Wall Street Zen Downgrades Chevron (NYSE:CVX) to Sell

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

CVX has been the subject of several other reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Chevron from $177.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Chevron from $170.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective (down from $170.00) on shares of Chevron in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Chevron from $185.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Chevron from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Chevron currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.14.

Chevron Stock Up 1.8%

Chevron stock opened at $162.15 on Friday. Chevron has a one year low of $132.04 and a one year high of $168.96. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $152.31 and a 200 day moving average of $153.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $326.49 billion, a PE ratio of 22.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 0.70.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.14. Chevron had a return on equity of 8.74% and a net margin of 6.57%.The business had revenue of $48.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $46.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Chevron will post 10.79 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John B. Hess sold 275,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.75, for a total transaction of $41,456,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,128,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $170,052,783.75. This trade represents a 19.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Alana K. Knowles sold 7,956 shares of Chevron stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total value of $1,313,137.80. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,207 shares in the company, valued at $199,215.35. This trade represents a 86.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 631,990 shares of company stock worth $99,716,808. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chevron

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quaker Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Chevron by 197.7% during the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in Chevron during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Chevron by 86.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 255 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Chevron by 52.3% in the 2nd quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 265 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chevron during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 72.42% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Chevron

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Chevron is in advanced talks with the U.S. government to expand its Venezuela license, which would allow higher exports to Chevron’s refineries and third parties — a clear potential earnings and volume catalyst. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Shipping and operational activity is picking up: data and filings show Chevron loading Venezuelan crude and contracting multiple tankers, signalling the company can scale flows quickly if approvals hold. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Market positioning and deal activity: reports show Chevron competing with traders and partners to control Venezuelan exports and lining up bids for international assets — moves that could expand supply links and reserves. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Bernstein and other outlets have recently raised targets or reiterated bullish theses on CVX amid the Venezuela angle, providing analyst-driven validation. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: White House engagement: President Trump met with oil executives to discuss Venezuela reconstruction — policy backing could help but details, guarantees and timelines remain uncertain. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Companies want guarantees: FT/Reuters reporting that U.S. majors want formal guarantees from Washington before committing large capital, implying any large-scale Venezuela rebuild will be phased and conditional. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Distribution risk: some shipments to traditional buyers (notably Chinese buyers) are paused, tempering near-term cash conversion despite increased loading activity. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling disclosed (CEO, CFO and other insiders sold sizable blocks in early January), which can be perceived negatively and add short-term selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and sell-side caution: at least one firm cut CVX to “Strong Sell” and others trimmed price targets, reflecting some skepticism about sustainable upside after the recent run. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Political/reputational risk: high-profile criticism and scrutiny around U.S. handling of Venezuela investments raise execution and regulatory uncertainty. Read More.

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.