Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $169.64 and last traded at $169.7950, with a volume of 44215 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.05.

Key Stories Impacting Chevron

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital maintained a Buy rating and a $170 price target, citing improved Permian well data and clearer long-term production visibility — supportive of the near-term growth narrative. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Large asset managers such as BlackRock and Vanguard have been increasing positions in Chevron, signaling institutional confidence and potential steady buying demand. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Chevron appointed Thomas W. Horton to the board and the audit committee — adds governance depth and financial oversight experience, which investors typically view favorably. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Chevron-led JV reported a “significant” oil discovery offshore Nigeria, supporting future reserve and production upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Signed an MoU with Libya’s NOC to resume exploration activity after a long absence — expands the company’s international upstream opportunities. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile endorsements (e.g., Jim Cramer) continue to highlight Chevron’s cash generation and buyback/dividend profile, supporting sentiment among income-focused investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street coverage remains cautiously bullish overall — analysts like the long-term outlook even though CVX has lagged the S&P over the past year. This suggests steady analyst support but limited near-term upside surprise. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market is focused on upcoming Q4 earnings (reporting Jan. 30). Expect volatility around results; consensus and guidance will be the next major catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Chevron is pushing Iraq for improved commercial terms before taking over Lukoil’s West Qurna-2 field — negotiations could delay the transaction or limit economics, creating near-term uncertainty and execution risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Chevron has been increasing Venezuelan shipments amid tighter U.S. controls — while volumes help revenue, the move raises regulatory and political risk that investors may penalize. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CVX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein increased 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. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Chevron from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Chevron from $174.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Chevron from $190.00 to $196.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Chevron from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Chevron has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $170.00.

Chevron Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $341.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.86, a PEG ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $46.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Chevron Corporation will post 10.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Chevron Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.71 per share. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 18th. Chevron’s payout ratio is presently 96.20%.

Insider Activity at Chevron

In other news, insider Alana K. Knowles sold 7,956 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,207 shares in the company, valued at $199,215.35. This trade represents a 86.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John B. Hess sold 275,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the director directly owned 1,128,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $170,052,783.75. This represents a 19.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 635,190 shares of company stock valued at $100,254,408. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Chevron

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Patton Fund Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Chevron during the second quarter worth approximately $227,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Chevron by 16.2% during the second quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 6,378 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $913,000 after purchasing an additional 888 shares during the last quarter. Claris Advisors LLC MO grew its position in shares of Chevron by 9.2% in the second quarter. Claris Advisors LLC MO now owns 2,467 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $353,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC increased its stake in Chevron by 3.5% in the second quarter. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC now owns 23,294 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,335,000 after purchasing an additional 784 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LexAurum Advisors LLC lifted its position in Chevron by 17.3% during the second quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC now owns 12,710 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,820,000 after buying an additional 1,872 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.