South Dakota Investment Council Reduces Stock Holdings in Occidental Petroleum Corporation $OXY

South Dakota Investment Council cut its holdings in Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY) by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 409,448 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 23,757 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Occidental Petroleum were worth $19,346,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Occidental Petroleum by 10.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 88,504,019 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $3,718,054,000 after purchasing an additional 8,273,030 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Occidental Petroleum by 22.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,089,878 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $756,796,000 after buying an additional 3,267,269 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in Occidental Petroleum during the third quarter worth $35,517,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Occidental Petroleum by 22.3% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,552,655 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $149,247,000 after buying an additional 647,243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Occidental Petroleum by 1.6% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,044,478 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,649,147,000 after acquiring an additional 615,566 shares during the last quarter. 88.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Occidental Petroleum News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Oil-price surge tied to Middle East tensions is lifting OXY because higher crude supports oil producers’ revenue and cash flow. OXY Stock Soars in Premarket on Oil Rally Amid Middle East Tensions
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting the geopolitical shock (U.S.-Israel action on Iran) and related oil upside increases the likelihood of upgrades and re-rating for large oil names including OXY. 2 Surging Oil Stocks Ripe for Overdue Upgrades
• Positive Sentiment: Argus raised its view on Occidental, giving an analyst upgrade that can attract buyers and support the rally. Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) Upgraded at Argus
• Positive Sentiment: Macro analysis warning of a potential worst‑case oil scenario (Strait of Hormuz disruptions, $100 crude) underpins expectations for sustained higher prices that benefit OXY’s earnings outlook. Oil’s Worst Case Scenario Is Here. $100 Crude Could Be Coming.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor guidance pieces and buy/hold analyses (The Motley Fool) reiterate long‑term cash‑flow and debt reduction progress at OXY — supportive context but not an immediate catalyst. Occidental Petroleum: Buy, Sell, or Hold? 2 No-Brainer Energy Stocks to Buy Right Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Occidental’s large February debt tender is a material corporate action: it could lower interest expense if successful but also focuses markets on capital allocation and cash use. Expect near-term volatility as investors digest the details. Occidental Debt Tender Puts Balance Sheet And Valuation In Spotlight
• Negative Sentiment: Media coverage noting writedowns tied to Berkshire/Hathaway reporting (and prior noncash adjustments) keeps a cautionary spotlight on OXY’s valuation and past mark‑to‑market noise — a reminder of headline risk despite operational strength. Berkshire Hathaway profit falls on lower insurance income, Occidental writedown

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on OXY shares. Argus raised Occidental Petroleum to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Occidental Petroleum from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered their target price on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.62.

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 stock was purchased at an average price of $38.98 per share, for a total transaction of $194,900.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 218,913 shares in the company, valued at $8,533,228.74. The trade was a 2.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Occidental Petroleum Stock Performance

Occidental Petroleum stock opened at $54.20 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Occidental Petroleum Corporation has a 12 month low of $34.78 and a 12 month high of $56.34. The company has a market cap of $53.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.67 and a beta of 0.34. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $44.96 and its 200-day moving average is $43.99.

Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $5.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.80 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Occidental Petroleum Corporation will post 3.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Occidental Petroleum Increases Dividend

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

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.