Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY)

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 76,924 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 34% compared to the typical volume of 57,390 call options.

Occidental Petroleum Price Performance

OXY stock traded up $4.17 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $51.28. 17,458,391 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,775,991. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.52 billion, a PE ratio of 37.71 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Occidental Petroleum has a 52 week low of $34.78 and a 52 week high of $52.58. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $43.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.51.

Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.02). Occidental Petroleum had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 7.81%.The company had revenue of $5.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Occidental Petroleum will post 3.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Occidental Petroleum Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Occidental Petroleum’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Occidental Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.59%.

Key Stories Impacting Occidental Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction to Q4 results and geopolitical support — several outlets report shares rose after the company’s Q4 announcement and amid Iran tensions, which can lift oil prices and OXY’s outlook. The same coverage cites interest in Kinetik-related transactions as a potential value catalyst. OXY Rises On Earnings Beat, Iran Geopolitical Tension, Kinetik Sale Interest
• Positive Sentiment: Active debt reduction move — Occidental launched cash tender offers and consent solicitations for several senior notes and debentures, signaling an effort to manage and potentially lower leverage; investors typically view orderly liability management as credit?positive. Occidental Announces Cash Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations for Certain of its Senior Notes and Debentures
• Neutral Sentiment: Official Q4 release and mixed metrics — the company posted Q4 results (see press release); headlines differ on whether EPS beat or missed various consensus figures and revenue was reported lower year?over?year in some summaries, creating ambiguity for models and near?term guidance. Occidental Announces Fourth Quarter 2025 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Conflicting earnings coverage — some outlets (e.g., Zacks) reported an EPS beat vs. a lowered consensus, which helps sentiment, while other services flagged a revenue shortfall versus published estimates; the inconsistency increases short?term volatility. Occidental Petroleum (OXY) Q4 Earnings Top Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pressure and revenue concerns — Susquehanna trimmed Occidental’s price target citing near?term oil oversupply risks; some coverage highlights a revenue miss that could weigh on sentiment if oil markets soften. Susquehanna lowers Occidental Petroleum (OXY) PT amid near-term oil oversupply concerns

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on OXY. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Occidental Petroleum from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Occidental Petroleum in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Mizuho upped their target price on Occidental Petroleum from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Occidental Petroleum currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $47.48.

Insider Buying and Selling at Occidental Petroleum

In related news, Director William R. Klesse bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $38.98 per share, for a total transaction of $194,900.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 218,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,533,228.74. This trade represents a 2.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of Occidental Petroleum in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Delta Global Management LP raised its position in Occidental Petroleum by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Delta Global Management LP now owns 59,230 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,436,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Occidental Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at about $956,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Occidental Petroleum by 159.2% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 105,052 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $4,347,000 after purchasing an additional 64,527 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ark Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Occidental Petroleum in the 4th quarter worth approximately $335,000. 88.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.