California Resources (NYSE:CRC) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.02 EPS

California Resources (NYSE:CRC) announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday. The oil and gas producer reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.49 by ($0.02), FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $924.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $789.67 million. California Resources had a net margin of 10.60% and a return on equity of 11.59%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.91 earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from California Resources’ conference call:

• CRC forecasts ~12% production growth in 2026 to ~155,000 BOE/d (about 81% oil) and has hedged roughly two?thirds of its oil at $65 Brent, providing meaningful near?term cash?flow protection.
• Management reported record 2025 financials (~$1.25B adjusted EBITDAX and $543M free cash flow), returned ~94% of FCF to shareholders, and raised share?repurchase authorization by $430M (remaining ?$600M), underscoring a shareholder?friendly capital allocation.
• Carbon TerraVault at Elk Hills is constructed and in commissioning, CRC has captured first CO2 and is awaiting final EPA approval to begin injection — a material de?risking step for its CCS and integrated power strategy.
• Regulatory permitting has improved and the company says it holds the majority of permits needed to execute the 2026 program; CRC highlights a deep conventional inventory (nearly 1.2 billion BOE 2P) supporting 20+ years of development at current rates.
• California market headwinds — softer Resource Adequacy revenues (management cites roughly $25M–$50M under current conditions) and lower gas realizations — along with a corporate maintenance breakeven in the mid?$50s WTI (~$60 Brent) could pressure near?term margins if prices remain weak.

California Resources Stock Up 4.5%

Shares of CRC opened at $61.47 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.30 and a beta of 1.11. California Resources has a 52 week low of $30.97 and a 52 week high of $62.48. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $51.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

California Resources Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. California Resources’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.67%.

More California Resources News

Here are the key news stories impacting California Resources this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a 12% production-growth target for 2026 and said it is expanding carbon?capture & storage (CCS) execution, signaling continued volume upside and diversification into emissions?reduction projects that could support valuation and ESG positioning. California Resources outlines 12% production growth for 2026 while expanding CCS execution
• Positive Sentiment: CRC reported 25% year?over?year production growth for 2025 and its highest annual free cash flow since 2021; new drilling permits support an active 2026 drilling program — all supportive of continued cash generation and debt discipline. California Resources Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Financial and Operating Results; Announces 2026 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue for Q4 came in at $924M, well above consensus (~$790M), indicating strong top?line execution even as commodity/realization dynamics evolve — the company provided slides and a conference?call deck for more detail. California Resources earnings transcript and materials
• Positive Sentiment: Carbon TerraVault (CRC’s carbon?management subsidiary) issued a 2025 update, underlining progress on carbon projects that could create new revenue/offset streams and reduce long?term regulatory risk. Carbon TerraVault Provides 2025 Update
• Positive Sentiment: CRC reported a methane?emissions milestone in tests that suggests a lower carbon premium and reduced earnings risk from emissions exposure — a potentially favorable development for both costs and investor perception. California Resources Methane Milestone Tests Low Carbon Premium And Earnings Risk
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street analysts revised models and price targets ahead of the Q4 release — expect some volatility as forecasts are updated to reflect CRC’s production guide and cash?flow outlook. Top Wall Street Forecasters Revamp California Resources Expectations Ahead Of Q4 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS of $0.47 missed consensus ($0.49) and declined versus $0.91 a year ago — a near?term headline that pressured estimates despite the revenue beat, and a reason some investors may remain cautious until margin/realization trends stabilize. California Resources Corporation (CRC) Q4 Earnings Lag Estimates

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on CRC. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of California Resources in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen upgraded California Resources to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Mizuho lifted their price target on California Resources from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. UBS Group set a $63.00 price objective on California Resources and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $70.00 price objective on California Resources in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.90.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On California Resources

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State of Wyoming increased its position in shares of California Resources by 261.6% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 3,887 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $178,000 after buying an additional 2,812 shares in the last quarter. Vestcor Inc acquired a new stake in California Resources in the 3rd quarter valued at $176,000. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC increased its holdings in California Resources by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 3,734 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $167,000 after acquiring an additional 580 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in California Resources in the 1st quarter worth $106,000. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in California Resources during the third quarter worth $78,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.79% of the company’s stock.

California Resources Company Profile

California Resources Corporation (NYSE: CRC) is an independent exploration and production company focused exclusively on developing oil and natural gas assets in California. Headquartered in Newport Beach, the company engages in hydraulic fracturing, well completions, reservoir management and enhanced recovery operations to produce crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids.

CRC’s operations are concentrated in three core regions: the Los Angeles Basin, the Ventura Basin and the San Joaquin Basin.