Options activity can amplify near-term momentum, although it does not guarantee sustained gains.
• Positive Sentiment: Insider buying provides an additional supportive signal. Carl Icahn reportedly purchased 783,404 shares over the past six months, with no insider sales reported during that period. The company also held $737 million in cash at June 30.
• Neutral Sentiment: CVR declared a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share. The dividend is payable August 17 to shareholders of record August 10, with an ex-dividend date of August 10. The payout supports shareholder returns but represents a relatively modest yield.
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP results remained slightly unprofitable. CVR posted a $3 million net loss, or $0.03 per diluted share, despite $46 million of consolidated net income, reflecting items excluded from adjusted earnings. The company’s balance sheet also remains leveraged, which could limit upside if refining or fertilizer conditions weaken.

CVR Energy Price Performance

Shares of CVI traded up $3.62 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $38.24. The company had a trading volume of 1,435,612 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,185,106. The company has a market capitalization of $3.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -88.93 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.44. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $31.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.32. CVR Energy has a 1-year low of $19.62 and a 1-year high of $41.67.

CVR Energy (NYSE:CVI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The oil and gas company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $2.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.22 billion. CVR Energy had a negative net margin of 0.56% and a negative return on equity of 22.36%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 55.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.23) EPS. Analysts expect that CVR Energy will post -0.21 EPS for the current year.

CVR Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. CVR Energy’s dividend payout ratio is -93.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on CVI. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of CVR Energy from $35.00 to $28.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Tudor Pickering cut shares of CVR Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CVR Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of CVR Energy in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of CVR Energy from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “sector underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and an average target price of $30.25.

CVR Energy Company Profile

CVR Energy, Inc is an independent downstream energy company engaged primarily in petroleum refining and nitrogen fertilizer production in the United States. Headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, CVR Energy operates through two reportable segments—Petroleum Products and Nitrogen Fertilizers—leveraging its refining expertise and distribution network to serve both wholesale and retail markets across key regions in the U.S.

In its Petroleum Products segment, the company owns and operates the Coffeyville, Kansas refinery, which has the capability to process various grades of crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined products.