Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Upgraded at Melius Research

Melius Research upgraded shares of Chevron (NYSE:CVX) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has $205.00 price objective on the oil and gas company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on CVX. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Chevron in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Chevron from $180.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Chevron in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Chevron from $185.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Argus set a $203.00 price objective on shares of Chevron in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Chevron presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $176.36.

Chevron Stock Performance

Shares of CVX stock opened at $184.89 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $372.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.17 and a beta of 0.70. Chevron has a one year low of $132.04 and a one year high of $187.90. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $165.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $158.25.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.08. Chevron had a net margin of 6.51% and a return on equity of 8.23%. The company had revenue of $45.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.06 earnings per share. Chevron’s revenue was down 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Chevron will post 10.79 EPS for the current year.

Chevron Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.78 per share. This is an increase from Chevron’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.71. This represents a $7.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Chevron’s payout ratio is 106.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chevron

In other news, insider R. Hewitt Pate sold 41,134 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.40, for a total value of $7,256,037.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $735,411.60. This represents a 90.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michael K. Wirth sold 320,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.99, for a total transaction of $52,270,893.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 14,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,355,205.50. The trade was a 95.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 531,027 shares of company stock valued at $88,833,430. 0.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chevron during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Basso Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in Chevron during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Karpus Management Inc. acquired a new position in Chevron during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Chevron during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Quaker Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Chevron by 197.7% in the 2nd 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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-led consortium won multiple offshore exploration blocks in Greece (Chevron is operator with ~70% interest), expanding long?term upstream optionality and reserve exposure — a clear growth catalyst for the stock. Chevron-led consortium signs gas exploration deal in Greece
• Positive Sentiment: Chevron boosted its quarterly dividend (annualized ~$7.12; yield ~3.9%), reinforcing income appeal and supporting demand from yield?focused investors. Dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Independent coverage is bullish: several outlets highlight CVX as a defensive, dividend?paying leader in a strong energy sector and some analysts (including a recent upgrade) have raised targets, which can attract long?only flows. Chevron: Buy And Hold Like Berkshire Hathaway
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly results mixed: EPS beat estimates but revenue was below consensus and year?over?year revenue declined — this supports earnings quality but leaves questions on near?term volume/price headwinds. Earnings recap
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader sector momentum and analyst write?ups (valuation debates, dividend comparisons vs. Exxon) are increasing attention on CVX; that can boost volume and volatility without changing fundamentals. Chevron vs Exxon article
• Negative Sentiment: Turkey publicly opposed Greece?Chevron activity off Crete, calling it unlawful — this creates a geopolitical/regulatory overhang on Mediterranean projects and could delay execution. Turkey says Greece-Chevron activity unlawful
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling disclosures (company officers selling stock in recent filings) add a near?term negative signal and may amplify selling pressure for short windows. Insider selling

About Chevron

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.