Chevron (NYSE:CVX) Stock Price Down 4.3% Following Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) traded down 4.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Freedom Capital downgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong sell rating. The stock traded as low as $156.11 and last traded at $156.8240. 20,287,590 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 2% from the average session volume of 20,743,199 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.85.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Zacks Research upgraded Chevron from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. HSBC set a $169.00 price objective on Chevron and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Chevron in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Chevron from $190.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Chevron from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $166.90.

Insider Transactions at Chevron

In related news, CEO Michael K. Wirth sold 320,700 shares of Chevron stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $2,355,205.50. This trade represents a 95.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the insider directly owned 1,207 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,215.35. The trade was a 86.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 631,990 shares of company stock worth $99,716,808 in the last 90 days. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Chevron

Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Chevron is in talks with the U.S. government to expand a license to operate in Venezuela, which could allow increased crude exports to Chevron’s refineries and third-party sales — a direct, near‑term revenue upside if approved. Exclusive: Chevron in talks with US government for expanded Venezuela license, sources say
• Positive Sentiment: Reports say Chevron and Quantum Energy Partners are lining up a bid for roughly $22B of Lukoil’s international assets — a strategic acquisition that could expand Chevron’s upstream footprint and asset base if sanctioned‑asset deals clear regulatory review. Chevron, Quantum Energy Partners line up bid for $22 billion of Lukoil assets, FT reports
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and sector writeups continue to highlight Chevron’s unique refining capability on the U.S. Gulf Coast to process heavy Venezuelan crude — a structural advantage that underpins the bullish narrative if Venezuelan barrels flow. Why Chevron’s Venezuela Exposure Puts CVX Stock in Play for 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually large options activity has been flagged on CVX — this can amplify intraday moves but doesn’t by itself change fundamentals; it’s a sign of traders positioning for continued volatility. Chevron Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:CVX)
• Neutral Sentiment: Shipping data shows Chevron’s Venezuelan exports flowing while others pause — operationally supportive but still subject to sanction and buyer uncertainties. Venezuela’s oil deliveries to Asia at standstill, Chevron’s exports flowing -shipping data
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider sales were disclosed: CFO Eimear Bonner and director Alana Knowles sold sizable positions at about $165 per share on Jan. 5 — these exits can signal near‑term selling pressure and dent investor confidence. SEC Form 4 (Eimear P. Bonner) Alana K. Knowles insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst warnings and downgrades have emerged: Freedom Capital downgraded CVX to “strong sell,” and some brokers/notes caution that Venezuelan upside is uncertain and will take years, pressuring sentiment after the quick rally. Freedom Capital downgrade via Zacks
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary (MarketWatch/Forbes/Seeking Alpha) emphasizes operational, legal and investment hurdles in Venezuela — a reality check that has driven short‑term profit taking and greater risk aversion. Chevron’s stock falls as the market gets a reality check on Venezuela

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chevron

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Chevron by 652,139.5% during the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 83,714,936 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $13,214,757,000 after buying an additional 83,702,101 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Chevron by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 183,790,028 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $28,540,753,000 after acquiring an additional 27,961,463 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Chevron during the second quarter worth $2,721,477,000. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Chevron by 9.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 152,605,988 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $23,698,184,000 after acquiring an additional 12,789,399 shares during the period. Finally, Primecap Management Co. CA purchased a new position in shares of Chevron in the third quarter valued at $988,083,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.42% of the company’s stock.

Chevron Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of $152.10 and a 200-day moving average of $153.27. The company has a market capitalization of $312.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.80 and a beta of 0.70. 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 issued its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $46.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.48 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Chevron Corporation will post 10.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 18th. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. Chevron’s payout ratio is currently 96.20%.

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.